Mixed Deck — All CELSA Topics Flashcards

Select the correctly punctuated sentence with a list.

Answer: I need eggs, milk, bread, and butter.

In a series of four items, commas separate each item including before the conjunction (Oxford comma).

Which of the following pairs of words are the most accurate SYNONYMS?

Answer: Egregious / Flagrant

Synonyms are words with similar meanings. 'Egregious' and 'flagrant' both mean outstandingly bad or shocking. The other pairs are antonyms: 'gregarious' (sociable) is the opposite of 'aloof' (distant); 'lucid' (clear) is the opposite of 'vague'; and 'frugal' (thrifty) is the opposite of 'extravagant'.

Read the following passage: 'The global supply chain is a complex network responsible for producing and transporting goods from raw material to the end consumer. In recent years, it has faced unprecedented challenges. Events like pandemics, geopolitical conflicts, and extreme weather have exposed its vulnerabilities, causing significant delays and shortages. Companies are now actively seeking to build more resilience by diversifying their suppliers, investing in technology for better tracking, and holding more inventory locally. The goal is to create a more robust system that can withstand future shocks.' Which sentence best expresses the main idea of the passage?

Answer: Recent challenges have exposed weaknesses in the global supply chain, prompting companies to build greater resilience.

This sentence accurately captures the problem-solution structure of the paragraph. It mentions the core issue (challenges exposing vulnerabilities) and the resulting action (companies building resilience). The other options state supporting details or only part of the main idea.

Which sentence demonstrates correct parallel structure?

Answer: She likes reading, swimming, and cooking.

Parallel structure requires all items in a series to use the same grammatical form; here, all are gerunds (-ing form).

Select the sentence with correct pronoun-verb agreement.

Answer: Neither of the boys has completed the test.

'Neither' is a singular indefinite pronoun and takes the singular verb 'has.'

Which sentence uses an apostrophe correctly?

Answer: The dog's collar was red.

'Dog's' shows singular possession—the collar belonging to one dog—using apostrophe + s.

What does 'under the weather' describe?

Answer: Feeling slightly ill

'Under the weather' is an idiom meaning to feel unwell or slightly sick.

Which sentence uses the pronoun 'it' correctly?

Answer: It is important to study every day.

Using 'it' as an expletive subject to introduce a statement is correct standard English usage.

A paragraph discusses how urban gardens reduce food insecurity, provide fresh produce, and strengthen community bonds. What is the main idea?

Answer: Urban gardens benefit communities in multiple ways

The paragraph covers several benefits of urban gardens — food access and community — so the unifying main idea is that urban gardens benefit communities in multiple ways.

Read the following internal company announcement: 'Effective next month, all project status reports must be submitted through the new centralized digital platform. The previous method of emailing reports directly to department heads will be discontinued to ensure all stakeholders have real-time access to the same information and to eliminate version control issues.' What can be inferred from this announcement?

Answer: Information was previously siloed and difficult to track consistently.

The announcement states the new system is designed to 'ensure all stakeholders have real-time access' and 'eliminate version control issues.' This logically implies that the old system of emailing reports created problems where different people had different versions of a report and information was not universally accessible, making it inconsistent and siloed.

Choose the sentence with correct end punctuation for a direct question.

Answer: Can you help me with this problem?

A direct question ('Can you help me?') ends with a question mark, while indirect questions do not.

What ______ when I called?

Answer: Were you doing

The correct answer is "were you doing". This is the correct form of the question in past continuous tense. It is asking about the action or activity that the person was engaged in at the time of the call.

What is the author's most likely purpose in a passage that lists statistics about rising sea levels and disappearing coastlines?

Answer: To inform and persuade readers about climate change urgency

Statistics about environmental damage are typically used to inform readers about a problem and persuade them to take it seriously.

Which sentence uses 'despite' correctly?

Answer: Despite being tired, she finished the report.

'Despite' must be followed by a noun phrase or gerund, not a clause introduced by 'that' or a bare subject.

Which word is closest in meaning to 'verbose'?

Answer: Wordy

'Verbose' means using more words than necessary; 'wordy' is the closest synonym.

Choose the correct word form to complete the sentence: 'Her ______ in the competition was impressive.'

Answer: performance

The noun 'performance' is needed as the subject of the sentence.

Interviewer: "That concludes my questions. Do you have any questions for me?" Candidate: __________

Answer: "Yes, I do. Could you describe what a typical day looks like in this role and what the team's biggest priorities are for the next six months?"

This is the strongest response as it shows genuine interest in the role and the company's goals. It demonstrates that the candidate is thinking about how they can contribute and fit into the team, which is much more impressive than having no questions or only asking about salary and benefits.

Select the sentence that incorrectly uses a prepositional phrase.

Answer: They are excited about of the trip.

'About of' is incorrect because 'about' and 'of' cannot be used together as a double preposition in this context.

Choose the correct pronoun case: 'The winner of the contest was ___.'

Answer: he

After a linking verb like 'was,' use the subject pronoun (nominative case), so 'he' is correct.

Since the city installed 500 new trees in the downtown corridor, summer temperatures there dropped by an average of 3°F. A neighboring district with no new plantings showed no temperature change. What inference is best supported?

Answer: Urban tree coverage can reduce local heat levels

The controlled comparison—one district with trees versus one without, and only the first showing cooling—supports inferring that the trees caused the temperature drop.