CHSPE Grammar and Usage 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence contains an incorrectly used apostrophe?
- The dog's collar is red.
- The two sisters' room is messy.
- The student's completed their homework. (Correct answer)
- It's a beautiful day.
Correct answer: The student's completed their homework.
'Students' in this context is a plural subject and should not have an apostrophe; 'student's' incorrectly shows possession.
Question 2: Select the correct comparative form: 'This test is ______ than the last one.'
- more harder
- hardest
- harder (Correct answer)
- most hard
Correct answer: harder
For one-syllable adjectives like 'hard,' form the comparative by adding '-er,' not by using 'more.'
Question 3: Which of the following is a run-on sentence?
- I studied hard, and I passed the test.
- She was tired; she went to bed early.
- He ran the marathon it took four hours. (Correct answer)
- Although he was nervous, he performed well.
Correct answer: He ran the marathon it took four hours.
'He ran the marathon it took four hours' fuses two independent clauses without proper punctuation or a conjunction.
Question 4: Which sentence uses 'who' and 'whom' correctly?
- Who did you call? (Correct answer)
- Whom is calling?
- Who did you give the gift to?
- To who should I address the letter?
Correct answer: Who did you call?
In 'Who did you call?' the word 'who' refers to the object, but this is acceptable in informal speech; however, among the options, the clearest correct usage is option A as commonly tested.
Question 5: Choose the sentence where the verb tense is consistent.
- She walked in, sat down, and starts to read.
- He opened the door and came inside. (Correct answer)
- They were happy when the rain stops.
- I finish my homework and went to bed.
Correct answer: He opened the door and came inside.
'Opened' and 'came' are both past tense, maintaining consistent tense throughout the sentence.
Question 6: Which word best completes the sentence to show contrast? 'She trained for months; ______, she did not win the race.'
- therefore
- furthermore
- however (Correct answer)
- consequently
Correct answer: however
'However' signals a contrast between training hard and not winning, which is the logical relationship between the two clauses.
Question 7: Identify the sentence with a misplaced modifier.
- She nearly drove her kids to school every day. (Correct answer)
- The girl with the red hat left early.
- He fixed the bike that was broken.
- The teacher explained the lesson clearly.
Correct answer: She nearly drove her kids to school every day.
'Nearly' is misplaced; it should modify 'every day,' not 'drove,' to mean she drove them on almost every day (not that she almost drove them).
CHSPE Grammar and Usage 4
Which sentence contains an incorrectly used apostrophe?