CHSPE Grammar and Usage 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence correctly uses the word 'affect' or 'effect'?
- The medicine had no affect on her symptoms.
- Stress can effect your health negatively.
- The cold weather affected the crops. (Correct answer)
- He tried to effect change in her attitude.
Correct answer: The cold weather affected the crops.
'Affected' is the verb form meaning 'to influence,' and it is used correctly here.
Question 2: Which sentence demonstrates correct use of a colon?
- She bought: apples, oranges, and bananas.
- He had one goal: to pass the exam. (Correct answer)
- The recipe calls for: flour, eggs, and milk.
- I need to: study, sleep, and eat.
Correct answer: He had one goal: to pass the exam.
A colon is correctly used after a complete independent clause to introduce what follows.
Question 3: Choose the correctly capitalized sentence.
- We studied the civil war in History class.
- She moved to the South last Spring.
- He visited the Jefferson memorial in Washington, D.C. (Correct answer)
- My Aunt works at a Hospital downtown.
Correct answer: He visited the Jefferson memorial in Washington, D.C.
'Jefferson Memorial' is the proper name of a specific monument and should be capitalized, as should 'Washington, D.C.'
Question 4: Identify the sentence with correct pronoun-antecedent agreement.
- Each student must bring their own pencil.
- Everyone finished their test on time.
- The team celebrated its championship win. (Correct answer)
- Someone left their jacket in the room.
Correct answer: The team celebrated its championship win.
'Team' is treated as a singular collective noun here, so 'its' correctly agrees with it.
Question 5: Which sentence is a sentence fragment?
- She left before the show started.
- Running through the park on a sunny afternoon. (Correct answer)
- The class ended at noon.
- He forgot his homework again.
Correct answer: Running through the park on a sunny afternoon.
'Running through the park on a sunny afternoon' is a fragment because it lacks a subject and a main verb.
Question 6: Which of the following uses 'fewer' and 'less' correctly?
- There are less students in the class today.
- She has fewer patience than her sister.
- He made fewer mistakes on this test. (Correct answer)
- We have less chairs than we need.
Correct answer: He made fewer mistakes on this test.
'Fewer' is correctly used with countable nouns like 'mistakes.'
Question 7: Select the option that best corrects the unclear pronoun reference: 'When Maya talked to her teacher, she was nervous.'
- When Maya talked to her teacher, Maya was nervous. (Correct answer)
- When she talked to her teacher, she was nervous.
- When Maya talked to her teacher, they were nervous.
- When Maya and her teacher talked, she was nervous.
Correct answer: When Maya talked to her teacher, Maya was nervous.
Replacing the ambiguous 'she' with 'Maya' clarifies who was nervous.
CHSPE Grammar and Usage 5
Which sentence correctly uses the word 'affect' or 'effect'?