English Grammar Test Advanced Topics 4 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence demonstrates correct subject-verb agreement with a collective noun?
- The jury are in disagreement among themselves.
- The team is celebrating its victory. (Correct answer)
- The committee have reached a decision.
- The jury were unable to agree.
Correct answer: The team is celebrating its victory.
In American English, collective nouns like 'team' typically take singular verbs when acting as a unit.
Question 2: What is an example of anaphora as a rhetorical device?
- The answer, yes the answer, is right here.
- We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields. (Correct answer)
- He spoke quickly, nervously, and without pause.
- The silence was deafening â ironically so.
Correct answer: We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields.
Anaphora is the deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses, as in Churchill's famous speech.
Question 3: Which option correctly identifies the voice of the verb in: 'The report was submitted by the intern'?
- Active voice
- Passive voice (Correct answer)
- Subjunctive voice
- Imperative voice
Correct answer: Passive voice
The subject ('the report') receives the action rather than performing it, making this passive voice.
Question 4: Which sentence contains a correctly used absolute phrase?
- The storm approaching, we decided to stay indoors. (Correct answer)
- Running quickly, the storm approached.
- Because the storm approached, we stayed indoors.
- The storm, it was approaching, forced us indoors.
Correct answer: The storm approaching, we decided to stay indoors.
An absolute phrase ('The storm approaching') has its own subject and modifies the entire main clause without using a conjunction.
Question 5: Which of the following is an example of a nominative absolute construction used correctly?
- With tears streaming down her face, she read the letter.
- She cried, reading the letter.
- The letter being read, she began to cry. (Correct answer)
- Having cried, the letter was put down.
Correct answer: The letter being read, she began to cry.
'The letter being read' is a nominative absolute: a noun phrase with a participle that modifies the entire clause.
Question 6: What does it mean for a sentence to have 'syntactic ambiguity'?
- The sentence contains a grammatical error.
- The sentence can be parsed in more than one grammatically valid way. (Correct answer)
- The sentence uses overly technical vocabulary.
- The sentence lacks a clear main clause.
Correct answer: The sentence can be parsed in more than one grammatically valid way.
Syntactic ambiguity occurs when a sentence's structure allows two or more valid grammatical interpretations, e.g., 'I saw the man with the telescope.'
Question 7: Which sentence uses an em dash correctly?
- She packed everything she needed - sunscreen, a hat, and water.
- The answerâas everyone suspectedâwas obvious. (Correct answer)
- He arrived at 5:00âpm sharp.
- They waited â and waited â then left.
Correct answer: The answerâas everyone suspectedâwas obvious.
Em dashes set off a parenthetical remark within a sentence; they are used without spaces in American English style.
English Grammar Test Advanced Topics 4
Which sentence demonstrates correct subject-verb agreement with a collective noun?