Free Proofreading Assessment Question and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Together with Nicaragua and Panama, Costa Rica shares a ________.
- boarder
- border (Correct answer)
Correct answer: border
The correct word is 'border,' which refers to the boundary or line separating two countries or regions. 'Boarder' refers to someone who pays for lodging and meals, or a person who boards a ship or train. In the context of countries sharing a geographical boundary, 'border' is the appropriate term.
Question 2: Which of the following sentences has the proper capitalization?
- I plan to go to Canada this summer to watch the Calgary Stampede. (Correct answer)
- I plan to go to Canada this Summer to watch the calgary Stampede.
- I plan to go to Canada this summer to watch the Calgary stampede.
- I plan to go to Canada this summer to watch the calgary stampede.
Correct answer: I plan to go to Canada this summer to watch the Calgary Stampede.
Proper capitalization rules dictate that proper nouns—specific names of places, events, or institutions—must be capitalized. In option A, 'Canada' is a specific country and 'Calgary Stampede' is a specific event, so both are correctly capitalized. Seasons like 'summer' are generally not capitalized unless they are part of a proper noun (e.g., 'Summer Olympics'), making option A the only one with correct capitalization throughout.
Question 3: Within a few seconds, they heard thunder and saw _________.
- lightning (Correct answer)
- lightening
Correct answer: lightning
The correct word is 'lightning,' which refers to the visible flash of light produced by an electrical discharge during a thunderstorm. 'Lightening' is the present participle of the verb 'to lighten,' meaning to make something less heavy or brighter in color. In the context of hearing thunder and seeing a natural phenomenon, 'lightning' is the appropriate term.
Question 4: Which of the following statements has proper punctuation?
- Have the paychecks arrived yet!
- Have the paychecks arrived yet? (Correct answer)
- Have the paychecks arrived yet.
- Have the paychecks, arrived yet?
Correct answer: Have the paychecks arrived yet?
The sentence "Have the paychecks arrived yet?" is a direct question. Therefore, it correctly uses a question mark at the end to indicate its interrogative nature. Options A and C use an exclamation point and a period, respectively, which are incorrect for a direct question, while option D incorrectly places a comma before "arrived."
Question 5: Which of the following statements has proper punctuation?
- When Richard saw the beautiful, cabin by the lake he was happy too.
- When Richard saw the beautiful cabin; by the lake, he was happy too.
- When Richard saw the beautiful cabin by the lake, he was happy too.
- When Richard saw the beautiful cabin, by the lake, he was happy too. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: When Richard saw the beautiful cabin, by the lake, he was happy too.
The phrase "by the lake" in this sentence acts as a non-essential, parenthetical element that provides additional descriptive information about the cabin. Non-essential phrases should be set off by commas on both sides to separate them from the main clause. This punctuation correctly isolates "by the lake" without disrupting the grammatical integrity of the core sentence.
Question 6: You could give someone a ___________ to the head with the height of that karate kick!
- heal
- heel (Correct answer)
Correct answer: heel
The word "heel" refers to the back part of the human foot, which is the anatomical part that would make contact in a karate kick as described. "Heal" (A) means to make or become sound or healthy again, which is irrelevant in this context. Therefore, "heel" is the correct homophone to use to describe the impact of the kick.
Question 7: Which of the following statements has proper punctuation?
- The bookstore had to move it’s collection of childrens’ books.
- The bookstore had to move its collection of children’s books. (Correct answer)
- The bookstore had to move its’ collection of childrens’ books.
- The bookstore had to move its’ collection of children’s books.
Correct answer: The bookstore had to move its collection of children’s books.
In this sentence, "its" (without an apostrophe) is the possessive form of "it," correctly indicating that the collection belongs to the bookstore. "Children's" uses an apostrophe before the 's' to show possession for the plural noun "children," as "children" is already an irregular plural. Options A, C, and D incorrectly use "it's" (meaning "it is") or "its'" (which is not a valid word), and/or "childrens'" (an incorrect plural possessive form).
Free Proofreading Assessment Question and Answers
Together with Nicaragua and Panama, Costa Rica shares a ________.