FSOT English Grammar and Usage 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence contains a misplaced modifier?
- The dog barked loudly at the stranger.
- She almost drove her children to school every day. (Correct answer)
- He quickly finished his report before noon.
- They carefully reviewed all the documents.
Correct answer: She almost drove her children to school every day.
'Almost' modifies 'drove' when it should modify 'every day,' implying she nearly drove but didn't.
Question 2: Which is the correct form of the verb in this sentence? 'Neither the manager nor the employees ___ informed.'
- was
- were (Correct answer)
- has been
- is
Correct answer: were
When using 'neither…nor,' the verb agrees with the subject closest to it; 'employees' is plural, so 'were' is correct.
Question 3: Which sentence uses parallel structure correctly?
- She likes hiking, to swim, and running.
- She likes to hike, swim, and run. (Correct answer)
- She likes hiking, swimming, and to run.
- She likes to hike, swimming, and runs.
Correct answer: She likes to hike, swim, and run.
Parallel structure requires matching grammatical forms; 'to hike, swim, and run' uses consistent infinitives.
Question 4: Which word correctly completes this sentence? 'The ambassador assured the delegates that the treaty would ___ their concerns.'
- adress
- address (Correct answer)
- addres
- adres
Correct answer: address
'Address' is the correct spelling of the verb meaning to deal with or speak to an issue.
Question 5: Which sentence uses the active voice?
- The report was written by the analyst.
- The policy was approved by the committee.
- The analyst wrote the report. (Correct answer)
- Mistakes were made by the department.
Correct answer: The analyst wrote the report.
In the active voice, the subject (analyst) performs the action (wrote), making the sentence clearer and more direct.
Question 6: Which of the following correctly uses 'who' versus 'whom'?
- To who should I address the letter?
- Who did you speak with?
- Whom should I contact for assistance? (Correct answer)
- Whom is responsible for this decision?
Correct answer: Whom should I contact for assistance?
'Whom' is correct as the object of the preposition 'for'; use 'whom' when it can be replaced by 'him.'
Question 7: Which sentence correctly punctuates a nonrestrictive clause?
- The report that I submitted yesterday was approved.
- The report, that I submitted yesterday, was approved.
- The report which I submitted yesterday was approved.
- The report, which I submitted yesterday, was approved. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The report, which I submitted yesterday, was approved.
Nonrestrictive clauses use 'which' and are set off by commas, while restrictive clauses use 'that' with no commas.
FSOT English Grammar and Usage 3
Which sentence contains a misplaced modifier?