ITBS - Iowa Test of Basic Skills Capitalization and Punctuation Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following sentences uses capitalization correctly?
- My favorite holiday is christmas, which we celebrate in December.
- On Tuesday, we will visit the Lincoln Memorial in washington, d.c.
- My Aunt Carol is coming to visit from Paris, France, next Spring.
- Last summer, my family and I went to see the Pacific Ocean. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Last summer, my family and I went to see the Pacific Ocean.
Proper nouns, which include specific people, places, and things, must be capitalized. 'Pacific Ocean' is the specific name of an ocean and should be capitalized. In the other options, 'Christmas,' 'Washington, D.C.,' and 'spring' are incorrectly capitalized (seasons are not capitalized unless part of a proper name). 'Aunt Carol' is correct, but 'Spring' is not.
Question 2: Read the following sentence: 'Let's eat grandma!' Which punctuation mark is needed to change the meaning and make the sentence a safe suggestion?
- A period
- A comma (Correct answer)
- A question mark
- An exclamation point
Correct answer: A comma
A comma is needed for direct address. Placing a comma after 'eat' separates the person being spoken to ('grandma') from the action, changing the sentence to 'Let's eat, grandma!'. This makes it an invitation for grandma to eat, rather than a suggestion to eat her.
Question 3: Which sentence correctly uses an apostrophe to show possession?
- The dogs's water bowl is empty.
- All of the students pencils were sharpened.
- That is my friend's new bicycle. (Correct answer)
- The cats toys are all over the floor.
Correct answer: That is my friend's new bicycle.
To show singular possession, you add an apostrophe followed by an 's' ('friend's'). 'Dogs's' is incorrect for a plural noun; it should be 'dogs''. 'Students' and 'cats' are plural nouns, so the apostrophe should come after the 's' to show possession (students', cats').
Question 4: In which sentence is punctuation used correctly?
- We are going to the store to buy: milk, eggs, and bread.
- I asked my mom, "Can we go to the park?" (Correct answer)
- The dog wagged it's tail happily.
- She loves playing outside; but only when it's sunny.
Correct answer: I asked my mom, "Can we go to the park?"
Quotation marks are used to enclose a direct quote, and the punctuation (in this case, a question mark) goes inside the closing quotation mark. Option A incorrectly uses a colon after a verb. Option C confuses 'it's' (it is) with the possessive 'its'. Option D incorrectly uses a semicolon before a coordinating conjunction ('but'); a comma would be appropriate.
Question 5: Dr. Evans lives at 123 Main Street, Anytown, USA. When writing his title and address, which part contains a capitalization error?
- Dr. Evans
- 123 Main street (Correct answer)
- Anytown
- USA
Correct answer: 123 Main street
The names of specific streets are proper nouns and should be fully capitalized. Therefore, 'Main Street' should be capitalized, not 'Main street'. Titles like 'Dr.', names of people, cities, and countries are all capitalized correctly.
Question 6: Which of the following correctly punctuates the end of a question?
- What time is the school play.
- I wonder what time the school play is.
- Please tell me what time the school play is!
- When does the school play start? (Correct answer)
Correct answer: When does the school play start?
A direct question requires a question mark at the end. 'When does the school play start?' is a direct question. 'I wonder what time the school play is' is a declarative statement expressing wonder, so it ends with a period. The other options use incorrect terminal punctuation.
ITBS - Iowa Test of Basic Skills Capitalization and Punctuation Questions and Answers
Which of the following sentences uses capitalization correctly?