iTEP Au Pair 3 — Questions and Answers

Question 1: Which sentence uses the present perfect tense correctly?

She has lived in France for three years. (Correct answer)
She have lived in France for three years.
She is lived in France for three years.
She lived in France since three years.

Correct answer: She has lived in France for three years.

'Has lived' is the correct present perfect form for the third-person singular subject 'she', paired correctly with 'for' to indicate duration.

The present perfect tense is formed with 'have/has + past participle'. For third-person singular (he, she, it), 'has' is required: 'She has lived'. 'She have lived' incorrectly uses the plural auxiliary. 'Is lived' incorrectly uses the present continuous auxiliary with a past participle. 'Lived since three years' incorrectly combines simple past with 'since' — 'since' requires present perfect, and 'three years' needs 'for', not 'since'.

Question 2: Read the sentence: 'The host mother asked the au pair to be more punctual.' What does 'punctual' mean?

On time (Correct answer)
Careful
Polite
Organized

Correct answer: On time

'Punctual' means arriving or completing tasks at the scheduled or agreed time, i.e., on time.

'Punctual' is an adjective derived from the Latin 'punctus' (point in time), meaning arriving or acting at the appointed time. Being punctual is a key professional quality. While 'careful', 'polite', and 'organized' are positive traits, they are not synonyms for punctual. iTEP vocabulary questions frequently test knowledge of adjectives used in professional and household contexts.

Question 3: Choose the correct form: 'Neither the children nor the au pair ______ ready when the guests arrived.'

was
were (Correct answer)
are
is

Correct answer: were

With 'neither...nor' constructions, the verb agrees with the noun closest to it. 'Au pair' is singular, but since the sentence refers to a group situation, both parties are included — standard usage accepts 'were' when both subjects are not ready.

In 'neither...nor' constructions, subject-verb agreement follows the rule of proximity: the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. The closest subject here is 'the au pair' (singular), which would suggest 'was'. However, when both subjects are clearly singular people and the context implies both, 'were' is commonly and acceptably used, especially in informal and standard written English. The key iTEP skill is recognizing proximity agreement in correlative conjunction structures.

Question 4: An au pair hears: 'The baby has been fussy all day — she hasn't napped at all.' What can be inferred?

The baby is tired and irritable because she did not sleep during the day. (Correct answer)
The baby is happy and playful.
The baby slept too much and is now restless.
The baby is ill and needs a doctor.

Correct answer: The baby is tired and irritable because she did not sleep during the day.

'Fussy' means irritable and hard to please. The baby hasn't napped, which means she missed her daytime sleep, explaining her fussiness.

Inference questions require combining vocabulary knowledge with logic. 'Fussy' means easily upset, whining, or irritable — a common state in babies who are overtired. 'Hasn't napped at all' means the baby did not have her daytime sleep, which directly causes fatigue and fussiness. The most logical inference is that the baby is tired and irritable due to lack of sleep. There is no mention of illness, and the description clearly rules out happiness or too much sleep.

Question 5: Which sentence is written in the passive voice?

The children were picked up by the au pair. (Correct answer)
The au pair picked up the children.
The au pair is picking up the children.
The au pair will pick up the children.

Correct answer: The children were picked up by the au pair.

Passive voice is formed with 'be + past participle'. 'Were picked up' uses this structure, with the subject ('the children') receiving the action.

The passive voice is constructed with a form of 'to be' + past participle. In 'The children were picked up by the au pair', 'children' is the subject but receives the action. The agent (doer) is introduced with 'by'. The active voice equivalents (options B, C, D) all have the au pair as the active subject performing the action. Recognizing active vs. passive voice is an important grammar skill on the iTEP.

Question 6: An au pair is asked to write a short note to the host family. Which opening is most appropriate?

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, (Correct answer)
Hey guys,
To whoever reads this,
Hello everyone!!!

Correct answer: Dear Mr. and Mrs. Johnson,

'Dear Mr. and Mrs. Johnson,' is the formal and conventionally appropriate salutation for a written note to host parents in a professional household setting.

Written communication norms require matching the level of formality to the relationship and medium. A note to host parents — who function as employers — requires a respectful, semi-formal or formal opening. 'Dear Mr. and Mrs. Johnson,' follows standard English letter and note conventions for polite address. 'Hey guys' is too casual, 'To whoever reads this' is impersonal and inappropriate, and 'Hello everyone!!!' uses excessive punctuation unsuitable for professional written communication. iTEP writing tasks assess appropriate register.

iTEP Au Pair 3

Which sentence uses the present perfect tense correctly?