Language Proficiency Grammar and Usage 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence uses an apostrophe correctly?
- The dog wagged it's tail.
- The childrens' toys were scattered.
- The boss's office is on the third floor. (Correct answer)
- The 1990's were a great decade.
Correct answer: The boss's office is on the third floor.
Singular nouns ending in 's' still form the possessive by adding 's, making 'boss's' correct.
Question 2: Which sentence avoids a comma splice?
- I was tired, I went to bed early.
- She studied hard, she passed the exam.
- He finished the report, and then he submitted it. (Correct answer)
- The movie was long, it was entertaining.
Correct answer: He finished the report, and then he submitted it.
Using a coordinating conjunction after the comma correctly joins two independent clauses without a comma splice.
Question 3: In which sentence is the word 'whom' used correctly?
- Whom left the door open?
- Who did you call?
- Whom should I contact for help? (Correct answer)
- Who did they give the award to?
Correct answer: Whom should I contact for help?
'Whom' is correct as the object of the infinitive 'to contact'; it answers 'him/her,' not 'he/she.'
Question 4: Which sentence correctly uses the past perfect tense?
- By noon, she finished all her work.
- He had left before the meeting started. (Correct answer)
- They were arriving when I called.
- I am completed the assignment yesterday.
Correct answer: He had left before the meeting started.
The past perfect 'had left' correctly shows an action completed before another past action.
Question 5: Which example correctly uses an em dash?
- She bought apples-oranges-and pears.
- The answer—42—surprised everyone. (Correct answer)
- He ran to the store - and back.
- They decided to leave - early.
Correct answer: The answer—42—surprised everyone.
Em dashes set off parenthetical information or create emphasis, correctly used here around '42.'
Question 6: Which sentence has correct subject-verb agreement with an indefinite pronoun?
- Everyone have their own opinion.
- Neither of the options are correct.
- Each of the students submits their assignment. (Correct answer)
- Both of them was present at the meeting.
Correct answer: Each of the students submits their assignment.
'Each' is singular, so it takes the singular verb 'submits,' and 'their' is accepted as a singular gender-neutral pronoun.
Question 7: Which sentence correctly distinguishes 'fewer' from 'less'?
- There are less students in class today.
- I have fewer money than I thought.
- She made fewer mistakes on the second test. (Correct answer)
- We need less chairs for the event.
Correct answer: She made fewer mistakes on the second test.
'Fewer' is used for countable nouns like 'mistakes,' while 'less' is used for uncountable quantities.
Language Proficiency Grammar and Usage 5
Which sentence uses an apostrophe correctly?