General Education Flashcards

A student writes: 'The team are playing their best game.' Which revision best corrects the subject-verb agreement?

Answer: The team is playing their best game.

In American English, collective nouns like 'team' take singular verbs, so 'is' is correct.

Which type of context clue is used in this sentence: 'The cartographer, or mapmaker, carefully drafted the new territory'?

Answer: Appositive

An appositive context clue restates or defines the unknown word immediately after it, often set off by commas or 'or.'

A rectangle has a length of 15 cm and a width of 8 cm. What is the length of its diagonal?

Answer: 17 cm

Using the Pythagorean theorem: √(15² + 8²) = √(225 + 64) = √289 = 17 cm.

Which branch of the U.S. federal government has the power to declare laws unconstitutional?

Answer: Judicial

The judicial branch, through the Supreme Court's power of judicial review established in Marbury v. Madison (1803), can strike down unconstitutional laws.

During photosynthesis, plants convert light energy into chemical energy stored in which molecule?

Answer: Glucose

Photosynthesis produces glucose (C₆H₁₂O₆), which stores chemical energy derived from sunlight, CO₂, and water.

Which musical term describes a gradual increase in loudness?

Answer: Crescendo

Crescendo (abbreviated cresc. or <) indicates that the music should gradually get louder.

Missouri entered the Union as a slave state in 1821 as part of which agreement that maintained the balance between slave and free states?

Answer: Missouri Compromise

The Missouri Compromise of 1820 admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, maintaining the Senate balance.