MEGA General Education 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student writes: 'The team are playing their best game.' Which revision best corrects the subject-verb agreement?
- The team is playing their best game. (Correct answer)
- The team are playing its best game.
- The team were playing their best game.
- The team have been playing their best game.
Correct answer: The team is playing their best game.
In American English, collective nouns like 'team' take singular verbs, so 'is' is correct.
Question 2: Which type of context clue is used in this sentence: 'The cartographer, or mapmaker, carefully drafted the new territory'?
- Appositive (Correct answer)
- Antonym
- Example
- Inference
Correct answer: Appositive
An appositive context clue restates or defines the unknown word immediately after it, often set off by commas or 'or.'
Question 3: A rectangle has a length of 15 cm and a width of 8 cm. What is the length of its diagonal?
- 17 cm (Correct answer)
- 23 cm
- 19 cm
- √161 cm
Correct answer: 17 cm
Using the Pythagorean theorem: √(15² + 8²) = √(225 + 64) = √289 = 17 cm.
Question 4: Which branch of the U.S. federal government has the power to declare laws unconstitutional?
- Judicial (Correct answer)
- Legislative
- Executive
- Administrative
Correct 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.
Question 5: During photosynthesis, plants convert light energy into chemical energy stored in which molecule?
- Glucose (Correct answer)
- ATP only
- Oxygen
- Carbon dioxide
Correct answer: Glucose
Photosynthesis produces glucose (C₆H₁₂O₆), which stores chemical energy derived from sunlight, CO₂, and water.
Question 6: Which musical term describes a gradual increase in loudness?
- Crescendo (Correct answer)
- Decrescendo
- Staccato
- Legato
Correct answer: Crescendo
Crescendo (abbreviated cresc. or <) indicates that the music should gradually get louder.
Question 7: Missouri entered the Union as a slave state in 1821 as part of which agreement that maintained the balance between slave and free states?
- Missouri Compromise (Correct answer)
- Compromise of 1850
- Kansas-Nebraska Act
- Northwest Ordinance
Correct answer: Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise of 1820 admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, maintaining the Senate balance.
MEGA General Education 2
A student writes: 'The team are playing their best game.' Which revision best corrects the subject-verb agreement?