MLAT Grammatical Structure & Syntax Recognition 3

Question 1

Choose the sentence that avoids a dangling modifier.

Accepted Answer

After finishing the exam, the students left the room.

Answer

Only in option A does the subject ('the students') logically perform the action in the modifier ('After finishing the exam').

Question 2

In 'The faster you drive, the greater the risk,' what syntactic pattern is used?

Accepted Answer

Correlative comparative construction

Answer

The 'the…the…' pattern is a correlative comparative construction expressing proportional relationships.

Question 3

Which sentence contains a misplaced modifier?

Accepted Answer

He almost drove his children to school every day.

Answer

'Almost' is misplaced; it modifies 'drove' instead of 'every day'—meaning he nearly didn't drive at all, not that he drove on most days.

Question 4

What is the grammatical term for 'her singing' in 'We appreciated her singing'?

Accepted Answer

Gerund phrase functioning as direct object

Answer

'Her singing' is a gerund phrase (noun function) serving as the direct object of 'appreciated.'

Question 5

Identify the sentence with correct parallel structure.

Accepted Answer

She likes hiking, swimming, and cycling.

Answer

All three activities use the gerund (-ing) form, maintaining grammatical parallelism.

(MLAT) Modern Language Aptitude Test Practice Test