NCDAP Sentence Skills 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Choose the sentence that is most clearly and correctly written: (A) Running through the park, the rain began to fall. (B) While running through the park, she got caught in the rain. (C) She was running, and the rain began to fall in the park. (D) The rain fell while through the park she was running.
- Running through the park, the rain began to fall.
- While running through the park, she got caught in the rain. (Correct answer)
- She was running, and the rain began to fall in the park.
- The rain fell while through the park she was running.
Correct answer: While running through the park, she got caught in the rain.
Option B correctly attaches the participial phrase 'while running through the park' to its subject 'she,' avoiding a dangling modifier.
Question 2: Which of the following is a complete sentence?
- Because the deadline was approaching quickly.
- The deadline approached, and everyone scrambled. (Correct answer)
- Although everyone scrambled to meet the deadline.
- The team, working overtime to finish the project.
Correct answer: The deadline approached, and everyone scrambled.
Option B contains both an independent clause and a coordinating conjunction joining another clause, making it a complete sentence.
Question 3: Select the best revision of the following sentence: 'The report was written by the manager, it contained several errors.'
- The report was written by the manager; it contained several errors. (Correct answer)
- The report was written by the manager, and it contained several errors.
- Although the report was written by the manager it contained several errors.
- The report was written by the manager it, contained several errors.
Correct answer: The report was written by the manager; it contained several errors.
A semicolon correctly joins two related independent clauses, fixing the comma splice in the original sentence.
Question 4: Which sentence uses parallel structure correctly?
- She likes hiking, to swim, and runs in the morning.
- She likes hiking, swimming, and running in the morning. (Correct answer)
- She likes to hike, swimming, and to run in the morning.
- She likes hiking, to swim, and running in the morning.
Correct answer: She likes hiking, swimming, and running in the morning.
Option B uses consistent gerund forms (hiking, swimming, running) to maintain parallel structure in the list.
Question 5: Identify the sentence that contains a misplaced modifier:
- He almost drove his children to school every day. (Correct answer)
- She nearly failed every test in her math class.
- The dog that bit the child was taken to the shelter.
- The teacher explained the lesson clearly to her students.
Correct answer: He almost drove his children to school every day.
'Almost' is misplaced; the intended meaning is that he drove them nearly every day, not that he nearly drove them.
Question 6: Which sentence is grammatically correct?
- Neither the students nor the teacher were prepared.
- Neither the students nor the teacher was prepared. (Correct answer)
- Neither the students nor the teacher are prepared.
- Neither the students nor the teacher have been prepared.
Correct answer: Neither the students nor the teacher was prepared.
With 'neither...nor,' the verb agrees with the subject closest to it; since 'teacher' is singular, 'was' is correct.
Question 7: Choose the most effective sentence for a formal essay:
- The experiment got messed up because the students didn't follow the steps.
- The experiment failed due to the students' noncompliance with the established protocol. (Correct answer)
- The experiment was a total failure and the students basically ignored the protocol.
- So the experiment didn't work out because nobody really followed the steps.
Correct answer: The experiment failed due to the students' noncompliance with the established protocol.
Option B uses formal, precise language appropriate for academic writing, avoiding slang and informal constructions.
NCDAP Sentence Skills 2
Choose the sentence that is most clearly and correctly written: (A) Running through the park, the rain began to fall. (B) While running through the park, she got caught in the rain. (C) She was running, and the rain began to fall in the park. (D) The rain fell while through the park she was running.