NCDAP Writing Skills 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence is written in active voice?
- The essay was written by Maria.
- The award was given to the team.
- Maria wrote the essay in one afternoon. (Correct answer)
- The decision was made by the board.
Correct answer: Maria wrote the essay in one afternoon.
In active voice, the subject performs the action; 'Maria' is the subject performing 'wrote.'
Question 2: Identify the misplaced modifier: 'The teacher handed back the tests to the students covered in red ink.'
- 'covered in red ink' should modify 'teacher'
- 'covered in red ink' should modify 'tests,' not 'students' (Correct answer)
- 'to the students' is in the wrong position
- There is no misplaced modifier
Correct answer: 'covered in red ink' should modify 'tests,' not 'students'
As written, 'covered in red ink' appears to describe 'students'; it should be placed next to 'tests.'
Question 3: Which sentence uses consistent verb tense?
- She walked in, sits down, and opened her book.
- She walks in, sat down, and opens her book.
- She walked in, sat down, and opened her book. (Correct answer)
- She will walk in, sat down, and opened her book.
Correct answer: She walked in, sat down, and opened her book.
All three verbs—walked, sat, opened—are in the simple past tense, maintaining consistent tense throughout.
Question 4: Which word is spelled correctly in this context: 'The council will _______ on the new policy tomorrow.'
- precede
- proceed (Correct answer)
- procede
- preseed
Correct answer: proceed
'Proceed' means to move forward or continue; 'precede' means to come before something else.
Question 5: What is wrong with this sentence: 'The data clearly shows that the hypothesis are correct.'
- 'Data' is plural and requires 'show'; 'hypothesis' is singular and requires 'is' (Correct answer)
- No error; the sentence is correct as written
- 'Clearly' is misplaced
- 'Data' must be replaced with 'information'
Correct answer: 'Data' is plural and requires 'show'; 'hypothesis' is singular and requires 'is'
In academic writing, 'data' is treated as plural (requiring 'show'), and 'hypothesis' is singular (requiring 'is').
Question 6: Which revision best corrects the wordiness: 'Due to the fact that it was raining, we cancelled the picnic.'
- On account of the fact that it rained, we cancelled the picnic.
- Because it was raining, we cancelled the picnic. (Correct answer)
- It was raining; therefore, due to this, we cancelled the picnic.
- The picnic was cancelled due to the fact of the rain.
Correct answer: Because it was raining, we cancelled the picnic.
'Because' is a concise subordinating conjunction that replaces the wordy phrase 'due to the fact that.'
Question 7: Which option correctly punctuates this sentence containing a nonessential clause: 'My brother who lives in Raleigh is a nurse.'
- My brother, who lives in Raleigh, is a nurse. (Correct answer)
- My brother who lives, in Raleigh, is a nurse.
- My brother who lives in Raleigh, is a nurse.
- No punctuation is needed.
Correct answer: My brother, who lives in Raleigh, is a nurse.
A nonessential (nonrestrictive) clause that adds extra information must be set off with commas on both sides.
NCDAP Writing Skills 4
Which sentence is written in active voice?