NM-MSSA Writing Conventions 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
- "Stop right there," the officer said. (Correct answer)
- "Stop right there" the officer said.
- "Stop right there", the officer said.
- "Stop right there." the officer said.
Correct answer: "Stop right there," the officer said.
A comma is placed inside the closing quotation mark before the dialogue tag.
Question 2: Which sentence correctly uses a colon?
- I need: milk, eggs, and bread.
- The recipe requires: sugar, flour, and butter.
- She packed everything she needed: a tent, sleeping bag, and flashlight. (Correct answer)
- He told us: to be quiet.
Correct answer: She packed everything she needed: a tent, sleeping bag, and flashlight.
A colon is correctly used after a complete independent clause to introduce a list.
Question 3: Which version corrects the dangling modifier in this sentence: 'Walking to school, the rain started falling.'
- Walking to school, the rain fell harder.
- While I was walking to school, the rain started falling. (Correct answer)
- The rain started falling, walking to school.
- Walking, the rain started to fall to school.
Correct answer: While I was walking to school, the rain started falling.
The participial phrase must clearly refer to the subject performing the action, which requires adding 'I was.'
Question 4: Which sentence contains a parallel structure error?
- She likes to swim, to run, and to bike.
- He enjoys reading, writing, and to draw. (Correct answer)
- They plan to study, practice, and compete.
- Maria cooked, cleaned, and helped her sister.
Correct answer: He enjoys reading, writing, and to draw.
'Reading,' 'writing,' and 'to draw' are not parallel; it should be 'reading, writing, and drawing.'
Question 5: Which sentence uses 'its' and 'it's' correctly?
- The cat licked it's paws after its meal.
- Its going to rain; the storm has lost it's strength.
- The tree lost its leaves when it's autumn.
- It's clear that the dog found its bone. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: It's clear that the dog found its bone.
'It's' is the contraction for 'it is,' while 'its' shows possession; both are used correctly here.
Question 6: Which option is the correct plural form of the word 'criterion'?
- criterions
- criterias
- criteria (Correct answer)
- criterium
Correct answer: criteria
'Criteria' is the correct Latin-derived plural of 'criterion.'
Question 7: Which transition word best shows a cause-and-effect relationship?
- However
- Furthermore
- Therefore (Correct answer)
- Meanwhile
Correct answer: Therefore
'Therefore' signals that the second statement is a logical result of the first.
NM-MSSA Writing Conventions 3
Which sentence is punctuated correctly?