Language Proficiency Grammar and Usage

Question 1

Which sentence uses the correct subject-verb agreement?

Accepted Answer

The team is playing well.

Answer

In American English, collective nouns like 'team' are typically treated as singular and take a singular verb.

Question 2

Identify the correct use of a comma in the following options:

Accepted Answer

She loves hiking, biking, and swimming.

Answer

Commas are used to separate three or more items in a series (Oxford comma before 'and' is standard in US usage).

Question 3

Which sentence is written in the active voice?

Accepted Answer

The children ate the cake.

Answer

Active voice means the subject performs the action; 'The children ate the cake' has the subject (children) doing the eating.

Question 4

What is a 'pronoun antecedent' agreement error?

Accepted Answer

A pronoun that does not match its noun in number or gender

Answer

A pronoun must agree with the noun it replaces in number (singular/plural) and gender.

Question 5

Which word is an example of a coordinating conjunction?

Accepted Answer

But

Answer

Coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) join two independent clauses.

Language Proficiency Practice Test