PARCC Grammar Practice Questions

Question 1

1. The word boycott derives from the name of Charles C. Boycott, an English land agent in Ireland that was ostracized for refusing to reduce rent.

Accepted Answer

who was ostracized for refusing

Answer

The original sentence incorrectly uses the relative pronoun 'that' to refer to a person, Charles C. Boycott. When referring to people, the correct relative pronoun to use is 'who' or 'whom.' The corrected option properly uses 'who,' ensuring correct pronoun usage and grammatical accuracy.

Question 2

2. As a result of his method for early music education, Shinichi Suzuki has been known as one of the world's great violin teachers.

Accepted Answer

is seen as one

Answer

The original sentence uses the present perfect tense 'has been known as one,' which implies a continuous state from the past to the present. However, the simple present tense 'is seen as one' is more appropriate to describe a current, widely accepted reputation or status. This choice conveys that Suzuki is presently recognized as a great teacher, rather than emphasizing the duration of that recognition.

Question 3

3. Last night the weather forecaster announced that this is the most rainy season the area has had in the past decade.

Accepted Answer

this is the rainiest season the

Answer

The original sentence incorrectly forms the superlative of 'rainy' as 'most rainy.' For most one- or two-syllable adjectives ending in 'y', the superlative form is created by changing the 'y' to 'i' and adding '-est.' Therefore, 'rainiest' is the correct superlative form of 'rainy,' making the sentence grammatically sound.

Question 4

4. Although Mandy is younger than her sister, Mandy is the tallest of the two.

Accepted Answer

is the taller of the

Answer

When comparing only two items or people, the comparative form of an adjective should be used, not the superlative. The original sentence incorrectly uses 'tallest,' which is the superlative form. Since Mandy is being compared to only her sister, 'taller' is the correct comparative adjective to use.

Question 5

5. When Katherine Hepburn's play came to town, all the tickets had sold out far in advance.

Accepted Answer

had been sold out far

Answer

The original sentence uses the active voice 'had sold out,' implying the tickets performed the action of selling themselves. However, tickets are passive objects that are sold by someone. The correct answer uses the past perfect passive voice, 'had been sold out,' which accurately reflects that the tickets were the recipients of the action, making the sentence grammatically correct.

PARCC Practice Test

PARCC Practice Test

PARCC Grammar Practice Questions