PARCC - Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers Usage 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The committee <u>have reached</u> a decision after <u>hours</u> of careful <u>deliberation.</u> <u>No error.</u>
- have reached (Correct answer)
- hours
- deliberation
- No error
Correct answer: have reached
'Committee' is a collective noun treated as singular in American English, so the verb should be 'has reached,' not 'have reached.' The rest of the sentence is grammatically sound.
Question 2: Exhausted from the long climb, the hikers <u>laid</u> down to rest beneath the <u>shade</u> of a <u>towering</u> pine. <u>No error.</u>
- laid (Correct answer)
- shade
- towering
- No error
Correct answer: laid
'Laid' is the past tense of the transitive verb 'lay,' which requires a direct object. To rest without an object requires the intransitive verb 'lie,' whose past tense is 'lay.' The sentence should read 'lay down.'
Question 3: Between you and <u>I,</u> the presentation <u>could have</u> been far more <u>engaging.</u> <u>No error.</u>
- I (Correct answer)
- could have
- engaging
- No error
Correct answer: I
'Between' is a preposition, so its object must be in the objective case. 'I' is a subject pronoun; the correct form here is 'me.' The phrase should read 'Between you and me.'
Question 4: She <u>spoke</u> to each of the volunteers <u>individually</u> before the ceremony <u>begun.</u> <u>No error.</u>
- spoke
- individually
- begun (Correct answer)
- No error
Correct answer: begun
'Begun' is the past participle of 'begin' and requires a helping verb (e.g., 'had begun'). As a simple past-tense verb in this clause, the correct form is 'began.'
Question 5: He <u>should of</u> reviewed his notes more <u>carefully</u> before the <u>comprehensive</u> exam. <u>No error.</u>
- should of (Correct answer)
- carefully
- comprehensive
- No error
Correct answer: should of
'Should of' is a phonetic misspelling of the modal phrase 'should have.' 'Of' is a preposition and cannot serve as an auxiliary verb. The correct form is 'should have reviewed.'
Question 6: The principal, along with several teachers, <u>were</u> honored at the <u>annual</u> awards <u>ceremony.</u> <u>No error.</u>
- were (Correct answer)
- annual
- ceremony
- No error
Correct answer: were
Phrases introduced by 'along with,' 'as well as,' or 'together with' are parenthetical and do not change the number of the subject. 'Principal' is singular, so the verb should be 'was,' not 'were.'
PARCC - Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers Usage 2
The committee have reached a decision after hours of careful deliberation.
No error.