PARCC - Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers Usage 2

Question 1

The committee have reached a decision after hours of careful deliberation. No error.

Accepted Answer

have reached

Answer

'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 laid down to rest beneath the shade of a towering pine. No error.

Accepted Answer

laid

Answer

'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 I, the presentation could have been far more engaging. No error.

Accepted Answer

I

Answer

'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 spoke to each of the volunteers individually before the ceremony begun. No error.

Accepted Answer

begun

Answer

'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 should of reviewed his notes more carefully before the comprehensive exam. No error.

Accepted Answer

should of

Answer

'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.'

PARCC Practice Test

PARCC Practice Test

PARCC - Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers Usage 2