PARCC Usage Practice Questions 3

Question 1

1. Her novel is an American classic about a young girl who she called Billie Joe. No error.

Accepted Answer

C

Answer

The pronoun 'who' is used incorrectly in the phrase 'who she called Billie Joe.' 'Who' is a subjective pronoun, but in this clause, the pronoun functions as the direct object of the verb 'called' (she called *whom*). Therefore, the objective pronoun 'whom' should be used instead, making the correct phrase 'whom she called Billie Joe.'

Question 2

2. Hours of driving laid ahead of us before we could complete the trip. No error.

Accepted Answer

A

Answer

The verb 'laid' is the past tense of 'to lay,' which means to place something down and requires a direct object. However, the sentence requires the past tense of 'to lie,' meaning to recline or be situated, which does not take a direct object. The correct verb should be 'lay,' as in 'Hours of driving lay ahead of us.'

Question 3

3. Both Thoreau and Emerson were abolitionists; they had spoken out against the evils of slavery. No error.

Accepted Answer

E

Answer

The sentence is grammatically correct as written. The semicolon appropriately connects two independent clauses that are closely related in meaning. The past perfect tense 'had spoken' is correctly used to describe an action completed before another past event or point in time, and all other elements are properly used.

Question 4

4. Yesterday our classroom computer was acting rather strangely. No error.

Accepted Answer

E

Answer

The sentence contains no grammatical errors. The adverb 'strangely' correctly modifies the verb 'acting,' describing how the computer was behaving. All other words and phrases are used appropriately, and the sentence structure is sound.

Question 5

5. We decided against medical careers because science had always given Sue and I trouble. No error.

Accepted Answer

D

Answer

The pronoun 'I' is used incorrectly in the phrase 'given Sue and I trouble.' 'I' is a subjective pronoun, but here it functions as part of a compound indirect object of the verb 'given' (given trouble to *whom*). The objective pronoun 'me' should be used instead, making the correct phrase 'given Sue and me trouble.'

PARCC Practice Test

PARCC Practice Test

PARCC Usage Practice Questions 3