PRAXIS Writing Sentence Correction 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence uses the correct word? "The committee will ___ the new policy next week."
- affect
- effect (Correct answer)
- affecting
- effects
Correct answer: effect
As a verb meaning "to bring about," "effect" is correct here.
Question 2: Choose the version that corrects the dangling modifier: "After finishing the test, the bell rang."
- After finishing the test, the bell rang.
- After finishing the test, the students heard the bell ring. (Correct answer)
- After finishing the test the bell rang loudly.
- The bell, after finishing the test, rang.
Correct answer: After finishing the test, the students heard the bell ring.
The students, not the bell, finished the test, so they must follow the modifier.
Question 3: Which sentence has correct subject-verb agreement?
- Neither the teacher nor the students was ready.
- Neither the teacher nor the students were ready. (Correct answer)
- Neither the teacher nor the students is ready.
- Neither the teacher or the students were ready.
Correct answer: Neither the teacher nor the students were ready.
With "neither/nor," the verb agrees with the nearer subject, "students," which is plural.
Question 4: Select the correctly punctuated sentence with a nonrestrictive clause.
- My brother who lives in Texas teaches math.
- My brother, who lives in Texas, teaches math. (Correct answer)
- My brother who lives in Texas, teaches math.
- My brother, who lives in Texas teaches math.
Correct answer: My brother, who lives in Texas, teaches math.
A nonrestrictive clause is set off by commas on both sides.
Question 5: Which choice corrects the pronoun case? "The principal gave the award to Maria and ___."
- I
- me (Correct answer)
- myself
- mine
Correct answer: me
The pronoun is the object of "to," so the objective case "me" is correct.
Question 6: Choose the sentence with correct apostrophe use.
- The students notebooks were collected.
- The student's notebooks were collected.
- The students' notebooks were collected. (Correct answer)
- The students notebook's were collected.
Correct answer: The students' notebooks were collected.
Plural possessive "students'" shows the notebooks belong to multiple students.
Question 7: Which version corrects the faulty comparison? "Her essay was better than any student in the class."
- Her essay was better than any student in the class.
- Her essay was better than any other student's in the class. (Correct answer)
- Her essay was better than any students in the class.
- Her essay was more better than any student.
Correct answer: Her essay was better than any other student's in the class.
An essay must be compared to another essay, indicated by the possessive "student's."
Which sentence uses the correct word? "The committee will ___ the new policy next week."