Proofreading & Editing Basic Proofreading 5

Question 1

Which sentence demonstrates correct parallel structure?

Accepted Answer

She likes hiking, swimming, and riding bikes.

Answer

Parallel structure requires all items in a series to use the same grammatical form — here, gerunds.

Question 2

A proofreader notices 'effect' used in: 'The new policy will effect change.' Is this correct?

Accepted Answer

Yes — 'effect' is correct as a verb meaning to bring about

Answer

'Effect' can be a verb meaning to bring about or cause, as in 'effect change' or 'effect a solution.'

Question 3

Which sentence correctly uses a colon?

Accepted Answer

We need three items: flour, sugar, and eggs.

Answer

A colon should follow a complete independent clause before introducing a list.

Question 4

What error appears in: 'The number of complaints have increased'?

Accepted Answer

Subject-verb disagreement — 'number' is singular and takes 'has'

Answer

'The number of' takes a singular verb; 'a number of' takes a plural verb.

Question 5

Which sentence avoids redundancy?

Accepted Answer

The unexpected conclusion surprised everyone.

Answer

'Conclusion' is always final, so 'final conclusion' is redundant; option C avoids this by using 'conclusion' alone.

Proofreading & Editing Practice Test