Proofreading & Editing Proofreading Assessment 4

Question 1

Which sentence uses 'who' correctly?

Accepted Answer

The employee who submitted the report was praised.

Answer

'Who' is a subject pronoun and is correct when it functions as the subject of the clause ('who submitted the report').

Question 2

What error appears in: 'Each of the students must submit their own essay.'

Accepted Answer

No error — singular 'they' is widely accepted

Answer

Using 'their' as a gender-neutral singular pronoun with 'each' is broadly accepted in modern usage by most major style guides.

Question 3

Which sentence correctly distinguishes 'fewer' and 'less'?

Accepted Answer

Use fewer for countable nouns and less for uncountable ones.

Answer

'Fewer' is for countable nouns (fewer apples) and 'less' is for uncountable/mass nouns (less sugar).

Question 4

Identify the error: 'The principle reason for the delay was weather.'

Accepted Answer

'Principle' should be 'principal'

Answer

'Principal' means 'main' or 'most important' when used as an adjective; 'principle' is a noun meaning a rule or belief.

Question 5

Which proofreading mark indicates that a new paragraph should begin?

Accepted Answer

A hash/pound symbol (#) or the paragraph symbol (¶)

Answer

The paragraph symbol (¶) or hash (#) marks the point where a new paragraph should start.

Proofreading & Editing Practice Test