Proofreading & Editing Proofreading Knowledge 5

Question 1

In the sentence 'Between you and I, the project was a failure,' what error exists?

Accepted Answer

Wrong pronoun case after a preposition

Answer

Prepositions require object pronouns; 'between you and me' is correct because 'me' is the objective case, not 'I.'

Question 2

What is the purpose of a style sheet in professional proofreading?

Accepted Answer

A record of editorial decisions and preferred spellings for consistency within a project

Answer

A proofreading style sheet documents decisions made during editing—such as spelling variants, hyphenation choices, and capitalization preferences—to ensure consistency throughout a project.

Question 3

Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?

Accepted Answer

Neither the manager nor the employees were informed.

Answer

With 'neither...nor,' the verb agrees with the subject closest to it; since 'employees' is plural, 'were' is correct.

Question 4

A proofreader sees 'et al.' used in a citation. What does this abbreviation mean?

Accepted Answer

And others

Answer

'Et al.' is a Latin abbreviation for 'et alii' meaning 'and others,' used in citations when a source has multiple authors.

Question 5

Which of the following is the correct way to write a possessive for a singular noun ending in 's,' such as 'James,' according to most US style guides?

Accepted Answer

James's

Answer

Most major US style guides, including the Chicago Manual of Style, recommend adding 's to singular nouns ending in s, forming 'James's.'

Proofreading & Editing Practice Test

Proofreading & Editing Practice Test

Proofreading & Editing Proofreading Knowledge 5