Stanford Achievement Spelling Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following sentences contains a spelling error?
- The committee will deliberate on the new proposal tomorrow.
- It is neccessary to bring your own equipment for the trip. (Correct answer)
- She felt an overwhelming sense of embarrassment.
- The professor's argument was truly indefensible.
Correct answer: It is neccessary to bring your own equipment for the trip.
The word 'necessary' is misspelled as 'neccessary'. A common mnemonic for 'necessary' is that it has one 'c' (like a collar) and two 's's (like sleeves).
Question 2: The librarian asked the students to be quiet and show proper _________ for the other patrons.
- etiquette (Correct answer)
- etiquete
- ettiquete
- eticket
Correct answer: etiquette
The correct spelling is 'etiquette'. This word, of French origin, has a unique spelling that must be memorized, particularly the 'que' and 'tte' endings.
Question 3: A student is writing a report about weather phenomena. Which word should they use to describe something that happens very suddenly and unexpectedly?
- Abruptly (Correct answer)
- Abruptley
- Abrubtly
- Abrupttly
Correct answer: Abruptly
The correct spelling is 'abruptly'. The base word is 'abrupt', and the suffix '-ly' is added without any other changes.
Question 4: Which of the following words is spelled correctly?
- Mischeivous
- Mischievous (Correct answer)
- Mischevious
- Mischievious
Correct answer: Mischievous
The correct spelling is 'mischievous'. A common error is to transpose the 'i' and 'e' or to add an extra 'i' before the '-ous' suffix. The correct order is 'i' before 'e'.
Question 5: The manager needed to _________ the new policy to ensure all employees understood the changes.
- diseminate
- dissiminate
- disseminate (Correct answer)
- disemminate
Correct answer: disseminate
The correct spelling is 'disseminate', which means to spread or circulate information widely. The word has a double 's' and ends with '-inate'.
Question 6: Identify the misspelled word in the following list.
- Accommodate
- Conscientious
- Exhilarate
- Pronounciation (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Pronounciation
The word 'pronunciation' is misspelled as 'pronounciation'. Although the verb is 'pronounce' (with an 'o-u'), the noun form drops the 'o', becoming 'pronunciation'.
Which of the following sentences contains a spelling error?