TAP Grammar and Usage 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: On the TAP Grammar section, which sentence correctly uses a semicolon?
- She studied hard; and passed the test.
- She studied hard; she passed the test. (Correct answer)
- She; studied hard and passed.
- She studied; hard and passed the test.
Correct answer: She studied hard; she passed the test.
A semicolon correctly joins two closely related independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.
Question 2: Which sentence correctly uses 'its' versus 'it's' as tested on the TAP?
- The cat licked it's paw.
- The cat licked its paw. (Correct answer)
- Its a beautiful day.
- Its' a beautiful day.
Correct answer: The cat licked its paw.
'Its' (no apostrophe) is possessive; 'it's' (with apostrophe) is a contraction for 'it is.'
Question 3: On the TAP, which sentence avoids a run-on error?
- He was tired he went to bed.
- He was tired, he went to bed.
- He was tired; therefore, he went to bed. (Correct answer)
- He was tired and he went to bed and he slept.
Correct answer: He was tired; therefore, he went to bed.
Using a semicolon with a conjunctive adverb ('therefore') correctly joins two independent clauses.
Question 4: On the TAP, which of the following is a sentence fragment?
- She ran to the store.
- Because she was hungry. (Correct answer)
- The dog barked loudly.
- He left early.
Correct answer: Because she was hungry.
'Because she was hungry' is a subordinate clause — it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.
Question 5: Which sentence uses parallel structure correctly, as required on the TAP?
- She likes hiking, to swim, and running.
- She likes hiking, swimming, and to run.
- She likes hiking, swimming, and running. (Correct answer)
- She likes to hike, swimming, and runs.
Correct answer: She likes hiking, swimming, and running.
Parallel structure requires all items in a series to use the same grammatical form — here, all gerunds (-ing).
Question 6: On the TAP Grammar section, which word is an adverb in this sentence: 'She spoke softly to the child'?
- She
- spoke
- softly (Correct answer)
- child
Correct answer: softly
'Softly' modifies the verb 'spoke,' describing how she spoke — this makes it an adverb.
TAP Grammar and Usage 2
On the TAP Grammar section, which sentence correctly uses a semicolon?