TSI Essay and Sentence Revision 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence correctly uses a semicolon?
- I have a meeting at noon; and lunch after.
- I have a meeting at noon; lunch follows after. (Correct answer)
- I have a meeting; at noon lunch follows.
- I have a meeting at noon lunch; follows after.
Correct answer: I have a meeting at noon; lunch follows after.
A semicolon correctly joins two related independent clauses without a conjunction.
Question 2: Choose the correct pronoun: "Neither the teacher nor the students brought ______ books."
- his
- their (Correct answer)
- its
- her
Correct answer: their
With "nor," the pronoun agrees with the nearer noun "students," requiring "their."
Question 3: Which revision improves wordiness: "Due to the fact that it rained, we stayed inside"?
- Because it rained, we stayed inside. (Correct answer)
- Due to the fact of rain, we stayed inside.
- In light of the rain occurring, we stayed inside.
- Owing to the fact that rain happened, we stayed inside.
Correct answer: Because it rained, we stayed inside.
"Because" replaces the wordy phrase "due to the fact that" concisely.
Question 4: Identify the run-on sentence.
- The dog barked, and the cat ran.
- The dog barked the cat ran. (Correct answer)
- When the dog barked, the cat ran.
- The dog barked; the cat ran.
Correct answer: The dog barked the cat ran.
"The dog barked the cat ran" fuses two independent clauses with no punctuation or conjunction.
Question 5: Which sentence places the apostrophe correctly?
- The students books were on the desk.
- The student's books were on the desk. (Correct answer)
- The students' book's were on the desk.
- The student's books' were on the desk.
Correct answer: The student's books were on the desk.
"Student's" shows singular possession of the books.
Question 6: What is the best transition to add a supporting example: "Exercise improves health. ______, it lowers blood pressure"?
- However
- In contrast
- For instance (Correct answer)
- Nevertheless
Correct answer: For instance
"For instance" introduces a specific example that supports the previous claim.
Question 7: Which sentence corrects the shift in verb tense: "He opened the door and sees the guest"?
- He opened the door and saw the guest. (Correct answer)
- He opens the door and saw the guest.
- He open the door and sees the guest.
- He opened the door and seeing the guest.
Correct answer: He opened the door and saw the guest.
Both verbs should be in the past tense for consistency.
TSI Essay and Sentence Revision 3
Which sentence correctly uses a semicolon?