VCLA Written Expression and Grammar

Question 1

Which sentence contains a subject-verb agreement error?

Accepted Answer

The group of teachers are presenting at noon.

Answer

The subject 'group' is singular, so the correct verb is 'is presenting,' not 'are presenting.'

Question 2

On the VCLA Writing subtest, which of the following is a run-on sentence?

Accepted Answer

He was late he missed the meeting.

Answer

'He was late he missed the meeting' is a run-on because two independent clauses are joined without proper punctuation or conjunction.

Question 3

Which sentence uses a comma splice incorrectly?

Accepted Answer

It was cold outside, she wore a heavy coat.

Answer

'It was cold outside, she wore a heavy coat' is a comma splice—two independent clauses incorrectly joined with only a comma.

Question 4

Which of the following best corrects the dangling modifier in 'Running to catch the bus, the rain began to fall'?

Accepted Answer

Running to catch the bus, she noticed the rain began to fall.

Answer

Adding 'she noticed' gives the participial phrase 'Running to catch the bus' a clear subject to modify.

Question 5

In VCLA writing tasks, which pronoun-antecedent agreement error appears in the following sentence: 'Everyone must submit their application by Friday'?

Accepted Answer

There is no error; 'their' is now accepted as a singular pronoun.

Answer

Modern grammar widely accepts 'their' as a singular gender-neutral pronoun, so the sentence contains no error.

VCLA Exam Practice Test

VCLA Exam Practice Test

VCLA Written Expression and Grammar