Surprise Category 1
Surprise Category 2
Surprise Category 3
Surprise Category 4
Surprise Category 5
100

After we sat down for dinner, we then passed the dishes of food around the table before eating.

Which word in italics functions as a conjunction in the sentence?

After

100

Which verb or verb phrase in italics is not used correctly?

Mark completed his chores before the basketball game.

Hannah had pedaled her bike faster as she rides down the hill.

Hannah had pedaled her bike faster as she rides down the hill.

100

(1) The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania encourages citizens to plant rain gardens. (2) Rain gardens capture storm water so that the water does not flow into storm drains. (3) Existing low spots or shallow pits lined with gravel make ideal locations for rain gardens. (4) If you use native plants in your rain garden, it will be easy to take care of and might even have attracted birds and butterflies.

Which sentence in the paragraph has an error?

Sentence 4

100

 When Alex arrived at the theater and entered the building, he remembered that he left his ticket at home.

Which part of the sentence has an error in verb tense?

and entered the building, or he left his ticket at home.

he left his ticket at home.

100

 When I entered the fifth grade, I concluded that I would not only have to spend more time on my homework ____________ plan my study time better.

Which word or words correctly complete the sentence?

or, nor, but also, and also

but also

200

(1) The Brooklyn Bridge, which crosses the East River in New York City, was built in 1883. (2) Taking 14 years to build and costing more than 15 million dollars. (3) The bridge is made of steel and granite. (4) Thousands of people and vehicles cross the bridge every day.

Which sentence should be revised to correct the inappropriate sentence fragment?

Sentence 2

200

Which word in italics should be changed to correct an error in word usage?

The building was supported by a steal foundation. 

                              or

The tide washed away the sand castles.

The building was supported by a steal foundation.

200

(1) Mark loves music, so they want to join the school band next year. (2) Mark wants to play the trombone because he has a cousin who played it last year. (3) Mark’s friend Jill is thinking about joining the band, too, and playing the trumpet because it is her favorite instrument. (4) The band teacher is happy that Mark and Jill want to join because she likes teaching new students.

Which sentence has a pronoun-antecedent agreement error?

Sentence 1

200

Three statistics that all good baseball managers look at closely are batting average runs batted in, and runs scored.

After which word should a comma be added?

average

200

Since Erica wanted to go with us she had to get ready in a hurry.

Where should a comma be added to correct the error?

after us

300

Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

Ms. Johnson you are the person in charge of next month’s meeting, aren’t you?

Ms. Johnson, you are the person in charge of next month’s meeting, aren’t you?

Ms. Johnson you are the person in charge of next month’s meeting aren’t you?

Ms. Johnson, you are the person in charge of next month’s meeting aren’t you?

Ms. Johnson, you are the person in charge of next month’s meeting, aren’t you?

300

  Fruit is an important ____________ of food for many animals.

Choose the correct way to spell the missing word.

soarce

soarse

source

sourse

source

300

(1) Grasslands are areas of land throughout the world that do not get enough rain to support the growth of many trees. (2) However, these areas do have grasses and plants that provide a source of food for animals. (3) Many animals live in a grassland. (4) African elephants and zebras live in a grassland. (5) These areas of land are known also as prairies or savannas.

Choose the best way to combine sentences 3 and 4 to improve the meaning of the paragraph.

Many animals, African elephants, and zebras live in grasslands.

Many animals live in grasslands, and they are African elephants and zebras.

African elephants and zebras are two of the many animals that live in grasslands.

African elephants and zebras are animals that live with many other animals in grasslands.

African elephants and zebras are two of the many animals that live in grasslands.

300

 Carly used to be uninterested in sports. She now plays on a volleyball team.

Choose the best way to combine the two sentences.

Carly, who used to be uninterested in sports, now plays on a volleyball team.

300

 After digging in the garden, Ben went inside to _______________.

Choose the most specific words to complete the sentence.

tidy himself up a bit

scrub his hands with soap and water

clean up a huge mess

wash a couple of things in the sink

scrub his hands with soap and water


400

  After digging in the garden, Ben went inside to _______________.

Choose the most specific words to complete the sentence.

tidy himself up a bit

scrub his hands with soap and water

clean up a huge mess

wash a couple of things in the sink

scrub his hands with soap and water

400

Which title should have quotation marks?

We read the poem Paul Revere’s Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in our history class.

DynaMath magazine makes mathematics meaningful by connecting math concepts to real-world subjects.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Jester is described by many children as “the best book ever.”

In E. L. Konigsburg’s book The View from Saturday, four students use their brains to succeed in an academic contest.

We read the poem "Paul Revere’s Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in our history class.

400

(1) Megan and her aunt went fishing at a nearby creek. (2) Before they began, Megan’s aunt reviewed some safety tips. (3) While she was talking, though, she stumbled into the creek and got soaked. (4) Megan quickly helped her aunt out of the water. (5) Afterwards, when her aunt was wearing dry clothes, they planned their next fishing trip.

Which sentence should most likely end with an exclamation point to show excitement?

Sentence 3

400

(1) The sunlight came through the window. (2) The little cat stretched his legs and then curled up in a sunny spot on the bed. (3) He slept most of the morning, waking up only to follow the moving sunny spot.

Which revision of sentence 1 best uses details to show what is happening?

The sunlight made it through the window, and the room seemed yellow, bright, and warm.

A lot of sunlight went through the window, and the room was much nicer to be in.

A large amount of sunlight got through the window and into the nice, warm room.

The sunlight streamed through the window and bathed the room in a warm, golden glow.


The sunlight streamed through the window and bathed the room in a warm, golden glow.

400

Titles of _____, _____, _____ are underlined when handwriting them.  

books, newspaper, movies

500

Titles of ____, _____, _____, ______, _____ are handwritten AND typed using quotation marks.

articles, stories, tv programs, poems, and songs

500

When you type the titles of ______, _______, ______ you put these titles in italics.

books,  newspaper, and movies

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