Sentence Clarity
Which revision makes this clearer? "The dog ran quick through the yard chasing the red ball."
B) The dog quickly ran through the yard, chasing the red ball.
Replace "good" to describe an excellent essay about climate change.
A) decent
B) compelling
C) acceptable
D) adequate
B) compelling
Identify the error: "Its going to rain tomorrow."
Which transition connects these ideas? "Sarah studied hard. She earned an A."
A) However
B) Therefore
C) Meanwhile
D) For example
B) Therefore
Fix the tense shift: "Yesterday, Maria walks to school and sees her friend."
A) Yesterday, Maria walks to school and sees her friend.
B) Yesterday, Maria walked to school and saw her friend.
C) Maria walks to school and sees her friend.
D) Maria walked and was seeing her friend.
B) Yesterday, Maria walked to school and saw her friend.
Fix the unclear pronoun reference: "After Sarah talked to Maria, she felt better."
A) After Sarah talked to Maria, she felt happy.
B) After talking to Maria, Sarah felt better.
C) After Sarah talked to Maria, Maria felt better.
D) Sarah and Maria talked, and she felt better.
C) After Sarah talked to Maria, Maria felt better.
Use a more precise verb than "said" in: "He said he was angry."
A) He told he was angry.
B) He yelled he was angry.
C) He exclaimed he was angry.
D) He remarked he was angry.
C) He exclaimed he was angry.
Fix the comma splice: "The test was difficult, I studied anyway."
D) Both B and C are correct
What transition best shows contrast? "The movie was expensive, _____ it was not worth the money."
A) also
B) yet
C) furthermore
D) additionally
B) yet
Choose correct: "The group of students (is/are) working together."
A) is
B) are
C) both are correct
D) Neither is correct
A) is
Rewrite to eliminate this misplaced modifier: "Running through the park, the ball got away from us."
A) Running through the park quickly, the ball got away.
B) The ball, running through the park, got away from us.
C) Running through the park, we lost control of the ball.
D) We were running through the park, and the ball got away.
C) Running through the park, we lost control of the ball.
Best word to replace "bad" in academic writing?
A) not good
B) ineffective
C) sort of wrong
D) not very good
B) ineffective
Choose correct: "Neither the students nor the teacher (was/were) prepared."
A) was
B) were
C) both are correct
D) neither is correct
A) was
Choose the best transition for sequence: "First, complete the outline. _____, write your essay."
A) Later
B) Next
C) Previously
D) Finally
B) Next
Correct this sentence: "Each of the players have to run laps."
A) Each of the players has to run laps.
B) Each of the players are running laps.
C) All the players have to run laps.
D) The Players each has to run laps.
A) Each of the players has to run laps.
Which revision improves clarity? "The book was good because it was about magic and had interesting characters."
A) The book was very good and had magic and characters.
B) The book was interesting because it had magic.
C) The fantasy novel captivated me with its compelling magical world and complex characters.
D) The book had good magic and good characters.
C) The fantasy novel captivated me with its compelling magical world and complex characters.
Choose the correct word: The (affect/effect) of the medication was immediate.
A) affect
B) effect
C) either one
D) neither one
B) effect
Which correctly uses the semicolon?
A) I love reading; it expands my mind.
B) The items include; books, pens, paper.
C) Both A and B
D) Neither A nor B
A) I love reading; it expands my mind.
Fix the choppy passage with better transitions: "I finished homework. I went to practice. I was tired."
A) I finished homework, went to practice, and was tired.
B) After finishing homework, I went to practice and was tired.
C) I was tired after finishing homework and going to practice.
D) All of the above
D) All of the above
Rewrite in passive voice: "The author wrote the novel in 1952."
A) The novel was written by the author in 1952.
B) The novel has been written by the author in 1952.
C) In 1952, the novel was written.
D) Both A and C
D) Both A and C
Which sentence is clearest and most direct? "The experiment that was conducted by the students showed that the new method was better than the old one."
A) The experiment that the students conducted showed the new method was superior.
B) The students' experiment showed the new method was better than the old method.
C) The experiment demonstrated that a new method surpassed the old method.
D) The students conducted an experiment that showed something was better.
B) The students' experiment showed the new method was better than the old method.
Which word choice is most appropriate for a formal business letter?
A) We gotta talk about the issue.
B) We need to talk about the issue.
C) We must discuss this matter.
D) We should chat about this issue.
C) We must discuss this matter.
Which sentence is correctly punctuated?
A) However, the weather was beautiful we stayed outside all day.
B) However, the weather was beautiful; we stayed outside all day.
C) However the weather was beautiful, we stayed outside all day.
D) However, the weather beautiful, we stayed outside all day.
B) However, the weather was beautiful; we stayed outside all day.
Which sentence pair uses the most effective transition?
A) The book was interesting. Also, it has good pictures.
B) The book was interesting and it had good pictures.
C) The book was interesting; moreover, it had striking illustrations.
D) The book was interesting but it had good pictures.
C) The book was interesting; moreover, it had striking illustrations.
Which sentence maintains consistent verb tense?
A) She studied all night and will be tired tomorrow.
B) She studied all night and was tired the next day.
C) She studies all night and was tired.
D) She will study all night and was tired.
B) She studied all night and was tired the next day.