Punctuation
He had greater ambitions in mind as a (2) writer but he believed he’d make his mark in literature by writing historical novels.
A. NO CHANGE
B. writer;
C. writer,
D. writer and
C. writer,
There isn’t a lot of difference between Amy and Mike, the two candidates for Student Council President.
(A) There isn’t a lot of difference between Amy and Mike (B) There isn’t a lot of difference between Amy or Mike (C) There isn’t a lot of difference amongst Amy and Mike (D) Amy and Mike don’t have a lot of difference between them (E) There isn’t much difference from Amy to Mike
The correct answer is A. The correct idiom is between… and…..
Choice B incorrectly uses between… or….
Choice C uses amongst which requires a comparison of more than two things.
Choice D is wordy. Finally, choice E uses from instead of between.
Marc was easily irritated by anything he distinguished as a misinterpretation of his art. He actually broke off more than one friendship after the other person made a remark that Marc considered stupid.
Which of the following would be the best replacement for the italicized word?
perceived
(A) While computers (B) maybe an integral part of modern (C) life, they cause problems (D) as well as provide benefits. (E) No error
(B)
"Maybe" is an adverb that means perhaps and is incorrectly used in this sentence. To correct the sentence's error, "maybe" needs to be changed to "may be."
Cassidy expected the whole room to be excited, but looking around he found the audience looking as comatose and glassy-eyed (1) that audiences sometimes do.
A. NO CHANGE
B. as
C. the way
D. which
B. as
The UConn women's basketball program is among the nation's best however they play in one of the
weaker conferences.
A) best; however, they
B) best, however, they
C) best, however; they
D) no punctuation needed
A) best; however, they
Of course, it is happening inside your head, Harry, but [what on earth] should that mean that it is not real?
A) No change
B) how on earth
C) where on earth
D) why on earth
D) why on earth
In this context the speaker is asking for a reason, therefore the question should be "why on earth" D)
Although A), B), and C) are all grammatically correct
A) asks for an object
B) asks for a process
C) asks for a place
and only D) asks for a reason
Still, there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have traveled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have known, each room in which I have slept. As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is [beyond] my imagination.
A) No change
B) after
C) behind
D) surpassing
A) No change
(A) Despite the poor weather, I (B) was planning (C) on attending the festival with (D) her. (E) No error
(C)
The proper idiom for planning an action is planning to do something, not planning on something. Thus, the clause should be "I was planning to attend the festival with him."
A) I saw our town's ex-Mayor in the mall.
B) I saw our town's ex-mayor in the mall.
C) I saw our town's ex Mayor in the mall.
D) I saw our town's exMayor in the mall.
B) I saw our town's ex-mayor in the mall.
A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark that’s used to join words or parts of words. It’s not interchangeable with other types of dashes. Hyphenate words beginning with the prefix ex; do not capitalize titles unless they directly precede a name.
Coach Tom who took his team to the Final Four last year might take a job with Notre Dame.
A) Tom who took his team to the Final Four last year, might
B) Tom, who took his team to the Final Four last year might
C) Tom, who took his team to the Final Four last year, might
D) no punctuation needed
C) Tom, who took his team to the Final Four last year, might
I can’t make heads and tails of this chemistry assignment.
(A) can’t make heads and tails of (B) can’t make neither heads nor tails of (C) can’t make heads or tails about (D) can’t make heads or tails of (E) can’t hardly make heads or tails regarding
The correct answer is D. The idiom is heads or tails of, which eliminates choices A, B, and C. Choice E includes a double negative thus leaving choice D the only suitable answer.
Ketchup is a better compliment to french fries then mustard.
A) NO CHANGE
B) compliment to french fries than
C) complement to french fries then
D) complement to french fries than
The answer is D. A complement is something that goes well with something else, whereas a compliment is something nice you say to someone. Than is used for comparisons; then is used to mean at that time or next.
In the (A) cities of the Pacific Northwest, like Seattle and Portland, there (B) isn't hardly a (C) single day that passes (D) without rain. (E) No error
(B)
This sentence's meaning is confused because it uses two negative words: "isn't" and "hardly." One way to correct the sentence would be to change "isn't" to "is"
The late Maya Angelou is celebrated (A) by her poems, novels, and collections of (B) essays; her work (C) has been and continues to be (D) inspirational to many. (E) No error
(A)
This question tests knowledge of the idiom "celebrated for." This idiom indicates the reasons why someone is celebrated—in Maya Angelou's case, her writing. "Celebrated by," on the other hand, is used to explain who celebrates someone, which is not specifically discussed in this sentence.
Sara wasn't worried at all about the exam because she had prepared so well over the break.
A) exam because, she
B) exam, because, she
C) exam, because she
D) no punctuation needed
D) no punctuation needed
The adverb clause comes after the independent clause in this sentence, and it is necessary to the essential meaning of the sentence (it is not a parenthetical element). Had this adverb clause come first in the sentence, we could have put a comma after it.
In every life, there comes a day [to be reckoned with] - a time when unsettled scores demand retribution, and our own lies and transgressions are finally laid bare.
A) No change
B) to be reckoned by
C) of reckoning
D) to reckon
C) of reckoning
In this context, "the day of reckoning" refers to the time when debts and obligations will be fulfilled.
A) means it is worth taking seriously due its importance
B) is grammatically incorrect
D) means to calculate
The following passage is an excerpt from Sherlock Holmes For Dummies, by Steven Doyle and David A. Crowder (Wiley).
In the timeline of the Sherlockian (2) cannon, Sherlock Holmes was officially dead from 1891 to 1894. In reality, ten years passed before Doyle decided to officially reverse the death sentence and bring Holmes back to life.
The correct answer is Choice (B).
The definition of canon is “a collection of sacred books.” The other words have meanings that don’t fit: cannon is a weapon, and maxim and axiom both refer to a truth that is self-evident.
His family grew up eating a (A) steady diet of meat and potatoes, and now they (B) are being reluctant (C) to try new foods (D) like enchiladas and kale chips. (E) No error.
(B)
This sentence uses a clunky progressive tense when it is not needed. The correct version: "...and now they are reluctant ..."
Lauren sulked (A) all during school because she felt (B) "left out," but the conversation was (C) between Jenny and I, and I had every right (D) to keep it that way. (E) No error
(C)
"Between Jenny and I" is incorrect. Since Jenny and the speaker are objects (grammatically) within the sentence, the objective case pronoun ("me") is required, instead of the subjective case pronoun ("I")
A. NO CHANGE
B. student—won
C. student won
D. student: won
B. student—won
On her (A) recent trip to Los Angeles, Shirley had (B) not accounted for (C) the inclement weather, and instead of arriving early, as she had planned, (D) she almost missed the movie premiere. No Error. (E)
(C)
The idiom should be ‘taken into account,’ which means to consider. ‘Accounted for’ means to explain.
You know I hate, detest, and can't bear a lie, not because I am straighter than the rest of us, but simply because it [titillates] me. There is a taint of death, a flavour of mortality in lies - which is exactly what I hate and detest in the world - what I want to forget.
A) No change
B) appals
C) perplexes
D) jades
B) appalls
In the context, the speaker is referring to something that he quite passionately hates. Therefore, the verb conjugated must have a very negative meaning.
A) means to excite or amuse
B) means to greatly horrify or distress
C) means to confuse or mix up
D) means to bore or exhaust
Given the disproportionate (A) amount of deaths caused by drunk drivers, most states (B) have passed strict legislation against individuals (C) who choose to operate vehicles while (D) inebriated. (E) No error
(A)
Given that deaths incurred by drunk drivers are something that can be measured numerically, "number of" would be appropriate, not "amount of."
During the "Great Famine" of the mid-1800s, many Irish citizens (A) immigrated from (B) Ireland to countries around the world in an (C) effort to escape mass (D) starvation. (E) No error
(A)
"emigrated" means to have left one's own country to live in another, while "immigrate" means to permanently relocate to a foreign country. In this case, "emigrated" is the correct choice because the focus is on the Irish citizens moving from Ireland, rather than to a specific destination.