If
the books have
been cataloged last
week, why haven't they been placed on the shelf?
A.
have been cataloged
B. would have been cataloged
C. was cataloged
D. were cataloged
E. had been cataloged
B. would have been cataloged
C. was cataloged
D. were cataloged
E. had been cataloged
2.
Jessica Mitford wrote The
American Way of Death,
a best-selling book that
led eventually to
an official investigation of the funeral industry.
A.
that led eventually
B. that had led eventually
C. that eventually led
D. which eventually led
E. who eventually led
B. that had led eventually
C. that eventually led
D. which eventually led
E. who eventually led
3. Sabotage came
from the French saboter, which
means "to clatter
with wooden shoes (sabots)."
A.
which means "to
B. which means, "to
C. that means "to
D. that means-"to
E. that means, "to
B. which means, "to
C. that means "to
D. that means-"to
E. that means, "to
4.
When studying an assignment, it is wise to read it over quickly
at first,
than see
the major points, and finally outline the material.
A.
first, than
B. first: then
C. first-then
D. first, then
E. first-than
B. first: then
C. first-then
D. first, then
E. first-than
5.
To judge the Tidy City contest, we picked
an uninterested party.
A.
picked an uninterested party.
B. picked an interested party!
C. picked a disinterested party.
D. are in the process of picking an uninterested party.
E. picked an disinterested party.
B. picked an interested party!
C. picked a disinterested party.
D. are in the process of picking an uninterested party.
E. picked an disinterested party.
6.
Linda decides they had
better scram before
the killers find them.
A.
had better scram
B. had better leave
C. should hurry and scram
D. could hurry and leave
E. had better get out
B. had better leave
C. should hurry and scram
D. could hurry and leave
E. had better get out
7.
I really dug the
character of Brutus.
A.
dug
B. thought about
C. thought of
D. admired
E. gazed at
B. thought about
C. thought of
D. admired
E. gazed at
8.
Once upon a point a time, a small person named Little Red Riding Hood
initiated plans for the preparation, delivery and
transportation of foodstuffs to her Grandmother.
A.
and transportation of foodstuffs to her Grandmother.
B. and transportation of food stuffs to her Grandmother.
C. and transportation of food supplies to her Grandmother.
D. and transportation of foodstuffs to her grandmother.
E. and, transportation of food supplies to her grand mother.
B. and transportation of food stuffs to her Grandmother.
C. and transportation of food supplies to her Grandmother.
D. and transportation of foodstuffs to her grandmother.
E. and, transportation of food supplies to her grand mother.
9.
The setting of a story effects
the story's plot.
A.
effects the story's plot.
B. effects the stories plot.
C. affect the story's plot.
D. affects the story's plot.
E. affects the story's plots.
B. effects the stories plot.
C. affect the story's plot.
D. affects the story's plot.
E. affects the story's plots.
10.
Arctic trees are scrubbiest
than trees in
milder climates.
A.
scrubbiest than trees
B. scrubbier then trees
C. scrubbiest than are trees
D. scrubbier than are trees
E. scrubbier than trees
B. scrubbier then trees
C. scrubbiest than are trees
D. scrubbier than are trees
E. scrubbier than trees
11.
Quebec rises
in a magnificent way above the
St. Lawrence River.
A.
rises in a magnificent way above
B. rises in a magnificent way, way above
C. rises magnificently above
D. rises magnificently way above
E. is raised in a magnificent way above
B. rises in a magnificent way, way above
C. rises magnificently above
D. rises magnificently way above
E. is raised in a magnificent way above
12. Someone
gives the school gerbils every
year.
A.
Someone gives the school gerbils
B. Some one gives the school gerbils
C. Some one gives the School gerbils
D. There is a person that gives the school gerbils
E. An individual gave gerbils
B. Some one gives the school gerbils
C. Some one gives the School gerbils
D. There is a person that gives the school gerbils
E. An individual gave gerbils
13.
During colonial
days, a school room looked rather
empty.
A.
colonial days, a school room looked
B. colonial days, a schoolroom looked
C. colonial days; a schoolroom looked
D. colonial days; a school room looked
E. colonial days-a schoolroom looked
B. colonial days, a schoolroom looked
C. colonial days; a schoolroom looked
D. colonial days; a school room looked
E. colonial days-a schoolroom looked
14.
The helium-filled balloon rose
in the air.
A.
rose in the air.
B. was rising in the air.
C. was in the air.
D. rose into the air.
E. would rise in the air.
B. was rising in the air.
C. was in the air.
D. rose into the air.
E. would rise in the air.
15.
If I had
the address,
I would have delivered the package myself.
A.
had the address,
B. had the address;
C. had the address-
D. had had the address;
E. had had the address,
B. had the address;
C. had the address-
D. had had the address;
E. had had the address,
16.
Do you know that these gloves have
lay on the
bureau all week?
A.
have lay on
B. have laid on
C. would lie on
D. had laid on
E. have lain on
B. have laid on
C. would lie on
D. had laid on
E. have lain on
17.
If I would
have known about
the team tryouts, I would have signed up for them.
A.
had known
B. would have known
C. could of known
D. had been told
E. could have been told
B. would have known
C. could of known
D. had been told
E. could have been told
18.
If he would
have revised his
first draft, he would have received a better grade.
A.
would have revised
B. had revised
C. could of revised
D. had of revised
E. would revise
B. had revised
C. could of revised
D. had of revised
E. would revise
19.
Valarie claims that cats made
the best pets.
A.
made the best pets.
B. could be the best pets.
C. are the best pets.
D. make of the best pets.
E. make the best pets.
B. could be the best pets.
C. are the best pets.
D. make of the best pets.
E. make the best pets.
20.
By next month, Ms. Jones will
be Mayor of Tallahassee for
two years.
A.
will be Mayor of Tallahassee
B. will have been Mayor of Tallahassee
C. will be mayor of Tallahassee
D. will have been mayor of Tallahassee
E. could have been mayor of Tallahassee
B. will have been Mayor of Tallahassee
C. will be mayor of Tallahassee
D. will have been mayor of Tallahassee
E. could have been mayor of Tallahassee
Answers
and Explanations
1.
D: "Last
week" dictates simple past tense "were." Present
perfect "have been" (A) refers to the status now of
something already accomplished in the past-e.g. "have been
cataloged since last week." Subjunctive present perfect "would
have been" (B) is never used in a conditional "If"
clause/phrase, only as its complement ("If…, then they
would…"). Singular "was" (C) disagrees with plural
"books." Past perfect "had been" (E) would
require "why hadn't they been…/weren't they…?" to
agree.
2.
C: With
an indirect object, the transitive verb and preposition should be a
unit, i.e. "led to" here, like "take from," "give
to," etc., uninterrupted by the modifying adverb "eventually."
"Who" (E) only applies to people, not inanimate objects
like books.
3.
A: No
punctuation should be placed between "means" and "to"
here. Hence a comma [(B), (E)] or dash (D) is incorrect. A
nonrestrictive relative clause introduces additional information,
requiring a comma and "which"-not "that" [(C),
(D), and (E)]. "That" is used without a comma and only with
a restrictive relative clause, i.e. one that is necessary to
understand the meaning of the noun it modifies.
4.
D: "Then"
is an adverb indicating time or sequence here. "Than" [(A),
(E)] is a conjunction indicating comparison, e.g. "He is taller
than I am" or "We would rather go now than later."
When listing three sequential steps as in this sentence, the comma
after the first and second steps is correct punctuation; a colon (B)
or hyphen [(C), (E)] is incorrect.
5.
C: The
correct word choice therefore, for this sentence meaning is
"disinterested," meaning not personally involved or
invested and (presumably) impartial. "Uninterested" means
literally not interested, i.e. oblivious or not caring. In this
context, they would not pick an "interested" party to judge
a contest, and the exclamation mark (B) is inappropriate punctuation.
"An" (E) is incorrect preceding a consonant.
6.
B: "Scram"
is a slang word meaning "leave," a more acceptable choice
when writing (excepting intentional slang like Mark Twain used in
dialogue, narrative, etc.). "Could" (D) means they can
leave, whereas "had better" and "should" means
they ought to leave. "Get out" (E), similarly to "scram,"
is less acceptable than "leave."
7.
D: "Admired"
is an acceptable word in writing for the desired meaning, whereas
"dug" (A) is slang. "Thought about (B), "thought
of" (C), and "gazed at" (E) do not convey the same
meaning at all.
8.
D: When
used as a noun rather than a name (proper noun), "grandmother"
is not capitalized. Used either way, it is still one word, not two
(E); the same is true of "foodstuffs" (B).
9.
D: To
affect means to influence. This meaning, and hence this spelling,
apply here. To effect [(A), (B)] means to cause, initiate, create,
implement, or accomplish. "Stories" (B) is plural, not
possessive. "Affect" (C) goes with a plural, not singular,
subject. "Plots" (E) is plural, not singular.
10.
E: When
comparing two things, the comparative "-er" is used rather
than the superlative "-est," which is only used when
comparing more than two things. The adverb "than" is used
with the comparative, not the conjunction "then" (B), which
indicates time sequence (e.g. "and then…"), cause and
effect (e.g. "If…,then…"). Adding "are" (D)
is unnecessary.
11.
C: The
adverb "magnificently" modifies the verb "rises"
and reads more appropriately and concisely than the phrase "in a
magnificent way." "Way above" [(B), (C)] is slangy and
does not express the intended meaning. If it did, "far above"
would be more correct. Passive-voice "is raised" (E)
connotes a different meaning (i.e. is set higher) than active-voice
"rises" (i.e. appears) in this sentence.
12.
A: "Someone"
is one word, not two [(B), (C)]. "There is a person that"
(D) differs semantically and grammatically, meaning someone exists
who gives the school gerbils rather than someone gives the school
gerbils; also, "who" is preferable over "that"
when referring to people. The meaning is changed by past tense "gave"
(E); i.e. an individual/someone gave the school gerbils every year
but no longer does, vs. someone still gives the school gerbils every
year.
13.
B: "Schoolroom"
is one word, not two [(A), (D)]. A semicolon separates independent
clauses or phrases containing internal commas, but is incorrect
between a phrase and a clause [(C), (D)]. A comma, not a dash (E), is
used between the introductory prepositional phrase and the
independent clause it modifies.
14.
D: The
correct preposition with verbs expressing movement or placement is
"into," not "in" [(A), (B), (C), (E)], a common
error. We place something into a container, not in it; things move
into the air, not in it. "In" denotes something is already
there rather than moving/being moved there.
15.
E: Since
this entire conditional-subjunctive sentence construction is in the
past, the correct conditional form is past perfect "If I had
had" rather than present perfect "if I had" [(A), (B),
(C)] with the present perfect subjunctive "I would have."
The correct punctuation between conditional "if" and
subjunctive "would" parts is always a comma, never a
semicolon [(B), (D)] or a dash (C).
16.
E: The
present perfect intransitive "to lie" is "have lain,"
not "have lay" (A), "have laid" (B), or "had
laid" (D), which latter two are only transitive, e.g. "She
has laid the gloves on the bureau every day" or "I saw a
pair of gloves she had laid on the bureau." The conditional
"would lie" (C) is only grammatical with a conditional,
e.g. "…would lie on the bureau all week unless you moved
them," also conveying a different meaning.
17.
A: Conditional-subjunctive
("If…then") constructions set in the past use past
perfect ("If I had known") for the conditional, and present
perfect ("I would have signed up") for the subjunctive,
because "If" comes earlier and "then" later.
Adding the subjunctive "would"/"could" to the
conditional as well (B) is incorrect. Substituting the preposition
"of" for the auxiliary verb "have" (C) is always
incorrect. "Had been/could have been told" [(C), (D)]
differs in meaning from "had known."
18.
B: With
conditional-subjunctive constructions, never add the subjunctive
auxiliary verb (would/could/would have/could have) to the conditional
(If) half [(A), (C), (E)]; it is only used in the subjunctive half.
It is never correct to substitute the preposition "of" for
the auxiliary verb "have" [(C), (D)].
19.
E: To
agree with the present-tense predicate "claims," the
dependent clause must also be present-tense "make," not
"made" (A). "Could be" (B) and "are"
(C) alter the sentence meaning. "Make of" (D) is not a
valid construction in this sentence structure, makes no sense, and
means nothing.
20.
D: "By
next month" used together with "for two years"
indicates something that will be completed in the future, so future
perfect "will have been" is the correct tense. "Will
be" [(A), (C)] means she will be mayor for two years beginning
in the future. Moreover, "Mayor" [(A), (B)] is incorrectly
capitalized: it is not used as a title/name here (like "Mayor
Jones"). "Could have been" (E) changes the meaning.
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