CTBS - Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills Language Mechanics and Expression Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct and avoids a comma splice?
- The team practiced for hours, they were determined to win the championship.
- The team practiced for hours they were determined to win the championship.
- The team practiced for hours, for they were determined to win the championship. (Correct answer)
- The team practiced for hours, determined to win the championship.
Correct answer: The team practiced for hours, for they were determined to win the championship.
A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined only by a comma. Choice C correctly fixes this by adding the coordinating conjunction 'for' after the comma, properly linking the two clauses. Choice A is a comma splice. Choice B is a fused sentence with no punctuation. Choice D is grammatically correct but changes the structure to a main clause followed by a participial phrase, which is a different way of correcting the initial error but C directly addresses the comma splice by adding a conjunction.
Question 2: Choose the sentence that demonstrates correct subject-verb agreement.
- The box of old photographs bring back many memories.
- The box of old photographs brings back many memories. (Correct answer)
- The box of old photographs, which are faded, bring back memories.
- The boxes of old photographs brings back many memories.
Correct answer: The box of old photographs brings back many memories.
The subject of the sentence is 'box,' which is singular. The prepositional phrase 'of old photographs' describes the box but does not change the subject's number. Therefore, the singular verb 'brings' is required to agree with the singular subject 'box'. [4, 15]
Question 3: The following sentence lacks parallel structure. Which revision corrects the error? 'The manager's responsibilities include hiring new employees, training staff, and the creation of the weekly work schedule.'
- The manager's responsibilities include hiring new employees, to train staff, and creating the weekly work schedule.
- The manager's responsibilities include to hire new employees, training staff, and the creation of the weekly work schedule.
- The manager's responsibilities include hiring new employees, the training of staff, and creating the weekly work schedule.
- The manager's responsibilities include hiring new employees, training staff, and creating the weekly work schedule. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The manager's responsibilities include hiring new employees, training staff, and creating the weekly work schedule.
Parallel structure requires that items in a list or series have the same grammatical form. The original sentence mixes a gerund ('hiring'), another gerund ('training'), and a noun phrase ('the creation of'). The correct revision uses the gerund form for all three items in the list: 'hiring,' 'training,' and 'creating'. [2, 17, 20]
Question 4: Which word correctly completes the following sentence? 'The new software will ______ the way our team manages data, leading to greater efficiency.'
- affect (Correct answer)
- effect
- affects
- effects
Correct answer: affect
'Affect' is a verb meaning 'to influence or have an impact on.' 'Effect' is usually a noun meaning 'a result or consequence.' The sentence requires a verb to describe what the software will do. Therefore, 'affect' is the correct choice. [3, 11]
Question 5: Which of the following revisions best corrects the misplaced modifier in the sentence below? 'Sprinting across the field, the ball was caught by the receiver just before the touchdown.'
- The ball was caught by the receiver sprinting across the field just before the touchdown.
- Sprinting across the field, the receiver caught the ball just before the touchdown. (Correct answer)
- The receiver caught the ball sprinting across the field just before the touchdown.
- The ball, sprinting across the field, was caught by the receiver just before the touchdown.
Correct answer: Sprinting across the field, the receiver caught the ball just before the touchdown.
A misplaced modifier is a phrase that is not placed near the word it modifies, causing confusion. In the original sentence, it sounds like 'the ball' was sprinting. The modifier 'Sprinting across the field' should describe 'the receiver.' The correct revision places 'the receiver' immediately after the introductory modifying phrase. [16, 25, 33]
Question 6: Which sentence correctly uses a colon?
- The recipe required several ingredients; flour, sugar, eggs, and butter.
- I have one primary goal for this summer: to learn how to code in Python. (Correct answer)
- The team's weaknesses were: a lack of communication and inconsistent practice.
- She visited three cities on her trip, London: Paris: and Rome.
Correct answer: I have one primary goal for this summer: to learn how to code in Python.
A colon is used to introduce a list, explanation, or example, but it must follow a complete independent clause (a full sentence). Choice B is correct because 'I have one primary goal for this summer' is a complete sentence. Choice A incorrectly uses a semicolon. Choice C incorrectly places a colon after a verb ('were'), separating it from its objects. Choice D incorrectly uses colons to separate items in a simple list where commas should be used. [6, 8, 9]
CTBS - Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills Language Mechanics and Expression Questions and Answers
Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct and avoids a comma splice?