CTBS - Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills Spelling and Word Structure Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following sentences contains a spelling error?
- The committee's decision was truly separate from the main debate.
- It is a genuine privilige to address you all today. (Correct answer)
- He gave a weird excuse for his tardiness.
- The restaurant can accommodate a party of twelve.
Correct answer: It is a genuine privilige to address you all today.
The correct spelling is 'privilege.' It is a commonly misspelled word where the second 'i' is often mistakenly replaced with an 'e'. The other sentences use correct spelling for potentially tricky words like 'separate,' 'weird,' and 'accommodate.'
Question 2: In words like 'contradict,' 'contrast,' and 'contrary,' the prefix 'contra-' means:
- With
- Before
- Against (Correct answer)
- Around
Correct answer: Against
The Latin prefix 'contra-' means 'against' or 'opposite.' For example, to contradict is to speak against something, and a contrast highlights opposite qualities. 'With' is 'con-', 'before' is 'ante-', and 'around' is 'circum-'.
Question 3: Which word correctly completes the sentence: 'The manager could not ________ the employee's chronic lateness any longer.'?
- Acknowlege
- Acknolledge
- Aknowledge
- Acknowledge (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Acknowledge
The correct spelling is 'acknowledge,' which means to accept or admit the existence or truth of something. The other options are common phonetic misspellings that omit or misplace letters.
Question 4: The suffix '-ful' in words like 'beautiful' and 'wonderful' creates an adjective that means:
- Full of (Correct answer)
- Without
- The state of being
- Able to be
Correct answer: Full of
The suffix '-ful' means 'full of' or 'characterized by.' For example, 'beautiful' means full of beauty, and 'wonderful' means full of wonder. The suffix for 'without' is '-less,' for 'the state of being' is often '-ness' or '-ity,' and for 'able to be' is '-able' or '-ible.'
Question 5: From the list below, identify the word that is spelled INCORRECTLY.
- Recommend
- Occurrence
- Definately (Correct answer)
- Embarrass
Correct answer: Definately
The correct spelling is 'definitely.' A common error is to spell it with an 'a' ('definately'), likely due to its pronunciation. To remember the correct spelling, think of the root word 'finite.'
Question 6: When adding the suffix '-ing' to the verb 'refer,' what is the correct resulting word structure and spelling?
- Refering, because the base word ends in 'r'.
- Referring, because the final syllable is stressed and ends in a single vowel followed by a single consonant. (Correct answer)
- Refereing, because the 'e' must be kept for pronunciation.
- Refering, because suffixes are added without changing the base word.
Correct answer: Referring, because the final syllable is stressed and ends in a single vowel followed by a single consonant.
The rule for doubling the final consonant when adding a suffix like '-ing' applies when a verb ends in a single vowel followed by a single consonant, and the final syllable is stressed. In 're-FER,' the last syllable is stressed, so the 'r' is doubled to make 'referring.' In a word like 'OF-fer,' the stress is on the first syllable, so the 'r' is not doubled ('offering').
CTBS - Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills Spelling and Word Structure Questions and Answers
Which of the following sentences contains a spelling error?