TSI - Texas Success Initiative Sentence Revision and Editing Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Read the following sentence: The city council, after a long and contentious debate, they finally approved the new zoning ordinance. Which of the following revisions is the most effective?
- The city council, after a long and contentious debate, finally approved the new zoning ordinance. (Correct answer)
- After a long and contentious debate, the city council, they finally approved the new zoning ordinance.
- The city council finally approved the new zoning ordinance, it was after a long and contentious debate.
- They, the city council, after a long and contentious debate, finally approved the new zoning ordinance.
Correct answer: The city council, after a long and contentious debate, finally approved the new zoning ordinance.
The original sentence contains a redundant pronoun ('they'). The subject of the sentence is 'The city council,' so the pronoun 'they' is unnecessary and makes the sentence grammatically incorrect. The correct revision removes the redundant pronoun, creating a clear and concise sentence.
Question 2: Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?
- The manager, as well as the employees, were happy with the new policy.
- Each of the students are responsible for their own supplies.
- Running down the street, the bus was missed by the late commuter.
- The committee has submitted its report to the board of directors. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The committee has submitted its report to the board of directors.
This sentence correctly uses a singular verb ('has') to agree with the collective noun 'committee.' The pronoun 'its' also correctly refers to the singular 'committee.' The other options contain errors: A has a subject-verb agreement error ('manager... was'), B has a subject-verb agreement error ('Each... is'), and C contains a dangling modifier ('the bus' was not running down the street).
Question 3: Read the following sentences: The historic theater was a beloved landmark. It was demolished to make way for a new shopping mall. Which is the best way to combine these two sentences?
- The historic theater was a beloved landmark, it was demolished for a new shopping mall.
- Although the historic theater was a beloved landmark, it was demolished to make way for a new shopping mall. (Correct answer)
- The historic theater, a beloved landmark, being demolished to make way for a new shopping mall.
- A beloved landmark, the historic theater was demolished to make way for a new shopping mall and.
Correct answer: Although the historic theater was a beloved landmark, it was demolished to make way for a new shopping mall.
This option correctly uses the subordinating conjunction 'Although' to show the contrast between the theater's status as a beloved landmark and its demolition. This creates a complex sentence that clearly expresses the relationship between the two ideas. Option A is a comma splice, Option C is a sentence fragment, and Option D is grammatically incorrect.
Question 4: Which revision best corrects the error in the following sentence? Having studied for weeks, the final exam was still surprisingly difficult.
- Having studied for weeks, the final exam still surprised me with its difficulty.
- The final exam was still surprisingly difficult, having studied for weeks.
- Studying for weeks, the final exam was still surprisingly difficult.
- Even after studying for weeks, I found the final exam to be surprisingly difficult. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Even after studying for weeks, I found the final exam to be surprisingly difficult.
The original sentence contains a dangling modifier. The phrase 'Having studied for weeks' does not logically modify 'the final exam' (the exam didn't study). The corrected sentence clarifies who performed the action of studying ('I'), thus fixing the modification error and creating a logical sentence.
Question 5: Select the best version of the underlined part of the sentence. The naturalist explained that the migration of monarch butterflies, a journey that can span thousands of miles, are one of the most fascinating phenomena in the animal kingdom.
- are one of the most fascinating phenomena
- is one of the most fascinating phenomena (Correct answer)
- are one of the most fascinating phenomenon
- is one of the most fascinating phenomenons
Correct answer: is one of the most fascinating phenomena
The subject of the verb is 'migration' (singular), not 'butterflies' (plural). Therefore, the singular verb 'is' is required to agree with the subject. The word 'phenomena' is the correct plural form of 'phenomenon.'
Question 6: Which of the following sentences uses punctuation correctly?
- The tour includes three cities; Rome, Italy, Paris, France, and London, England.
- Because the weather was bad; the game was postponed.
- The new employee is smart, efficient, and she is a hard worker.
- The professor asked, "Will you be ready for the test on Friday?" (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The professor asked, "Will you be ready for the test on Friday?"
This sentence correctly places the question mark inside the quotation marks because it is part of the quoted question. Option A misuses a semicolon where commas are needed. Option B incorrectly uses a semicolon after a dependent clause. Option C violates parallel structure ('smart,' 'efficient,' and 'hard-working' would be parallel).
TSI - Texas Success Initiative Sentence Revision and Editing Questions and Answers 1
Read the following sentence: The city council, after a long and contentious debate, they finally approved the new zoning ordinance.
Which of the following revisions is the most effective?