Though the term nomad is often associated with early populations, nomadic cultures exist today, especially in the mountains of Europe and Asia. Which of the following punctuation marks is used incorrectly?
- A. the comma after populations
- B. the comma after today
- C. the apostrophe in mountain's
- D. the period after Asia
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The apostrophe in 'mountain's' is used incorrectly. The word should be 'mountains' without the apostrophe because it is a plural noun, not possessive. The other choices (A, B, D) have the correct usage of punctuation marks and do not contain errors related to punctuation.
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Everyday items like potatoes, bread, onions, and even saliva are the tools of art conservators, who work to clean and restore works of art. Which of the following is misspelled in the sentence above?
- A. potatoes
- B. saliva
- C. conservators
- D. restore
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct spelling is 'potatoes,' with the correct plural form being used in this context. The other choices are spelled correctly: 'saliva,' 'conservators,' and 'restore.' 'Saliva' refers to a bodily fluid, 'conservators' are professionals who work on art conservation, and 'restore' means to bring something back to its original condition or state.
Parrots, among the most intelligent birds in the world, have been prized pets for many centuries; in fact, the first recorded instance of parrot training was written in the thirteenth century. Which of the following is a synonym for prized as used in the sentence?
- A. unlikely
- B. misunderstood
- C. rewarded
- D. valued
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: In the context of the sentence, 'prized' is used to describe how much people value parrots as pets. Synonyms for 'prized' in this context would include esteemed, cherished, or valued, making option D the most suitable choice. Options A, B, and C do not accurately capture the meaning of 'prized' in this sentence.
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences includes members whose topics of study span many disciplines such as math, science, arts, humanities, public affairs, and business. Which of the following is an appropriate synonym for disciplines as it is used in the sentence?
- A. locations
- B. regions
- C. punishments
- D. fields
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: In this context, 'disciplines' refers to specific areas of study or fields of expertise. Therefore, the most appropriate synonym for 'disciplines' would be 'fields.' Options A, B, and C do not accurately convey the meaning of 'disciplines' in the given sentence. 'Locations' and 'regions' refer to physical places, while 'punishments' is entirely unrelated to the context of academic or professional fields of study.
Which of the following is a compound sentence?
- A. Plague, generally not a major public health concern, actually continues to spread among rodent populations today, and it even occasionally makes its way into a human host.
- B. Modern archaeology, which seeks answers to humanity's questions about its past, is significantly helped by new technologies.
- C. In the fight against obesity, countries around the world are imposing taxes on sodas and other sugary drinks in an effort to curb unhealthy habits.
- D. Because the assassination of President John F. Kennedy continues to haunt and fascinate Americans, new movies, books, and television series about it are released every year.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses that are joined by coordinating conjunctions such as 'and,' 'but,' or 'or.' In choice A, the sentence contains two independent clauses separated by the coordinating conjunction 'and': 'Plague, generally not a major public health concern, actually continues to spread among rodent populations today' and 'it even occasionally makes its way into a human host.'
Choice B is a complex sentence as it contains a dependent clause 'which seeks answers to humanity's questions about its past' and an independent clause 'is significantly helped by new technologies.'
Choice C is a simple sentence with one independent clause: 'In the fight against obesity, countries around the world are imposing taxes on sodas and other sugary drinks in an effort to curb unhealthy habits.'
Choice D is a complex sentence with a dependent clause 'Because the assassination of President John F. Kennedy continues to haunt and fascinate Americans' and an independent clause 'new movies, books, and television series about it are released every year.'
After a twelve-hour workday, James was exhausted when he heard the news.
- A. .
- B. ;
- C. ,
- D. -
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The comma (,) is used to separate the introductory clause 'After a twelve-hour workday' from the main clause 'James was exhausted when he heard the news.' This punctuation correctly indicates the relationship between the two clauses without interrupting the flow of the sentence. Choice A (.), a period, would create two separate sentences, which is not appropriate in this context. Choice B (;) is too strong of a pause and semicolons are typically used to connect closely related independent clauses. Choice D (-) is an em dash, which is used to set off an abrupt break or interruption in the sentence, not to separate an introductory clause from the main clause.