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.
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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.'
First and foremost, they receive an annual pension payment. T has been reviewed and changed a number of times, most recently to reflect the salary of a high-level government executive. Which of the following would NOT be an acceptable way to revise and combine the underlined portion of the sentences above?
- A. annual pension payment, the amount of which
- B. annual pension payment; the amount of the pension
- C. annual pension payment; over the years since 1958, the amount of the pension
- D. annual pension payment, the amount of the pension.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Option C is the correct answer because it disrupts the flow of the sentence and introduces unnecessary information. The phrase 'over the years since 1958' is irrelevant in this context and does not contribute to the intended meaning of the sentence. The sentence is focused on the recent changes to the pension, not its historical evolution. Choices A, B, and D provide clear and concise ways to revise and combine the underlined portion of the sentences, maintaining a logical and relevant sentence structure.
Though professional dental care is widely available in the developed world, the prevalence of cavities is much higher there. Which of the following parts of speech is widely used in the sentence?
- A. adjective
- B. noun
- C. adverb
- D. verb
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: In the sentence, 'widely' is used as an adverb. It modifies the adjective 'available,' describing the extent to which professional dental care is available. An adverb can modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. In this case, 'widely' modifies the adjective 'available,' making it an adverb. Choice A, 'adjective,' is incorrect because 'widely' is not describing a noun. Choice B, 'noun,' is incorrect because 'widely' is not a noun. Choice D, 'verb,' is incorrect because 'widely' is not being used as a verb in the sentence.
On Parents' Day, a public holiday in the Democratic Republic of Congo, families celebrate parents' both living and deceased. Which of the following punctuation marks is used incorrectly?
- A. the apostrophe in Parents' Day
- B. the comma following Day
- C. the comma following Congo
- D. the apostrophe in parents'
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The comma following 'Day' is used incorrectly. Commas are typically not used after single-word identifiers like 'Day' in a sentence unless they are part of a list. In this case, the holiday is referred to as 'Parents' Day,' where the apostrophe is used correctly to indicate possession. The comma following 'Day' is unnecessary and should be removed for proper punctuation. Choices A and D both use apostrophes correctly to indicate possession, so they are not incorrect. The comma following 'Congo' in choice C is necessary to set off the introductory phrase 'a public holiday in the Democratic Republic of Congo.' Therefore, the correct answer is B.
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.