Choose the sentence with the correct pronoun usage.
- A. "This mystery concerns my friend Watson and me."
- B. "This mystery concerns me and my friend Watson."
- C. "This mystery concerns my friend Watson and I."
- D. "This mystery concerns I and my friend Watson."
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct pronoun usage is 'me' when it is the object of a verb or preposition. In this sentence, 'me' is the object of the verb 'concerns,' so it should be used instead of 'I.' Additionally, the correct order for objects in a sentence is 'my friend Watson and me.' Choice B is incorrect because 'me' should come before 'my friend Watson' to maintain the correct order. Choice C is incorrect as 'I' is incorrectly used instead of 'me.' Choice D is incorrect because 'I' is used incorrectly as the object pronoun, and the order is reversed.
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The student feared she would fail, so she thought she should study harder. Which of the following is a correct revision of the ambiguous sentence above?
- A. Unless the student feared that she would fail out of school, she wouldn't study harder.
- B. The student said, 'she will fail out of the university unless she studies during her exams.'
- C. The student was afraid that she should study harder before failing out during her exams.
- D. 'If I don't study harder before the exams,' the student fretted, 'I will surely fail out of school.'
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Option D is the clearest revision as it expresses the student's concern directly through dialogue. The use of quotation marks provides clarity, and the student's worry about failing is stated clearly. The other options either lack clarity or contain grammatical issues. Option A introduces an unnecessary condition with 'unless' which changes the original meaning. Option B introduces a third-person perspective that is not present in the original sentence. Option C is awkwardly constructed and does not convey the student's concern effectively.
In the sentence, "We will depart as a class, but when we arrive we will split up into small groups," which part(s) is/are prepositional phrase(s)?
- A. "as a class"
- B. "when we arrive"
- C. "into small groups"
- D. (a) and (c) but not (b)
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The prepositional phrases in the sentence are 'as a class' and 'into small groups,' making choices (a) and (c) correct. The phrase 'when we arrive' is not a prepositional phrase but rather a subordinate clause indicating a time. Prepositional phrases typically begin with a preposition (as, into) and end with a noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause. Therefore, the correct answer is option D, as it correctly identifies the prepositional phrases in the sentence.
Which of the following is not a simple sentence?
- A. Agatha Christie was the author of more than sixty detective novels.
- B. Her most famous detectives were Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.
- C. She also wrote over fifteen collections of short stories about these detectives.
- D. Most readers favor Poirot, but Christie preferred Miss Marple. Hercule Poirot is remembered not only for his genius in solving mysteries, but also for his fastidious habits and his commitment to personal grooming.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Option D is not a simple sentence because it contains multiple independent clauses joined by conjunctions ('but' and 'and'). Simple sentences consist of a single independent clause, which is a complete sentence with a subject and a verb that expresses a complete thought on its own. In contrast, option D includes multiple independent clauses about Hercule Poirot, his habits, and Miss Marple, making it a compound sentence rather than a simple one. Choices A, B, and C are all simple sentences as they each express a single complete thought with a subject and a verb, without joining multiple independent clauses together.
Caret, carrot, and to, two, and too share something in common. They:
- A. Are nouns
- B. Are monosyllabic
- C. Are homophones
- D. Represent things in nature
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The correct answer is C. Caret, carrot, and to, two, and too are all examples of homophones. Homophones are words that sound alike but have different meanings and spellings. In this case, while these words are spelled differently and have different meanings, they are pronounced the same way. Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because these words being discussed do not all fall under the same grammatical category as nouns, monosyllabic words, or representations of things in nature. The commonality among these words lies in being homophones, not in being nouns, monosyllabic, or representations of nature.
Which of the following substitutions best captures the meaning of the word 'obsequious' in the sentence: 'The young apprentice was obsequious to his master, always eager to please'?
- A. showing deference
- B. poorly dressed
- C. reserved
- D. aggressive
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The word 'obsequious' means excessively submissive or eager to please, often to the point of showing deference. In this context, 'showing deference' best captures the meaning, indicating respect or submission rather than being poorly dressed, reserved, or aggressive. 'Poorly dressed' (B) is unrelated to the meaning of obsequious. 'Reserved' (C) suggests a different behavior that is opposite to being obsequious. 'Aggressive' (D) is the opposite of obsequious and does not fit the context of the sentence.