Select the word in the following sentence that is not used correctly. Try not to lose patience or suffer a drop in morale.
- A. lose
- B. patience
- C. suffer
- D. morale
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The word 'lose' in the sentence is not used correctly. The correct word should be 'lose,' which means to be deprived of or to fail to maintain possession of something. 'Loose' means not tight or free from restraint. In this context, 'lose' is the appropriate term to convey the idea of not maintaining patience or morale.
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What word is best to substitute for the underlined words in the following sentence? The staff sergeant and I reviewed the enlisted men's records.
- A. Us
- B. We
- C. They
- D. He
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: In the sentence, "The staff sergeant and I reviewed the enlisted men's records," the pronoun "I" refers to the subject of the sentence, which is the speaker. When combining the staff sergeant and the speaker "I," the correct pronoun to use is "we," which is the plural form of "I." Therefore, the word "We" is best to substitute for the underlined words in the sentence. Choice A, "Us," is incorrect as it is an object pronoun and does not match the subject position in the sentence. Choice C, "They," is also incorrect as it refers to a third-party group, not including the speaker and the staff sergeant. Choice D, "He," is incorrect as it does not include both the staff sergeant and the speaker in the pronoun substitution.
Select the word that makes the following sentence grammatically correct. The flock huddles against the wind that ruffles ___________ feathers.
- A. its
- B. their
- C. it's
- D. they're
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: In this sentence, the word 'flock' is singular, so the pronoun that follows should also be singular. Therefore, the correct choice is 'its,' which refers back to the singular noun 'flock.'
Choice B ('their') is incorrect because it is a plural pronoun and does not agree in number with the singular noun 'flock.' Choices C ('it's') and D ('they're') are both incorrect contractions that do not fit grammatically in this context.
Select the phrase or clause that is misplaced in the following sentence: I noticed a number of workers from my car window who were repairing the road alongside the mall.
- A. of workers
- B. from my car window
- C. who were repairing the road
- D. alongside the mall
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The phrase 'of workers' is misplaced in the sentence because the preposition 'of' is unnecessary and disrupts the flow of the sentence. It creates redundancy as 'a number of workers' can be simplified to 'workers.' Removing this unnecessary prepositional phrase would make the sentence clearer and more concise. Choice B 'from my car window' is correctly placed as it provides context on where the observation was made. Choice C 'who were repairing the road' and Choice D 'alongside the mall' are essential parts of the sentence providing details about the workers' activity and location, respectively.
Select the word that makes the following sentence grammatically correct: The centrifuge cannot run by ___________; it requires constant attention.
- A. oneself
- B. itself
- C. herself
- D. themselves
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is 'itself.' The sentence is referring to the centrifuge, which is an object, not a person. Therefore, the word 'itself' is used to indicate that the centrifuge cannot run on its own; it requires constant attention. Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because they refer to a person or people, which is not suitable in the context of the sentence.
Which word is used incorrectly in the following sentence? She is already an adjunct at a college in Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina.
- A. already
- B. adjunct
- C. college
- D. capital
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The word 'college' is used incorrectly in the sentence. The correct term to use in this context would be 'capital,' not 'college.' 'Capital' refers to the city that serves as the seat of government, while 'college' refers to an educational institution. The sentence should read: 'She is already an adjunct at a capital in Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina.' Choices A, B, and D are all used appropriately in the sentence.