Which of the following examples correctly uses quotation marks?
- A. "Where the Red Fern Grows" was one of my favorite novels as a child.
- B. Though he is famous for his roles in films like "The Great Gatsby" and "Titanic," Leonardo DiCaprio has never won an Oscar.
- C. Sylvia Plath's poem, "Daddy," will be the subject of this week's group discussion.
- D. "The New York Times" reported that many fans are disappointed in some of the trades made by the Yankees this off-season.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct use of quotation marks in choice A is to enclose the title of a book, 'Where the Red Fern Grows,' indicating that it is a specific title that should be distinguished from the rest of the sentence. Choice B incorrectly uses quotation marks for movie titles, which should be italicized or underlined. Choice C correctly uses quotation marks for the title of a poem. Choice D has an extra space before the opening quotation mark, which is incorrect.
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What kind of error is present in the following sentence? 'This summer, I'm planning to travel to Italy, take a Mediterranean cruise, going to Pompeii, and eat a lot of Italian food.'
- A. Parallelism
- B. Sentence fragment
- C. Misplaced modifier
- D. Subject-verb agreement
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The sentence lacks parallel structure. The list of actions in the sentence should be presented in the same grammatical form. 'Travel to Italy,' 'take a Mediterranean cruise,' and 'go to Pompeii' should all be in the same form. To correct this, the sentence should be revised to: 'travel to Italy, take a Mediterranean cruise, visit Pompeii, and eat a lot of Italian food.' Choices B, C, and D are incorrect. The sentence is a complete sentence, not a fragment. There are no misplaced modifiers, and subject-verb agreement is not the issue in this sentence.
Which of the following examples uses correct punctuation?
- A. The moderator asked the candidates, "Is each of you prepared to discuss your position on global warming?".
- B. The moderator asked the candidates, "Is each of you prepared to discuss your position on global warming?"
- C. . The moderator asked the candidates, 'Is each of you prepared to discuss your position on global warming?'
- D. The moderator asked the candidates, 'Is each of you prepared to discuss your position on global warming?'
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Option B is the correct answer because it correctly places the period inside the closing quotation mark, following the closing punctuation of the sentence. This is the standard punctuation rule for quotations in American English. Choice A is incorrect as it has an extra period outside the closing quotation mark. Choice C is incorrect as the period should come after the closing quotation mark. Choice D is incorrect as it lacks the initial space before the quotation, not adhering to proper punctuation rules.
Which sentence correctly answers the question: What were you doing when the thunderstorm started?
- A. I mowed the lawn.
- B. I am mowing the lawn.
- C. I was mowing the lawn.
- D. I have mowed the lawn.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The correct answer is 'C: I was mowing the lawn.' This sentence correctly uses the past continuous tense to indicate an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past when the thunderstorm started. Choice A 'I mowed the lawn' is in simple past tense, not past continuous, and does not convey the ongoing nature of the action. Choice B 'I am mowing the lawn' is in present continuous tense, not past continuous, and does not match the past timeframe. Choice D 'I have mowed the lawn' is in present perfect tense, not past continuous, and does not convey the ongoing action at a specific past time.
Janine was so nervous that she was surprisingly graceless and awkward on stage. What is the meaning of the word 'graceless' as used in the sentence below?
- A. Against fear
- B. Without religion
- C. Lacking elegance
- D. Full of caution
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The word 'graceless' in this context means lacking elegance or poise. Janine's nervousness caused her to act awkwardly and without the elegance one would typically expect on stage. Choices A, B, and D are incorrect. 'Against fear,' 'Without religion,' and 'Full of caution' do not accurately capture the meaning of 'graceless' in the given sentence.
Which of the following sentences correctly uses a hyphen?
- A. Last year, many of the players felt unsure of the coach's methods.
- B. Some of the furniture she selected seemed a bit over-the-top for the space.
- C. Henry is a beagle-mix and is ready for adoption this weekend.
- D. Geena works to maintain a good relationship with her ex-husband to the benefit of their children.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The correct usage of a hyphen is seen in sentence C, 'Henry is a beagle-mix and is ready for adoption this weekend.' The hyphen is used in 'beagle-mix' to link the two words together to describe Henry's breed accurately. Choice A contains a comma incorrectly placed after 'Last year.' Choice B uses hyphens as dashes, which is incorrect. Choice D does not require a hyphen as there is no compound term or adjective that needs to be linked.