Which of the following sentences uses correct punctuation?
- A. Carole is not currently working; her focus is on her children at the moment.
- B. Carole is not currently working, and her focus is on her children at the moment.
- C. Carole is not currently working; her focus is on her children at the moment.
- D. Carole is not currently working, her focus is on her children at the moment.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Option A uses correct punctuation by correctly utilizing the semicolon to separate two closely related independent clauses. This punctuation choice effectively conveys the relationship between the two ideas presented in the sentence. Choice B is incorrect because it uses a comma without a coordinating conjunction to join two independent clauses. Choice C is incorrect as it lacks the coordinating conjunction 'and' after the comma to connect the two independent clauses. Choice D is incorrect because it lacks any punctuation or conjunction to properly separate the two independent clauses, leading to a run-on sentence.
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After a long day at work, Tracy had dinner with her family, and then took a walk to the park. What are the transitional words in the preceding sentence?
- A. After, then
- B. At, with, to
- C. Had, took
- D. A, the
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The transitional words in the sentence are 'after' and 'then,' which indicate the sequence of events that occurred. 'After' shows the order in which events took place, while 'then' is used to connect the idea of Tracy having dinner with her family before taking a walk to the park. Choices B, C, and D do not function as transitional words in this context. 'At, with, to' are prepositions indicating location or relationship, 'had, took' are past tense verbs, and 'a, the' are articles used for nouns.
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.
It was not a compact city but was instead divided into separate districts. What is the meaning of the homograph 'compact' in the sentence above?
- A. A small case for holding makeup
- B. To compress
- C. Closely packed together
- D. Very tidy
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: In this context, the term 'compact' refers to things being 'closely packed together.' The city was not compact in the sense of being closely packed together, but rather divided into separate districts. Choice A, 'A small case for holding makeup,' is not relevant to the context of the sentence. Choice B, 'To compress,' does not fit the sentence's context as it refers to the action of pressing things together. Choice D, 'Very tidy,' is also unrelated to the meaning of 'compact' in the sentence.
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.
Identify the main clause in the sentence: 'Although she was tired, she finished her work on time.'
- A. Although she was tired
- B. She was tired
- C. She finished her work on time
- D. Finished her work on time
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The main clause is the independent clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence. In this sentence, 'She finished her work on time' is the main clause because it expresses a complete thought independently. Choices A and B are subordinate clauses as they cannot stand alone as complete sentences. Choice D lacks the subject 'she,' making it incomplete and not a main clause.