Question 1

Which course of action most improves the following sentence? "Tom Brady is one of the NFL quarterbacks who has won more than one Super Bowl."

Accepted Answer

The sentence is most improved by substituting have for has. Think of it this way; Tom Brady is a member of a group, the group of quarterbacks who have won more than one Super Bowl. Quarterbacks are plural here.
Sometimes students are a bit rusty in these areas. If you need, refresh on subject-verb agreement. These are the types of questions they will try to get you with.

Question 2

Which section of the following passage needs to be edited for incorrect spelling, incorrect grammar, inappropriate word choice or wordiness?

Accepted Answer

Corrected version: were happy about losing
Was should be changed to were. In a neither/nor construction the verb should agree with the subject closest to the verb. In this sentence, the nearest subject is members, so we must use the plural form of the verb.

Question 3

Which course of action most improves the following sentence? "Don't forget to change your car's oil every 3000 miles, you risk damaging the engine if you drive without enough oil."

Accepted Answer

The sentence is most improved by fixing the comma splice. You can either change the comma to a semicolon or put a conjunction after the comma.

Question 4

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. "Because of the preemptive strike, Japan was able to carry out its plans for Southwest Asia and the Indonesian Archipelago."

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "Because of the preemptive strike"
The adverbial clause "Because of the preemptive strike" tells why Japan was able to carry out its plans. The other answer choices do not properly complete the sentence.

Question 5

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. "It was the precursor to the eventual constitutional amendment ratified two years later."

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "precursor"
"Precursor" is a noun that means something that comes before someone or something. "Starting," "forefront" and "catalyst" are also nouns, but they do not fit based on the context. Since the resolution came before the constitutional amendment, it was a precursor to the amendment.

Question 6

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. "He does face opposition from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces since they have put limitations on the authority of the president and other elected officials."

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "it has"
Since there is one Supreme Council of the Armed Force, the singular pronoun "it" is the appropriate form to use in this sentence. The verb "has" agrees with the subject "it."

Question 7

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. "The oil embargo caused the most resentment, among the Japanese, because Japan did not have any oil of its own. Japan wanted freedom from its dependency on the United States."

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "resentment among the Japanese because"
Commas can separate parenthetical expressions (nonessential words or phrases) in a sentence. "Among the Japanese" is significant because it describes who resented the United States and why. Therefore, no punctuation is necessary to separate the phrase from the rest of the sentence.

Question 8

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. "Although water covers approximately sixty-seven percent of the Earth's surface, less than three percent is fresh water."

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "Earth's surface, less than three percent"
Commas can be used between with two dependent clauses such as the ones ending with "surface" and beginning with "less." Colons, periods, and semicolons are inappropriate types of punctuation to use with this sentence.

Question 9

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. "France colonized the country Vietnam in the mid-19th century."

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "Vietnam"
"Vietnam" and "the country" refer to the same noun. Omitting "the country" does not change the sentence's meaning. A comma is unnecessary after "Vietnam."

Question 10

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. "The North Vietnamese and supportive rebel communists in South Vietnam, called the Viet Cong, started fighting."

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "Vietnam, called the Viet Cong, started"
The words "called the Viet Cong" from an appositive because they identify the rebel communists. Appositives are set off by commas. The dash, colon, and semicolon are not appropriate within the context of this sentence.

Question 11

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. "Despite the support of the United States, the Vietnamese was able to defeat France in 1954."

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "were"
"Was" is inconsistent with the plural noun "Vietnamese." "Where" indicates location and "will" does not fit within the context of the sentence." "Were" is consistent with "Vietnamese."

Question 12

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. "In 1969, the United Nations reported that there was a possibility of large oil reserves in the East China Sea near the islands location."

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "islands'"
An apostrophe can show the possessive case of nouns by using an apostrophe and s. An apostrophe after the s can indicate a plural noun or a noun that ends in s.Since the passage refers to more than one island, the plural form of the word should have an apostrophe after s.

Question 13

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. "They believe labeling will drive food costs and will confuse consumers."

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "increase"
"Drive" can mean to direct in a particular direction. One of the meanings of "hamper" is to "hold back," which is inappropriate based on the context of the passage. "Enforce" implies that the law will apply to food cost. "Increase" fits best within the sentence because it means to "expand or make larger."

Question 14

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. "Some countries such as the United States have ample sources of water."

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "countries, such as the United States,"
Commas can be used before and after non-essential phrases. These parenthetical expressions can be set aside and not change the meaning of a sentence. The United States is listed as an example. If the country is set aside, it would not change the meaning of the sentence. Therefore, that phrase can be set off by commas.

Question 15

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. "If two or more nations which disagree on water rights or building projects, conflicts can emerge."

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "If two or more nations disagree"
Although the pronouns "which" and "that" can represent "two or more nations," they are unnecessary to convey the intended meaning of the sentence. Setting aside "which" clarifies the sentence's meaning.

Question 16

Choose the answer which best rewords the following sentence. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. "There are a group of islands located in the East China Sea that are the subject of a dispute between two nations."

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "A group of islands located in the East China Sea is the subject of a dispute between two nations."
Wordiness can affect sentence clarity and cause confusion. Setting aside unnecessary words and phrases can strengthen a sentence. Removing inappropriate commas and "there are" and "that" do not change the sentence's meaning. The phrase "between two nations" is necessary because it tells readers "who" is disputing the islands.

Question 17

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. "Building infrastructure and developing oil reserves is becoming increasingly important to the economy."

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "are"
"Infrastructure" and "oil reserves" refer to more than one thing. Therefore, a plural form of "to be" is necessary to properly complete the sentence. "Becoming" indicates that something is presently happening and will continue to happen so "are" is the appropriate verb form to use in this sentence.

Question 18

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. "Some people thought that her campaign would sour the fight for women's voting rights."

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "hurt"
"Sour" is most associated with "taste," but can mean something that becomes bitter or unpleasant. "Excite" and "strengthen" have opposite connotations. "Hurt," which can mean to damage or to cause adverse affects, conveys a more appropriate meaning in context with the other words in the sentence.

Question 19

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. "Main cash crop for Belize was sugar, but in recent years, citrus fruits have become the leading source of crop income."

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "The main cash crop"
The sentence should begin with the definitive article "the" because "cash crop" refers to a one specific thing - sugar. "A" and "an" are indefinite articles.

Question 20

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. "Dressing in the Congo is greatly influenced by the Western world, however, they are mixed with traditional clothing such as kikwembe, abacos, or a dashiki."

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "Western world; however"
Semicolons are used to separate independent clauses joined by conjunctive adverbs such as "however." A comma is inappropriate punctuation to use between the clauses.

Quiz 2: Hesi: English