Question 1

Proofread the following sentence(s) for inconsistent tense and person. In addition, check for faulty parallelism. Select the type of error each sentence contains. As program coordinator, I was responsible for maintaining the organization's database, filing new reports, and assessed each student's progress.

Accepted Answer

The sentence suffers from faulty parallelism because "maintaining," "filing," and "assessed" do not share the same grammatical form. To correct it, "assessed" should be changed to "assessing."

Question 2

Proofread the following sentence(s) for inconsistent tense and person. In addition, check for faulty parallelism. Select the type of error each sentence contains. I like everything about Lamont: his natural good looks, his witty conversational style, and reading his short stories.

Accepted Answer

The sentence suffers from faulty parallelism because the items in the series are not in the same form. "His natural good looks" and "his witty conversational style" are both phrases describing his qualities, but "reading his short stories" is an activity, not a quality of Lamont.

Question 3

The following sentences form a paragraph. Select the correct word or phrase for each blank. "Madame Tussaud's. Come and find out who's in. And who's out." That's how English advertisers lure visitors to a most unusual show ⎯ a display of the rich, ____, and the infamous in the form of lifelike wax statues.

Accepted Answer

"The famous" is a more appropriate choice because the sentence already mentions "the rich and infamous," which implies that the display is focused on individuals who already have a level of fame or notoriety. "People who became famous" is also an option but it is more general and does not capture the specific focus of the display.

Question 4

Proofread the following sentence(s) for inconsistent tense and person. In addition, check for faulty parallelism. Select the type of error each sentence contains. We are going to the sushi bar before we met Julian for coffee.

Accepted Answer

The sentence has inconsistent tense as "going" is in present tense and "met" is in past tense. The sentence can be corrected by saying: "We went to the sushi bar before meeting Julian for coffee."

Question 5

Choose the correct words to insert in each of the following sentences. Then select the letter of the correct response. Each of the nominees prepared ____ acceptance speech ⎯ just in case.

Accepted Answer

"Nominees" is plural, so the pronoun "their" is the best choice. "His or her" is also correct, but it is wordier than simply using "their." "Its" is incorrect because it would refer to a singular object, while "nominees" is plural.

Question 6

The following sentences form a paragraph. Select the correct word or phrase for each blank. Visitors can see and have ____ photograph taken with more than 400 eerily lifelike statues of such people as Barack Obama, Joan of Arc, Elvis Presley, David Beckham, the Dalai Lama, and Jennifer Lopez.

Accepted Answer

The correct word is "their" because the sentence refers to "visitors" in the plural form, indicating that the possessive pronoun should also be plural to match the subject.

Question 7

Proofread the following sentence(s) for inconsistent tense and person. In addition, check for faulty parallelism. Select the type of error each sentence contains. Steven and Sarah are less prepared for the job market than he or she think.

Accepted Answer

The subject, Steven and Sarah, is plural, while the pronouns used, he or she, are singular, creating inconsistent person. The sentence should be revised to "Steven and Sarah are less prepared for the job market than they think." This also fixes faulty parallelism, where "less prepared" should be paired with "than they think," instead of "than he or she think."

Question 8

Proofread the following sentence(s) for inconsistent tense and person. In addition, check for faulty parallelism. Select the type of error each sentence contains. Before you buy a new car, one should read the most recent Consumer Reports car issue.

Accepted Answer

The sentence starts with "Before you buy a new car" (second person perspective) and ends with "one should read the most recent Consumer Reports car issue" (third person perspective), displaying inconsistent person. The sentence is grammatically correct otherwise and does not display faulty parallelism.

Question 9

Proofread the following sentence(s) for inconsistent tense and person. In addition, check for faulty parallelism. Select the type of error each sentence contains. Claude occasionally drops by my dorm room for a visit, but you don't expect him to visit every time he's in my neighborhood.

Accepted Answer

The sentence shifts from first person ("my dorm room") to second person ("you don't expect him"), which is an example of inconsistent person.

Question 10

Proofread the following sentence(s) for inconsistent tense and person. In addition, check for faulty parallelism. Select the type of error each sentence contains. Thomas is moving to Cleveland for graduate school and because of his girlfriend.

Accepted Answer

The sentence suffers from faulty parallelism because the reasons for moving are not presented in a parallel structure. It should be corrected to something like, "Thomas is moving to Cleveland for graduate school and to be with his girlfriend."

Question 11

The following sentences form a paragraph. Select the correct word or phrase for each blank. ____ invited to sit for moldings, a process that takes six months and costs over $100,000. Mother Teresa was one of the few people ever to decline an invitation from Madame Tussaud's.

Accepted Answer

The sentence is referring to people who have been invited for a specific process, so the correct pronoun to use is "he or she is." The sentence is not addressing the reader directly, so "you are" does not make sense.

Question 12

The following sentences form a paragraph. Select the correct word or phrase for each blank. Nearly 3 million people line up each year to rub shoulders with the images of historic and contemporary celebrities. ____ make Madame Tussaud's the most popular paid tourist attraction in England.

Accepted Answer

"They" refers to the 3 million people who visit Madame Tussaud's, whereas "you" would not make sense in this context.

Question 13

Choose the correct words to insert in each of the following sentences. Then select the letter of the correct response. We ____ the train to Omaha but ____ home.

Accepted Answer

The sentence is referring to a past event, so "took" is the correct past tense of "take." "Fly" is the past tense of "fly," but it is not the appropriate verb to describe returning home from Omaha. Therefore, the correct choice is "took, flew."

Question 14

Proofread the following sentence(s) for inconsistent tense and person. In addition, check for faulty parallelism. Select the type of error each sentence contains. When hanging a framed picture, use a level to make sure they are not crooked.

Accepted Answer

The sentence has an inconsistent person error. "A framed picture" is singular, but "they" is plural. It should be "it is not crooked."

Question 15

Proofread the following sentence(s) for inconsistent tense and person. In addition, check for faulty parallelism. Select the type of error each sentence contains. Every citizen should exercise their constitutional right to vote.

Accepted Answer

The sentence starts in the third person singular with "Every citizen" but then switches to the plural possessive pronoun "their." It should be consistent throughout, either by changing "their" to "his or her" or by making the sentence plural: "All citizens should exercise their constitutional right to vote." There is no issue with tense or parallelism.

Question 16

Choose the correct words to insert in each of the following sentences. Then select the letter of the correct response. As the basketball team scored the winning point, the fans ____, ____, and ____ their feet.

Accepted Answer

The sentence is in the past tense, so the verbs should also be in the past tense. "Screamed" and "waved" are both in the past tense, and "stamped" should be "stamped" to match.

Question 17

The following sentences form a paragraph. Select the correct word or phrase for each blank. Each month, a committee decides who is in and who is out of the collections. A celebrity is chosen for ____ fame, recognizability, and publicity potential.

Accepted Answer

The sentence refers to a specific celebrity being chosen for their fame, recognizability, and publicity potential. The use of "his or her" is appropriate to indicate that the gender of the celebrity may vary. The use of "your" would not be appropriate in this sentence.

Question 18

The following sentences form a paragraph. Select the correct word or phrase for each blank. The popular Chamber of Horrors displays the most notorious criminals of all time. Recently two new Tussaud Museums have opened. In New York, tourists now can mingle with the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, Robert Pattinson, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Carmelo Anthony. In Las Vegas, ____ can pose with Lady Gaga, George Clooney, Simon Cowell, and nearly 100 others.

Accepted Answer

"They" is the correct pronoun to use in this sentence, as it refers to tourists like in the previous sentence, and is the subject of the sentence. "We" would not make sense in this context.

Question 19

Proofread the following sentence(s) for inconsistent tense and person. In addition, check for faulty parallelism. Select the type of error each sentence contains. Paula spent two years in the army and then she goes to college.

Accepted Answer

The sentence is written in both past and present tense, making it inconsistent. The verb "spent" is in past tense, but "goes" is in present tense. It should be written as "Paula spent two years in the army and then went to college" to keep the same past tense throughout the sentence.

Question 20

Choose the correct words to insert in each of the following sentences. Then select the letter of the correct response. Otis likes ____ to work rather than ____ the bus.

Accepted Answer

In this sentence, the word "likes" is followed by a gerund ("walking"). Therefore, the second verb should also be in the gerund form ("taking"). Additionally, the infinitive form "to take" (option C) does not fit grammatically in this sentence structure.

Quiz 21: Revising for Consistency and Parallelism