Question 1

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.

Question 2

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 3

Choose the answer which best rewords the 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 4

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 5

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 6

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A. "The country of Belize's economy is fueled greatly by foreign aid because it is based on an agrarian economy."

Accepted Answer

The best choice is "Belize's"
"The country of" conveys the same meaning as "Belize." Setting the phrase aside does not change the meaning of the sentence. "Belize's country" and "Belize's the" do not fit within the context of the sentence.

Question 7

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 8

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.

Quiz 3: GED: Writing