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22
Which of these sentences or sentence pairs could be improved by eliminating a
dangling adverbial phrase?
A
Emily’s favorite activities are dancing, writing, the
theatre, and dinner with friends.
B
The students were hungry after class. They bought
some pizza.
C
Anita went to the store. She bought salmon, salad
greens, and some ice cream.
D
As a concerned citizen, the massive oil spill worried me.
Improvement: As a concerned citizen, I worried about
the massive oil spill.
23
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In which of these sentences does the verb agree in number with the noun to which
it refers?
A
Raquel is one of those employees who are technical
experts.
B
A copy of our analysis, along with our interpretation of its
results, have been sent to you.
C
Everyone except those three employees were at the
meeting.
D
Part of his losses were caused by poor management.
Created by Boundless
24
Which of the following sentences would be the best topic sentence for a paragraph
about Richard’s general feeling toward the genre of detective stories?
A
Richard enjoys American detective fiction.
B
Richard especially likes Ross Macdonald’s detective
stories.
C
“The Maltese Falcon” is one of Richard’s favorite
detective novels.
D
Richard really likes the fictional private detective Philip
Marlowe.
E
Richard has read several of Raymond Chandler’s
detective novels.
25
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Which of the following is an example of the imperative mood?
A
It is important to walk on the grass.
B
I walk on the grass sometimes.
C
Do not walk on the grass.
D
She would walk on the grass if there was grass to walk
on.
26
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Which of the following is a good example of a gender neutral sentence?
A
Please notify your server if you have any food allergies.
B
Busy moms love our flexible scheduling option.
C
If you are unsure about your professor's expectations,
don't be afraid to ask him.
D
This restaurant caters to the working man.
27
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Which of the following is a good example of a sentence using a conjunction?
A
He is a terrible friend.
B
She is a great listener and she sends very nice letters.
C
I wish she would send me a thank­you note.
D
He loves to collect stamps.
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When is a sentence in active­voice?
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A
When the subject performs the action of the verb.
B
When the verb "to be" is used, followed by a past
participle.
C
When the speaker disagrees with the claim of the
sentence.
D
When the subject receives the action of the verb.
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Which of the following is a good example of parallelism?
A
Children spend their days in school, playing, and they
like to watch television.
B
We have class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
C
There is a need to exercise caution, be mindful of your
surroundings, and attention should be paid.
D
I had given him a scarf, coat, and a hat.
30
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Which of the following best describes a time when it is appropriate to use passive
voice?
A
All of these answers.
B
When describing a research study.
C
When the sentence is about action.
D
When you want to eliminate vagueness and ambiguity.
31
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Which of the following is an example of a compound­complex sentence?
A
Harry would stay with the Hendersons, but as he is a
different species, he must blaze his own trail.
B
She enjoys long walks on the beach at dusk.
C
I am leaving you!
My dog's behavioral problems include howling and
D
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My dog's behavioral problems include howling and
chewing.
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Why is it a good idea to write using a variety of sentence types?
A
Because varying sentence lengths is a good way to keep
the reader involved.
B
Because if you use the same type of sentence
throughout your paper, it will become tedious.
C
All of these answers.
D
Because mixing up sentence types can help keep the
reader interested.
33
Created by Boundless
Which of the following can contribute to unity in and between paragraphs in an
essay?
A
Combining short sentences into longer ones
B
Emphasizing the work of a single source
C
Repeating key words
D
Using consistent sentence structure
34
Created by Boundless
Which of the following sentences does not contain a subordinate clause?
A
When the animals noticed us, they usually changed
direction and galloped away.
B
Surprised by some elephants, a herd of zebras suddenly
ran toward our Land Rover.
C
While we were on our African safari, we got photos of
many beautiful animals and several shots of spectacular
sunsets.
D
We were surprised by the elephants that came to drink
at the stream.
35
Created by Boundless
Which of these sentences or sentence pairs could be improved by using the
subordinating conjunction because?
A
The students were hungry after class. They bought
some pizza. Improvement: Because the students were
hungry after class, they bought some pizza.
B
Emily’s favorite activities are dancing, writing, the
theatre, and dinner with friends.
C
Anita went to the store. She bought salmon, salad
greens, and some ice cream.
D
As a concerned citizen, the massive oil spill worried me.
36
Created by Boundless
Which of the following sentences uses the passive voice?
A
While we were on our African safari, we were got photos
of many beautiful animals and several shots of
spectacular sunsets.
B
We were surprised by the elephants that came to drink
at the stream.
C
Surprised by some elephants, a herd of zebras suddenly
ran toward our Land Rover.
D
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When the zebras noticed us, they suddenly changed
direction and galloped away.
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Consider the following two simple sentences, and then answer the question: The
meeting ended. The hall was again deserted. Which of the following answers
combines these sentences into one complex sentence?
A
The meeting ended and the hall was again deserted.
B
After the meeting ended, the hall was again deserted.
C
The meeting ended; the hall was again deserted.
D
The meeting ended in the deserted hall.
38
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Which of the answers below is NOT a clause?
39
A
Because I often have trouble with grammar and
mechanics
B
I often have trouble with grammar and mechanics.
C
But I am not very interested in those topics anyway
D
Often have trouble with grammar and mechanics
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Consider the following two sentences, and then answer the question: The cells that
perceive colors are called cones. Those that perceive black and white are called
rods. Which of the answers below uses coordination to combine these sentences?
A
The cells that perceive colors are called cones, and
those that perceive black and white are called rods.
B
The cells that perceive colors are called cones; those
that perceive black and white are called rods.
C
The cells that perceive colors are called cones; similarly,
those that perceive black and white are called rods.
D
Although the cells that perceive colors are called cones,
those that perceive black and white are called rods.
40
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Consider the following three simple sentences, and then answer the question: The
kitchen contains poisons that can kill instantly. It is a room filled with perils. It also
contains appliances that can be heated to 500 degrees. Which of the answers
below combines these sentences into a single sentence with the main idea at the
end?
A
The kitchen contains poisons that can kill instantly; it is a
room filled with perils, including appliances that can be
heated to 500 degrees.
B
Filled with perils, the kitchen contains poisons that can
kill instantly and appliances that can be heated to 500
degrees.
C
Containing poisons that can kill instantly and appliances
that can be heated to 500 degrees, the kitchen is a room
filled with perils.
D
The kitchen is a room filled with perils: it contains
poisons that can kill instantly and appliances that can be
heated to 500 degrees.
41
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When is it appropriate to use jargon?
A
When you know that your audience understands and
expects you to use specific technical terminology.
B
When using it will make your paper seem more well­
informed.
C
Never.
D
As frequently as possible.
42
Created by Boundless
Why should you always try to write using simple language?
A
Because when you use long words and sentences, you
are committing plagiarism.
B
Because writing with complicated vocabulary makes your
paper more precise.
C
Because your audience doesn't have prior knowledge of
your subject.
D
Because the goal of academic writing is to clearly
communicate an argument, not to seem smart.