English Expert Q&A

Select the answer that correctly identifies the subject and complete verb in each sentence. Two-paycheck families are becoming more common.

A) Two-paycheck, are becoming
B) families, becoming
C) families, are becoming

Select the letter of the correct answer. Which of the following is a good way to identify personal error patterns?

A) Read your returned papers and study the errors marked by the instructor.
B) Read a book about grammar.
C) Read your classmates' papers and notice the mistakes they make.

Read each of the sentences below carefully. Then select the correct word in parentheses. The workshop leader pointed at ( her , herself ) and said, "You're next."

A) her
B) herself

The following sentences form a passage. For each sentence, select "correct" if the sentence is punctuated correctly, "fragment" if it is a fragment, "run-on" if it is a run-on, and "comma splice" if it is a comma splice. Then a television program on PBS changed his life the seventh grader watched in amazement as students in a well-equipped machine shop built their own robots.

A) correct
B) fragment
C) run-on
D) comma splice

Each group below contains one correct sentence. In each group, select the letter of the sentence that is correct. Which sentence is correct?

A) She inexperienced in the world of business.
B) Her inexperience in the world of business creates problems.
C) Is inexperience in the world of business.

Each of the following groups contains one correct sentence. Select the correct sentence from each group. Which sentence is correct?

A) Patiently waiting in line, hoping to buy tickets for the musical Hamilton .
B) They patiently waiting in line, hoping to buy tickets for the musical Hamilton .
C) They patiently waited in line, hoping to buy tickets for the musical Hamilton .

What kind of paragraph or essay is required by each of the following questions? Select the letter of the correct answer. What is the difference between a frog and a toad?

A) contrast
B) persuade
C) discuss effects

Select the letter of the correct answer. During which step of the writing process do writers read a draft again and rewrite it so that it's clearer and more interesting?

A) prewriting
B) proofreading
C) revising

Select the correct verb or verbs for each sentence. Some tsunami waves ( rise , rises ) as high as 100 feet, move 450 miles per hour, and ( hit , hits ) so hard they ( destroy , destroys ) piers, homes, bridges, and human life.

A) rise, hit, destroy
B) rises, hits, destroys

Each question below is an entry for a References page. Select "Correct" if the entry is correctly formatted according to APA guidelines or "Incorrect" if the entry is not correctly formatted. Bensinger, G. (2016 December 22) . Uber Moves Self-Driving Car Test to Arizona after Regulatory  Defeat in California. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from
Http://www.wsj.com/articles/uber-moves-self-driving-car-test-to-arizona-after-regulatory-defeat-in- 
California-1482442732

A) Correct
B) Incorrect

What kind of paragraph or essay is required by each of the following questions? Select the letter of the correct answer. Take a stand for or against a flat tax rate.

A) argue
B) illustrate
C) compare

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.

A) screamed, waved, stamp
B) scream, wave, stamped
C) screamed, waved, stamped

Select the correct past participle for each blank. Not surprisingly, manufacturers have ____ little interest in returning to a filament that could put them out of business.

A) shown
B) showed

Select True if the statement is true or False if the statement is false.
In general essays should have a thesis statement that expresses the main idea.

The following sentences form a paragraph. Select the correct noun for each blank. Jackie Robinson was probably the bravest ____ to play professional baseball.

A) man
B) men

The paragraphs of the following essay have been scrambled so that they are out of order. Read them and then answer the question(s) that follow.
Acting to Save Mother Earth
_____ (1) These personal actions may not seem important. (2) At the very least, though, they can relieve some of the helplessness we all feel when faced with threats of global disasters. (3) If carried out on a larger scale by millions of individuals, they could greatly improve our environment and lives.
_____ (4) A third way of taking action for the planet is wise management of hazardous wastes. (5) Hazardous wastes include paint, old car batteries, oven and drain cleaners, mothballs, floor and furniture polish, pesticides, and even toilet bowl cleaners. (6) First of all, we should store hazardous materials properly by keeping them in their original containers; making sure they are clearly labeled; and keeping them in a cool, dry place that is out of the reach of children. (7) Second, we can reduce our use of these products by buying only what we need and by sharing anything that might be left over. (8) Third, we should take great care when disposing hazardous wastes. (9) Certain wastes such as old car batteries and motor oil can be refined and reused, and in some cities they can be turned in for special burning. (10) However, local authorities have to be contacted because disposal practices vary so much from place to place.
_____ (11) Every day we hear more bad news about our planet. (12) Reports tell us that wildlife and forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. (13) Newscasts give the latest word on how quickly Earth is losing its protective shield and warming up. (14) Newspapers lament the pollution of our air, water, and soil. (15) What can we do in the face of such widespread gloom? (16) In fact, we do not have to feel helpless. (17) We can each learn practical ways to better our environment.
_____ (18) But that's not all we can do. (19) Another Earth-saving habit is "precycling" all kinds of waste. (20) This means buying food and other products packaged only in materials that will decay naturally or that can be recycled. (21) The idea is to prevent unrecyclable materials from even entering the home. (22) For instance, the 190 pounds of plastic ⎯ especially Styrofoam ⎯ each American uses a year are thrown out as soon as packages are opened. (23) Be kind to your planet by buying eggs, fast food, and other products in cardboard instead of Styrofoam cartons. (24) Buy beverages in recyclable glass, aluminum, or plastic containers. (25) Buy in bulk to reduce the amount of packaging; you will save money, too. (26) Finally, when you can, buy products whose packaging shows the "recycled" logo. (27) Materials that have been recycled once can be recycled again.
_____ (28) For example, saving and recycling newspapers has a number of positive results. (29) First, recycling newspaper saves trees. (30) The average American consumes about 120 pounds of newsprint a year ⎯ enough to use up one tree. (31) That means close to 250 million trees each year are destroyed for paper in this country alone. (32) If we recycled only one-tenth of our newspaper, we would save 25 million trees a year. (33) Second, making new paper from old paper uses up much less energy than making paper from trees. (34) Finally, this process also reduces the air pollution of paper making by 95 percent.
Part A: Select the answer that numbers the paragraphs in the order they should appear in the essay.
a. 5, 4, 1, 3, 2
b. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
c. 4, 1, 5, 2, 3
Part B: Select the number of the topic sentence in the second paragraph in the reordered sequence.
a. Sentence 28
b. Sentence 29
c. Sentence 34
Part C: What transitional expression shows the relationship between paragraphs 3 and 4 in the reordered sequence?
a. A third way
b. But
c. For example
Part D: What linking technique does the writer use at the beginning of the third paragraph in the reordered sequence?
a. She repeats key words or ideas from the thesis statement.
b. She refers to a word or idea from the preceding paragraph.
c. She uses a transitional sentence.

Proofread the following sentences, which form an essay, for errors in the past participle. If the sentence contains a past participle error, select "Past participle error." If the sentence is correct, select "Correct." Bogs have not only served human needs; they provide a home for many insects, birds, and rare plant species as well.

A) Past participle error
B) Correct

In each group below, select the letter of the sentence that uses concise, fresh, and exact language. Which sentence uses concise, fresh, and exact language?

A) There were crumbs all over the keyboard.
B) There were cookie crumbs on the computer keyboard.
C) There were cookie crumbs stuck in the keys of the computer keyboard.

In each of the following sentences, a blank space appears where the verb should be. Choose the correct past tense verb. Select the letter of the correct answer. In 1992, Barack Obama ____ Michelle Robinson.

A) marries
B) married
C) marry

The paragraph below is developed by a specific mode or pattern. Read the paragraph; then answer the questions.
(1) Networks should not present children's shows that contain violence. (2) Children fed a constant diet of TV violence begin to believe that brutality is acceptable. (3) Seeing dogs, cats, and mice pushing each other off roofs and hitting each other with bricks in these shows, children are bound to assume that brutality is and should be a way of life. (4) Another reason for keeping violence out of children's shows is that young viewers may get the idea that violence is not really painful. (5) For example, my neighbor has told me that after a Saturday morning of violent cartoons, her son Paul tends to hit and bully his sister and then seems amazed when, unlike the smiling cartoon characters, she cries. (6) Most important, the consequences of letting our children watch these shows are frightening to imagine. (7) We may be raising a generation of adolescents and then adults so used to watching cruelty on television that they will not be moved to stop it when they see it in real life.
Transitional words or phrases are used in which sentences?

A) (3) , (4) , (5)
B) (4) , (5) , (6)
C) (5) , (6)