GrammarPhile Blog

Did You Pass? Answers to Last Week's High School English Test

Posted by Breanna Lambert   Apr 6, 2017 7:30:00 AM

Questions and AnswersLast week we took you back to high school with an English test that hopefully didn’t bring back any bad memories. Take a look at the answers below to see how you did.

1. Determine if there is a mistake in the sentence structure below. If so, choose the answer that is written most clearly and correctly. If there is no mistake, choose Correct as is. 

Large hairy armadillos sleeping up to 20 hours per day are among the world’s sleepiest animals.

  1. The world’s sleepiest animals, sleeping up to 20 hours per day are some large hairy armadillos.
  2. Some large hairy armadillos, among the world’s sleepiest animals, are sleeping up to 20 hours per day.
  3. Sleeping up to 20 hours per day, large hairy armadillos are among the world’s sleepiest animals.
  4. Correct as is.

Correct answer: C. The structure of answers A and B are incorrect.

2. Determine if there is a mistake in the sentence structure below. If so, choose the answer that is written most clearly and correctly. If there is no mistake, choose Correct as is. 

There are small buttons in that jar that are tiny and minuscule.

  1. There are small buttons in that jar.
  2. There are small and minuscule buttons in that jar.
  3. The small buttons in that jar are tiny and minuscule.
  4. Correct as is

Correct answer: A. The example sentence includes a list of unnecessary and repetitive adjectives. Answer A removes the repetition without losing pertinent information. 

3. Read the sentence below, then choose the answer in which the underlined word is used in the same way.

Goosebumps appeared all over her bare legs.

In which sentence does the word bare mean the same thing as in the sentence above?

  1. The mean dog will always bare his teeth at strangers.
  2. Her bare love for the boy was obvious on her face.
  3. The framed photo will be perfect for the bare wall.
  4. The farmer hoped to survive the winter on the bare harvest

Correct answer: C. The word bare shares the same definition as in the sentence referencing bare legs, both referring to a state of being uncovered. 

4. Which of the following choices best completes the sentence?

Historians believe the wheel most likely _____________ during the late Neolithic era.

  1. originated
  2. invented
  3. commenced
  4. advanced

Correct answer: A. We know the wheel was first used around 10,200 BC, which makes originated, or “to begin” the best answer here. Commenced refers to the start of an act or event, rather than a thing. Invented doesn’t fit into the sentence structure. Advanced would make sense if the wheel already existed and was improved upon during this time.

5. Which of the following sentences correctly uses the hyphen?

  1. Wilson was a second-grade-elementary-school teacher with 30 years of experience.
  2. The cake recipe advertised itself as easy-to-do.
  3. The self-assured student driver expertly parallel parked the car. 
  4. Allie and Alicia, eighty-two year old twins, had dressed identically their whole lives.

Correct answer: C. Answers A and B include unnecessary hyphens, and answer D is missing necessary hyphens. If you got this one right, you must have read our previous post about hyphens

6. Which of the following choices is misspelled?
  1. mellifluous
  2. perspicuous
  3. attenuate
  4. quarrellsome

Correct answer D. This tricky word requires just one l.

7. Choose the letter that highlights the appositive phrase in the sentence below.

During the championship gameA, Nancy, the player with the most experienceB, defeated her opponent in one moveC.

Correct answer: B. An appositive is a noun or pronoun next to another noun or pronoun to give additional information about it. An appositive phrase is an appositive and any other words that modify the appositive. In this case, the player with the most experience offers additional information about Nancy.

8. After identifying the prepositional phrase in the following sentence, determine if the phrase is acting as an adjective or as an adverb.

Timothy is wildly excited about the party.

  1. Adjective
  2. Adverb

Correct answer: B. A prepositional phrase will function as an adjective or adverb. As an adjective, it answers the question Which one? As an adverb, it answers questions like How? When? or Where? You would need to identify about the party as the prepositional phrase to determine that it is acting as an adverb.

9. After identifying the prepositional phrase in the following sentence, determine if the phrase is acting as an adjective or as an adverb.

The older woman in the burgundy dress is Martha.

  1. Adjective
  2. Adverb

Correct answer: A. You would need to identify in the burgundy dress as the prepositional phrase to determine that it is acting as an adjective.

 10. Choose the letter that marks the preposition in the sentence below:

 Emotions aboundA duringB high school graduationC.

Correct answer: B. A preposition is a word that shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to another word in a sentence. The word during shows the time relationship between two events – emotions occurring and the graduation.

So, how did you score? Let us know in the comments below!

 

Topics: quiz answers, quiz

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