U.S English Basic Skill Test
Choose the series of articles and conjunctions that best completes
the following sentence _______she was feeling ill, Teresa wanted to eat only
________apple _______some soup.
a. Yet, the, or
b. After, an, and
c. Because, an, or
d. If. a. and
Choose the series of prepositions that best completes the following sentence.
Charlotte knew ___________the secret investigation _________her
past, but she closed her eyes to it and pretended it wasn't happening.
a. of, about
b. on, of
c. about, to
d. of, After
Which of the following sentences illustrates proper sentence
structure?
a. Everyone knows that a mango is much sweeter to an orange
b. I saw the girl with my own eyes who said she had been abducted
by aliens
c. Either one of you should try and to fix their broken fence
d. The queen had hardly
finished her speech when the people began to disperse
Choose the series of pronouns that best completes the following
sentence _______ is the name of the opera, and _______role did you say Maria
would play?
a. This, which
b. Who, that
c. What, which
d. Which, what
Which of the following sentences illustrates correct usage of
articles and conjunctions?
a. The cake that I ate was better that the one you had
b. An house is not the home, or so they saying goes
c. For my birthday, I
would like a book, an hourglass, and the keys to a new boat
d. Has a package I've been waiting for been delivered yet, nor
must I wait longer?
Complete the following sentence by choosing the phrase with the
best word order from the options given.
Those who are not wise
a. do not need be
necessarily stupid
b. need not necessarily be stupid
c. need not to be necessarily stupid
d. does not need to be necessarily stupid
Which of the following sentences illustrates proper sentence
structure?
a. Unless the world controls its population, mankind will continue
to face one problem after another
b. Unless the world doesn't control its population, mankind will
continue to face one problem after another
c. Unless the world controls its population, until then mankind
will continue to face one problem after another
d. Unless the world fails to control its population, mankind until
then will continue to face one problem after another
Choose the series of verbs that best completes the following
sentence
If Harry __________to the party too early, don't let him in, he
__________outside like everyone else.
a. gets, will have to wait
b. got, waits
c. gets, is waiting
d. has gotten, must be waiting
Change the following sentence from a quotation to indirect speech.
"It may snow tomorrow," he said
a. He said it should
snow tomorrow
b. He might say it will snow
tomorrow
c. He says it may snow tomorrow
d. He said it might snow
the next day
Choose the series of adjectives and adverbs that best completes
the following sentence Knowing that February was the _________month of the
year, Cheryl planned her vacation.
a. short, in accordance
b. shortest, accordingly
c. shorter, according
d. shortness, accordion
Which of the following sentences illustrates correct verb and verb
tense usage?
a. Until the snow is melting, the tram is not able to move
b. Until the snow does not melt, the tram will not be able to move
c. Until the snow melts, the tram will not be able to move
d. Until the snow will melt, the tram will not be able to move
Choose the series of adjectives and adverbs that best completes
the following sentence.
I think Pamela deserves to be punished for her __________stupid
and __________behavior.
a. irresponsible, totally
b. totally, irresponsibility
c. totally, irresponsible
d. total, irresponsibly
Which of the following sentences is NOT punctuated correctly?
a. We expect only three things
from our dog loyalty, affection, and tail wagging
b. I need you to pick up several boxes of paperclips, pens, and
pencils, three pounds each of potatoes, carrots, and peas, and my dry cleaning
c. Marcy, my parrot, squawked for an hour, before finally calming
down
d. All of the above are punctuated correctly.
Which of the following sentences illustrates correct verb and verb
tense usage?
a. Did Annabel knowingly lie on the witness stand?
b. We think the judge will
have noticed something strange in her behavior
c. The lawyers had decided to keep her testimony a secret.
d. Somehow, all of the newspapers gotten hold of the story
Read the original sentence below and then choose the rewritten
sentence that illustrates proper sentence structure.
ORIGINAL SENTENCE
It is easy to carry solid objects, but the same cannot be said of
liquids.
REWRITTEN SENTENCES
a. Unlike liquids, solid objects are easy to carry
b. Unlike liquids, we can
easily carry solid objects
c. Unlike liquids, solid objects can easily be carried
d. Unlike liquids, solid objects easy to be carried
Which of the following sentences illustrates the proper use of
parallel construction?
a. Terry hoped to find a new job that would let him earn extra
cash in the summer and to work fewer hours
b. Although Tommy was
failing his biology class at college, he was passing his chemistry class
c. Trina loved to sail, skate, swim, and surfing
d. Tatiana declared that the people in her office are smarter than
the people who work in Tad's office
Choose the series of pronouns that best completes the following
sentence
Don't ________think Larry should call ________wife if ________is
going to be late for dinner'?
a. you, his, he
b. we, your, his
c. he, his, he
d. you, his, himself
Change the following sentence from a quotation to indirect speech
Jerry said, "I saw my cousin at
the fair"
a. Jerry had said he'd seen his cousin at the fair
b. Jerry said he had seen his cousin at the fair
c. Jerry said he'd saw his cousin at the fair
d. Jerry says he saw his
cousin at the fair
Rearrange the following words to create the most logical and
grammatically correct sentence.
Would I have it anything if had
I you known said would not bother.
a. Would I have not said anything if you had known it would
bothers
b. I would not have said
anything if I had known it would bother you
c. Had I known if it would bother you I would not have said
anything
d. If I had known it would not bother you I would have said
anything
Choose the verb that best completes the following sentence.
Do you know if Harlon ____________Japanese before moving to Japan?
a. has studied
b. has been studying
c. will have been studying
d. will be studying
Which of the following sentences does NOT illustrate correct verb
and verb tense usage?
a. These repetitive and misleading guidelines could easily be
interpreted in several different ways
b. Clarabelle's mother absolutely hated nicknames and always calls
her daughter by her full name
c. The Imagist movement in poetry is commonly regarded as having
begun in the early twentieth century
d. We all danced across the lawn and lifted Zoe above our heads in
triumph
Choose the phrase that best completes the sentence below without
creating a run-on sentence.
Mr. Peach has sent his four children to Ivy League colleges
__________he has sacrificed his health working day and night in that dusty
factory.
a.
however
b. however
c.
however
d.
however
Choose the series of prepositions that best completes the
following passage
Although Marvin said he had hidden the keys _______the flower pot,
we were unable to find them _______the dark In the end, we waited for him at
the coffee shop ___________the corner.
a. under, in, around
b.
in, with, at
c.
around, at, on
d.
beside, from, around
Choose the series of prepositions that best completes the
following sentence
Jeremy drove his motorcycle _______the bridge, _______the hill,
and ______the diner before finally parking it _______two police cars.
a.
beside, among, behind, near
b.
beneath, over, under, on
c.
across, down, past, between
d.
under, around, through, into
Choose the series of adjectives and adverbs that best completes
the following sentence
The helium-__________balloon rose __________into the air, the
villagers knew then that their leader was off on another mission.
a.
power, powerful, powered
b.
powered, powered, powerful
c.
powered, powerfully, powerful
d.
powerful, powered, powerfully
Choose the series of adjectives and adverbs that best completes
the following sentence.
We were surprised when the ________parade ________turned into
________ party.
a.
dull, suddenly, wild
b.
duller, all of a sudden, wilder
c.
dullest, suddenly, wildest
d.
dull, sudden, wild
Rearrange the following words to create the most logical and
grammatically correct sentence your company name? of What the is
a.
What is the company of your name?
b.
your company What is the name of?
c. What is the name of
your company?
d.
The name of your company What is?
Choose the series of pronouns that best completes the following
sentence
That house used to be______, but ______have given it to_________
a.
my, I, her
b.
mine, me, her
c. mine, I, her
d.
myself, she, her
Choose the series of pronouns that best completes the following
sentence.
That house used to be______, but ______have given it to______
a.
my, I, her
b.
mine, me, her
c.
mine, I, her
d.
myself, she, her
Rearrange the following words to create the most logical and
grammatically correct sentence sleeping likes the midday Katie until on
weekends
a.
sleeping Katie likes until midday on the weekends
b.
Katie likes sleeping until weekends on the midday
c.
Katie likes on sleeping until the midday
weekends
d.
Katie likes sleeping on midday until the weekends
e.
Katie likes sleeping until midday on the weekends
Which of the following sentences does NOT illustrate correct verb
and verb tense usage?
a.
Frank and Marjorie have opened a new chocolate shop on the corner
b.
By the time I get there, all the best candy will have been eaten already
c.
They was going to sell pastries as well, but then decided against it
d. Have you ever wondered how
many jelly beans there are in the world?
Which of the following sentences illustrates the proper use of
apostrophes?
a. Helga borrowed her
friend's skates for the day, however, she failed to return them
b.
Thousand's of bargains are available during the holiday season, but I cant find
time to shop
c.
The koala bear closed it's eyes and fell fast asleep
d.
Although I like the Joneses, I'm angry at them for breaking all of Ralphs'
tools
Read the following question and choose the response that uses the
correct corresponding verb tense
Will you be going to the company picnic this year?
a.
Yes, I will have always gone every year
b.
No, unfortunately I didn't have time this year
c.
Yes, and I plan on swimming, fishing, and eating all day
d.
I might go if I had known about it sooner
Choose the series of articles and conjunctions that best completes
the following sentence.
Julia, who is studying to be _______foreign correspondent, is
currently doing _______internship in _______Middle East _______will return
before the end of _______year
a. (no article required),
an, the, but, the
b.
the, a, the, however, a
c.
a, an, (no article required), yet, a
d.
a. an. the. but. The
Which of the following sentences is NOT punctuated correctly?
a.
All of the apple's at the grocer's were rotten, so I bought oranges instead
b.
"Seven canteens full of water should be enough for the hike," said
Tabitha
c.
Until the stove is fixed, there's no way I can bake a lemon meringue pie
d.
The woman, whose name escapes me at the moment, disappeared into the limousine
Which of the following sentences illustrates correct verb and verb
tense usage?
a.
Let's wait until seven to leave, the traffic should be much lighter by then
b.
My boss says I have to stay late tonight because I was sleeping during office
hours
c.
I would call them, but I think they have
left for the day
d.
Have you seen the cookies that were on my desk? They seem to have disappeared
Which of the following sentences illustrate(s) the proper use of
commas?
a.
Randy wanted to end the meeting, but Amy wanted to prolong it
b.
After pouring herself a glass of water in silence, Nicky answered my question
c.
The committee, which had failed to come to a consensus decided to meet again on
Tuesday
d.
Mr. Bridges is never home on the weekends, he always goes to his home in the
country
e. a and b
f.
All of the above
Choose the series of prepositions that best completes the
following sentence
I placed my notes _______my desk and referred to them _______the
meeting
a.
at, among
b. beside, during
c.
with, at
d.
upon, around
Choose the series of prepositions that best completes the
following sentence
Although the issue was very serious, the committee disposed
______it in a few minutes and moved __________ to other business
a.
onto, off
b. of, away
c.
on, out
d.
of. On
Choose the series of adjectives and adverbs that best completes
the following sentence.
The __________odor was ________coming from the chemistry lab up
the street.
a.
pungent, nastily, clearness
b.
pungently, nastily, clearly
c.
pungently, nasty, clear
d.
nasty, pungent, clearly
