HESI A2 Grammar Practice Exam

1. Select the phrase that will make the following sentence grammatically correct. Before I had finished supper, James ___________.

• A. is texting me on my cell phone
• B. had texted me on my cell phone
• C. texts me on my cell phone
• D. texting me on my cell phone

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The sentence starts with 'Before I had finished supper,' indicating that the action of James texting you on your cell phone had occurred before the completion of another past action (finishing supper). The past perfect tense 'had texted' is used to express an action that happened before another action in the past, making the sentence grammatically correct. Choice A is incorrect because it uses the present continuous tense, which is not suitable for indicating an action that occurred before finishing supper. Choice C is incorrect as it uses the simple present tense, which does not convey the sequence of events correctly. Choice D is incorrect as it presents the present continuous tense, which is not appropriate for the context of the sentence.

2. Which word is not spelled correctly in the context of the following sentence? Everyone in the fraternity found the four boys' pranks sophomoric.

• A. Everyone
• B. fraternity
• C. boys'
• D. sophomoric

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The word 'boys'' should be spelled as 'boys' in this context. The correct possessive form of the plural noun 'boys' does not require an apostrophe before the final S, which indicates possession. In this sentence, the intent is to show that the pranks belong to the four boys collectively, so the correct possessive form is 'boys' without the additional apostrophe.

3. Which word is used incorrectly in the following sentence? The professor was once an intern in this hospital back in the 1980s.

• A. professor
• B. once
• C. intern
• D. hospital

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: In the given sentence, the word 'once' is used incorrectly. The original sentence implies that the professor was an intern in the hospital at a specific time in the past, not just once. The word 'formerly' would imply that the professor used to be an intern but is no longer. Therefore, 'once' is the incorrect word choice in this context. The other options ('professor,' 'intern,' 'hospital') are all used correctly in the sentence.

4. Select the correct word for the blank in the following sentence. The children and ___________ performed a skit for the elderly patients.

• A. he
• B. me
• C. them
• D. her

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: In this sentence, we are looking for a pronoun that refers to more than one person. The children and 'them' performed a skit for the elderly patients. 'Them' is the correct pronoun to use in this context to indicate a group of people, which is the plural form of the pronoun. Choice A, 'he,' is singular and would not match the plural subject. Choice B, 'me,' is an object pronoun and does not fit the subject position. Choice D, 'her,' is singular and does not agree with the plural subject 'children and them.' Therefore, the correct answer is 'C: them.'

5. What word is best to substitute for the underlined words in the following sentence? The nurse left the room to look for the paperwork she had misplaced.

• A. her
• B. he
• C. his
• D. it

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The word 'her' is the best substitute for the underlined words 'the nurse' in the sentence. This substitution avoids redundancy and provides clarity by referring back to the nurse as a third-person singular pronoun, maintaining coherence and avoiding ambiguity. 'He' (choice B) and 'his' (choice C) are incorrect as they do not align with the gender of the nurse in the sentence. 'It' (choice D) is also incorrect as it does not refer appropriately to a person.