Nursing Elites

1. It was not a compact city but was instead divided into separate districts. What is the meaning of the homograph 'compact' in the sentence above?

• A. A small case for holding makeup
• B. To compress
• C. Closely packed together
• D. Very tidy

Correct answer: C

Rationale: In this context, the term 'compact' refers to things being 'closely packed together.' The city was not compact in the sense of being closely packed together, but rather divided into separate districts. Choice A, 'A small case for holding makeup,' is not relevant to the context of the sentence. Choice B, 'To compress,' does not fit the sentence's context as it refers to the action of pressing things together. Choice D, 'Very tidy,' is also unrelated to the meaning of 'compact' in the sentence.

2. A student reads the following sentence: A hundred years ago, automobiles were rare, but now cars are ubiquitous. However, she doesn't know what the word ubiquitous means. Which key context clue is essential to decipher the word's meaning?

• A. Ago
• B. Cars
• C. Now
• D. Rare

Correct answer: C

Rationale: The key context clue essential to decipher the word 'ubiquitous' is the word 'now.' By comparing the rarity of automobiles a hundred years ago to their ubiquity now, the student can infer that 'ubiquitous' means something that is commonplace or found everywhere. Choice A ('Ago') refers to the past and does not provide information about the current state of cars. Choice B ('Cars') only contrasts rare and ubiquitous without indicating the change over time. Choice D ('Rare') simply contrasts with 'ubiquitous' without showing the transition from rarity to ubiquity.

3. Which of the following is a compound sentence?

• A. Plague, generally not a major public health concern, actually continues to spread among rodent populations today, and it even occasionally makes its way into a human host.
• B. Modern archaeology, which seeks answers to humanity’s questions about its past, is significantly helped by new technologies.
• C. In the fight against obesity, countries around the world are imposing taxes on sodas and other sugary drinks in an effort to curb unhealthy habits.
• D. Because the assassination of President John F. Kennedy continues to haunt and fascinate Americans, new movies, books, and television series about it are released every year.

Correct answer: A

Rationale: A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses that are joined by coordinating conjunctions such as 'and,' 'but,' or 'or.' In choice A, the sentence contains two independent clauses separated by the coordinating conjunction 'and': 'Plague, generally not a major public health concern, actually continues to spread among rodent populations today' and 'it even occasionally makes its way into a human host.' Choice B is a complex sentence as it contains a dependent clause 'which seeks answers to humanity’s questions about its past' and an independent clause 'is significantly helped by new technologies.' Choice C is a simple sentence with one independent clause: 'In the fight against obesity, countries around the world are imposing taxes on sodas and other sugary drinks in an effort to curb unhealthy habits.' Choice D is a complex sentence with a dependent clause 'Because the assassination of President John F. Kennedy continues to haunt and fascinate Americans' and an independent clause 'new movies, books, and television series about it are released every year.'

4. Here's what I'd like you to bring tomorrow: two dozen cupcakes, a carton of milk, and party napkins. Which of the following punctuation marks best completes the sentence above?

• A. ;
• B. .
• C. :
• D. ,

Correct answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is a colon (C). In this sentence, the colon is used to introduce a list of items that the speaker wants you to bring. The colon is the most suitable punctuation mark in this context. Choice A (;) is incorrect because a semicolon is used to connect independent clauses or items in a list when those items contain commas. Choice B (.) is incorrect because a period ends a sentence and does not fit here as the sentence continues. Choice D (,) is incorrect because a comma is used to separate items in a list, but the sentence needs a punctuation mark that introduces the list.

5. What verb tense is used in the underlined words in the following sentence? 'The doctor prescribed medicine after my son had been sick for four days.'

• A. Past perfect
• B. Present perfect
• C. Past progressive
• D. Present progressive

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is 'A: Past perfect.' In the sentence, 'had been sick' is in the past perfect tense. The past perfect tense is formed with 'had' + the past participle of the main verb. In this sentence, it indicates an action that was completed before another past action. Choices B, C, and D are incorrect because the sentence does not contain the present perfect, past progressive, or present progressive tenses as indicated by the underlined words. The present perfect tense would require 'has' or 'have' + past participle, the past progressive would involve 'was' or 'were' + present participle, and the present progressive would include 'am', 'is', or 'are' + present participle, none of which are present in the sentence.

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