Nursing Elites

1. On Parents’ Day, a public holiday in the Democratic Republic of Congo, families celebrate parents’ both living and deceased. Which of the following punctuation marks is used incorrectly?

• A. the apostrophe in Parents’ Day
• B. the comma following Day
• C. the comma following Congo
• D. the apostrophe in parents’

Correct answer: B

Rationale: The comma following 'Day' is used incorrectly. Commas are typically not used after single-word identifiers like 'Day' in a sentence unless they are part of a list. In this case, the holiday is referred to as 'Parents’ Day,' where the apostrophe is used correctly to indicate possession. The comma following 'Day' is unnecessary and should be removed for proper punctuation. Choices A and D both use apostrophes correctly to indicate possession, so they are not incorrect. The comma following 'Congo' in choice C is necessary to set off the introductory phrase 'a public holiday in the Democratic Republic of Congo.' Therefore, the correct answer is B.

2. Which of the following is a run-on sentence?

• A. I went to the store, and I bought some milk.
• B. The cat slept on the mat; she purred softly.
• C. He studied hard, so he passed the exam.
• D. We can go to the park, or we can stay home.

Correct answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B: 'The cat slept on the mat; she purred softly.' This sentence is a run-on because it contains two independent clauses ('The cat slept on the mat' and 'she purred softly') without proper punctuation. Choice A is incorrect as it is a compound sentence with a coordinating conjunction 'and' joining two independent clauses. Choice C is also incorrect as it is a compound sentence connected by a coordinating conjunction 'so.' Choice D is not a run-on sentence; it is a compound sentence with a coordinating conjunction 'or' joining two independent clauses.

3. What is a recommended strategy during the drafting phase?

• A. List all ideas that come to mind without worrying about whether they are good or on-topic.
• B. Note where you got your information; save that step for the end.
• C. Avoid stopping frequently to look up grammar rules and words you don't know how to spell.
• D. Get the ideas down on paper, even if some sentences sound awkward or contain errors.

Correct answer: D

Rationale: The correct strategy during the drafting phase is to get the ideas down on paper, even if some sentences sound awkward or contain errors. It is essential to focus on capturing thoughts and concepts first, as editing and refining can be done in subsequent stages. Choice A is incorrect because it suggests listing all ideas without worrying about their quality or relevance, which may result in a disorganized draft. Choice B is incorrect as noting sources typically occurs during the research or referencing phase, not drafting. Choice C is incorrect because stopping frequently to look up grammar rules and spellings can disrupt the flow of ideas during drafting, which should prioritize content creation over minor details.

4. Which of the following sets of words correctly fill in the blanks in the sentence below: We cannot allow the budget cuts to _______ the plans to improve education; the futures of _______ children are at stake.

• A. effect; your
• B. affect; you're
• C. affect; your
• D. effect; you're

Correct answer: C

Rationale: In this sentence, 'affect' is the correct verb meaning 'to influence,' and 'your' is the correct possessive pronoun. Therefore, the sentence should read, 'We cannot allow the budget cuts to affect the plans to improve education; the futures of your children are at stake.' Choice A is incorrect because 'effect' is a noun, not a verb, and 'your' is the correct possessive pronoun. Choice B is incorrect because 'you're' is a contraction for 'you are,' which does not make sense in this context. Choice D is incorrect because 'effect' should be 'affect' as the verb is needed to show influence.

5. Which of the following sentences shows correct word usage?

• A. It's often been said that work is better than rest.
• B. Its often been said that work is better than rest.
• C. It’s often been said that work is better than rest.
• D. Its often been said that work is better than rest.

Correct answer: C

Rationale: In this sentence, 'It’s' is the contraction for 'it is,' and 'than' is used correctly for comparisons (e.g., better than). Therefore, sentence C is correct because it uses 'It’s' (it is) and 'than' (for comparison) properly. Choices A, B, and D are incorrect. Choice A lacks the necessary apostrophe in 'It's' (it is) and incorrectly uses 'then' instead of 'than.' Choice B incorrectly uses 'Its' (possessive form) instead of 'It’s.' Choice D lacks the necessary apostrophe in 'It's' (it is) and incorrectly uses 'then' instead of 'than.'

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