Nursing Elites

1. Which of the following demonstrates correct punctuation?

• A. Graham still needs the following items for his class: a sable brush, soft pastels, a sketchbook, and an easel.
• B. Graham still needs the following items for his class, a sable brush, soft pastels, a sketchbook, and an easel.
• C. Graham still needs the following items for his class: a sable brush; soft pastels; a sketchbook; and an easel.
• D. Graham still needs the following items for his class – a sable brush; soft pastels; a sketchbook; and an easel.

Correct answer: A

Rationale: Choice A demonstrates correct punctuation. The sentence uses a colon to introduce a list, which is the most appropriate punctuation in this context. A colon is typically used to signal that a list or explanation follows, making it the suitable choice here. Choices B, C, and D either use a comma, semi-colon, or dash incorrectly to introduce the list, deviating from the standard punctuation rule for listing items. Therefore, they are incorrect in the context of this sentence.

2. What kind of error is present in the following sentence? This summer, I'm planning to travel to Italy, take a Mediterranean cruise, go to Pompeii, and eat a lot of Italian food.

• A. Parallelism
• B. Sentence fragment
• C. Misplaced modifier
• D. Subject-verb agreement

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A, parallelism. The sentence contains a parallelism error because the verbs in the list are not in the same grammatical form. In a parallel structure, all items in a list should be formatted consistently. In this case, 'take a Mediterranean cruise' and 'going to Pompeii' are not parallel. 'Go to Pompeii' should be corrected to 'visit Pompeii' to maintain parallelism. Choices B, C, and D are incorrect because the sentence is a complete sentence, does not have any misplaced modifiers, and does not involve subject-verb agreement errors.

3. I know you'll be busy on your trip, but will you send me a postcard from Germany?

• A. Period
• B. Colon
• C. Question mark
• D. Exclamation mark

Correct answer: C

Rationale: The sentence is a direct question as the speaker is asking if the person will send a postcard from Germany. Therefore, the correct punctuation mark to use at the end of a question is a question mark. An exclamation mark (Choice D) is used to convey strong emotion or surprise, which is not the case here. A period (Choice A) is used for declarative statements. A colon (Choice B) is used to introduce a list or explanation, which is not needed in this context.

4. Which word best completes the sentence: 'The students _______ finished their exams.'

• A. has
• B. have
• C. is
• D. was

Correct answer: B

Rationale: In the sentence, 'The students' is referring to a plural subject. Since 'students' is plural, the correct verb should also be plural. 'Have' is the correct verb form for the plural subject 'students' in this sentence. Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because 'has' and 'is' are singular verbs, while 'was' is past tense and does not agree with the present tense of 'finished.' Therefore, the correct choice is B: 'have.'

5. She is a gifted pianist, although she's struggling with the piece for her upcoming concert.

• A. Inappropriate transition word choice
• B. Poor diction
• C. Tense disagreement
• D. Incomplete sentence

Correct answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is C because there is a tense disagreement in the sentence. The use of 'was' (past tense) and 'she's' (contraction of 'she is' present tense) creates an inconsistency in the verb tense. The sentence should maintain consistency either in past tense ('She was a gifted pianist, although she struggled with the piece for her upcoming concert') or present tense ('She is a gifted pianist, although she's struggling with the piece for her upcoming concert'). Choices A, B, and D are incorrect as the issue in the sentence is related to verb tense disagreement, not transition words, diction, or sentence completeness.

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