which of the following is a complex sentence

ATI TEAS 7

English TEAS Practice Test

1. Which of the following is a complex sentence?

A. When skywriting, a pilot flies a small aircraft in specific, particular formations, creating large letters visible from the ground.
B. The public defense attorney was able to maintain her optimism despite her dearth of courtroom wins, her lack of free time, and her growing list of clients.
C. Because the distance between stars in the galaxy is far greater than the distance between planets, interstellar travel is expected to be an even bigger challenge than interplanetary exploration.
D. Invented in France in the early nineteenth century, the stethoscope underwent a number of reiterations before the emergence of the modern form of the instrument in the 1850s.

Correct answer: C

Rationale: A complex sentence has one independent clause and at least one dependent clause connected by a subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun. In choice C, the sentence 'Because the distance between stars in the galaxy is far greater than the distance between planets' is a dependent clause introduced by the subordinating conjunction 'Because,' while the rest of the sentence 'interstellar travel is expected to be an even bigger challenge than interplanetary exploration' forms the independent clause. This combination of an independent clause and a dependent clause makes choice C a complex sentence. Choices A, B, and D do not contain both an independent and dependent clause connected in the way that choice C does, thus they do not qualify as complex sentences.

2. Which example uses quotations correctly?

A. "I'm not going to spoil my appetite," said Philip, as he pushed the plate of cookies away.
B. "I'm not going to spoil my appetite," said Philip, as he pushed the plate of cookies away.
C. "I'm not going to spoil my appetite," said Philip, "as he pushed the plate of cookies away."
D. "I'm not going to spoil my appetite," said Philip, as he pushed the plate of cookies away.

Correct answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the correct answer as it uses quotation marks to properly set off the spoken words. In this sentence, the spoken words by Philip are enclosed within double quotation marks and correctly punctuated with a comma before the attribution 'said Philip.' Choices A, B, and C contain errors such as missing commas, incorrect placement of quotation marks, or incorrect punctuation within the quoted speech. For example, in Choice A, there should be a comma after 'appetite' within the quotation. In Choice B, the comma should be placed inside the quotation marks. Choice C incorrectly places the attribution 'said Philip' within the quotation of spoken words, which is not the standard practice.

3. Which of the following structures is present in the sentence: “The tall man wearing a black raincoat, a yellow hat, and one red shoe entered the restaurant, walked to the back, and sat down alone at the smallest table farthest away from the staff and other patrons.”?

A. Simple
B. Complex
C. Compound
D. Compound-complex

Correct answer: B

Rationale: The sentence is considered a complex sentence because it consists of an independent clause ('The tall man entered the restaurant, walked to the back, and sat down alone at the smallest table farthest away from the staff and other patrons') and a dependent clause beginning with 'wearing a black raincoat, a yellow hat, and one red shoe.' The dependent clause cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. Choice A is incorrect because a simple sentence contains only one independent clause. Choice C is incorrect as a compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses. Choice D is incorrect as a compound-complex sentence contains two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.

4. What is the best way to punctuate the dialogue, 'Are you coming?' she asked. 'Maybe,' I replied.

A. 'Are you coming?' she asked? 'Maybe,' I replied.
B. 'Are you coming?' she asked. 'Maybe,' I replied.
C. 'Are you coming?' she asked, 'Maybe,' I replied.
D. 'Are you coming?' she asked, 'Maybe,' I replied.

Correct answer: B

Rationale: The correct way to punctuate dialogue is to enclose each speaker's words in quotation marks. Additionally, the question mark should be placed inside the closing quotation mark of the question. In this case, the correct answer is B as it adheres to the punctuation rules for dialogue. Each character's dialogue is correctly enclosed in quotation marks, and the question mark is appropriately positioned inside the closing quotation mark of the question. Choice A is incorrect as the question mark is placed outside the closing quotation mark of the question. Choice C is incorrect as it uses a comma instead of a period after 'she asked.' Choice D is incorrect as it uses a comma instead of a period after 'she asked' and incorrectly places the comma inside the closing quotation mark of the question.

5. The sheer number of people in the audience overwhelmed the actress as she peeked through the curtain before scene one. Which of the following correctly describes an error in the sentence above?

A. The homophone 'sheer' should be 'shear.'
B. The homophone 'peaked' should be 'peeked.'
C. The homophone 'through' should be 'threw.'
D. The homophone 'scene' should be 'seen.'

Correct answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B. In this context, 'peaked' should be 'peeked,' meaning to take a quick look. The other choices are incorrect: A is wrong because 'sheer' is the correct term referring to the absolute or complete number of people; C is incorrect as 'through' is the right term indicating looking by going across something; D is inaccurate as 'scene' is the correct term for a part of a play or film.