which of the following nouns is written in the correct plural form

ATI TEAS 7

English TEAS Practice Test

1. Which of the following nouns is written in the correct plural form?

A. vertebrae
B. geese
C. octopuses
D. potatoes

Correct answer: D

Rationale: The correct plural form of 'potato' is 'potatoes.' In English, most plural nouns form by adding '-es' or simply '-s' to the singular form. Therefore, 'potatoes' is the correctly formed plural noun in this list. The other choices, 'vertebrae,' 'geese,' and 'octopuses,' are the correct plural forms of 'vertebra,' 'goose,' and 'octopus,' respectively. They demonstrate the common rule of adding '-es' or '-s' to form plural nouns.

2. Which of the following sentences correctly uses apostrophes?

A. Our home's roof needs repairing.
B. My grandparents' families are coming to town for the holidays.
C. There are many parks located across the country.
D. All of the women's things were lost at sea.

Correct answer: A

Rationale: Choice A, 'Our home's roof needs repairing,' is the correct answer as it correctly uses the apostrophe to indicate possession. In this sentence, the apostrophe is used to show that the roof belongs to the home. Choice B is incorrect because it should be 'My grandparents' families' to show that multiple families belong to the grandparents. Choice C is incorrect as the sentence should be 'There are many parks located across the country' without using an apostrophe. Choice D is incorrect because it should be 'All of the women's things' to indicate possession by the women.

3. Which of the following examples is a compound-complex sentence?

A. The puppy and his mother both had dark brown eyes and long, floppy ears.
B. The puppy and his mother looked exactly the same; both had shiny, dark brown eyes and long, floppy ears.
C. The puppy, who had dark brown, shiny eyes and long, floppy ears, looked just like his mother.
D. Even though the puppy was much smaller than his mother, his eyes were dark brown and shiny just like hers, and his ears were long and floppy, too.

Correct answer: D

Rationale: Sentence D is a compound-complex sentence because it contains two independent clauses ('Even though the puppy was much smaller than his mother' and 'his eyes were dark brown and shiny just like hers') and one dependent clause ('and his ears were long and floppy, too'). Choices A, B, and C do not meet the criteria for a compound-complex sentence as they lack a combination of independent and dependent clauses.

4. Which of the following sentences correctly uses a semicolon?

A. I have a big test tomorrow; I can't go out tonight.
B. I have a big test tomorrow; I can't go out tonight.
C. I have a big test tomorrow; and I can't go out tonight.
D. I have a big test tomorrow; but I can't go out tonight.

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The correct use of a semicolon is to join two closely related independent clauses. Choice A is the only option that correctly uses a semicolon to connect two independent clauses: 'I have a big test tomorrow' and 'I can't go out tonight.' Choice B incorrectly uses a comma instead of a semicolon. Choice C adds an unnecessary 'and' after the semicolon, which disrupts the correct punctuation usage. Choice D introduces a contradictory conjunction 'but' after the semicolon, which is not necessary for the given context. Therefore, the correct answer is A.

5. Which of the following examples is a simple sentence?

A. The man who wore a checked tie.
B. The man with the checked tie.
C. The man in the blue pin-striped suit and checked tie looked somewhat out of place at the party.
D. The man in the blue pin-striped suit looked out of place because of his checked tie.

Correct answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is sentence C because it is a simple sentence containing only one independent clause. It expresses a complete thought with a subject 'The man in the blue pin-striped suit and checked tie' and a predicate 'looked somewhat out of place at the party.' Choices A, B, and D are not simple sentences. Choice A is a dependent clause as it does not express a complete thought on its own. Choice B is a prepositional phrase and does not form a complete sentence. Choice D is a complex sentence with a dependent clause ('because of his checked tie') along with the independent clause.