which of the following represents a correct plural form of the word syllabus

ATI TEAS 7

ATI TEAS English

1. Which of the following represents the correct plural form of the word 'syllabus'?

A. Syllabus
B. Syllaba
C. Syllabi
D. Syllabis

Correct answer: C

Rationale: The correct plural form of 'syllabus' is 'syllabi.' In English, when a word ends in -us, the plural form is often changed to -i. Therefore, 'Syllabi' is the correct plural form. Choice A, 'Syllabus,' is the singular form, not the plural. Choice B, 'Syllaba,' does not follow the standard pluralization rule for words ending in -us. Choice D, 'Syllabis,' is an incorrect plural form that does not follow the standard English pluralization rules.

2. Identify the independent clause in the following sentence: You need to call your mother as soon as you get home.

A. You need to call your mother.
B. As soon as you get home.
C. You get home.
D. You need to call.

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: "You need to call your mother." An independent clause is a sentence that can stand alone and express a complete thought. In this sentence, the clause "You need to call your mother" functions independently and makes complete sense by itself. Choice B, "As soon as you get home," is a dependent clause as it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. Choice C, "You get home," is also a dependent clause lacking a complete thought. Choice D, "You need to call," is not a complete sentence without specifying who needs to call.

3. Which of these examples is a compound sentence?

A. Alex and Shane spent the morning coloring and later took a walk down to the park.
B. After coloring all morning, Alex and Shane spent the afternoon at the park.
C. Alex and Shane spent the morning coloring, and then they took a walk down to the park.
D. After coloring all morning and spending part of the day at the park, Alex and Shane took a nap.

Correct answer: C

Rationale: Option C is a compound sentence because it consists of two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction ('and then'). The first independent clause is 'Alex and Shane spent the morning coloring,' and the second independent clause is 'they took a walk down to the park.' Choices A, B, and D are not compound sentences. In choice A, although there are two actions mentioned, they are not independent clauses; they are part of a single sentence. Choice B is a complex sentence with a dependent clause ('After coloring all morning') and an independent clause. Choice D is a complex sentence with a compound predicate ('After coloring all morning and spending part of the day at the park') followed by an independent clause.

4. Which of the following examples is a sentence fragment?

A. Believe me.
B. On the 5:30 train.
C. You probably know Sally.
D. That's right.

Correct answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B, 'On the 5:30 train.' This is a sentence fragment because it does not contain a subject and a verb. In this case, 'On the 5:30 train' is a prepositional phrase, not a complete sentence. Choices A, C, and D are complete sentences as they have both a subject and a verb, making them grammatically correct and not sentence fragments.

5. What is the most effective way to rewrite the following sentence: She is saying that some of the students are wearing to school is being distracting and inappropriate?

A. Some of the outfits students wear to school, she is saying, are distracting and not appropriate.
B. The outfits are distracting and inappropriate, she says, that students wear to school.
C. She says that some of the outfits that students wear to school are distracting and inappropriate.
D. She says that it is distracting and inappropriate that students wear outfits to school.

Correct answer: C

Rationale: The most effective way to rewrite the sentence is, 'She says that some of the outfits that students wear to school are distracting and inappropriate.' This choice corrects the sentence structure by placing the subject ('Some of the outfits') before the verb ('are'), making it clearer and more grammatically correct. Choice A is incorrect as it places the subject after the verb, which disrupts the sentence structure. Choice B is incorrect as it changes the meaning of the sentence by placing the verb before the subject. Choice D is incorrect as it creates a confusing sentence structure by using 'that' redundantly.