which of the following uses commas in a series correctly

ATI TEAS 7

English and Language Usage TEAS

1. Which of the following uses commas in a series correctly?

A. Jericka went to the store for milk, bread, and eggs.
B. For breakfast, Jason wanted to make French toast, bacon, and eggs.
C. Aj had a lot to do the next day, including homework, hockey practice, and chores.
D. Paz's mom, dad, and sister would come to watch his game.

Correct answer: A

Rationale: Option A is the correct answer as it uses commas to separate items in a series ('milk, bread, and eggs'). In option B, the comma after 'bacon' is unnecessary. Option C correctly uses commas to separate the items in the series ('homework, hockey practice, and chores'). Option D incorrectly omits commas between 'mom' and 'dad,' and 'dad' and 'sister,' making it incorrect for a series of three or more items.

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

Correct answer: C

Rationale: The word 'shear' means to cut, while 'sheer' in this context means 'complete' or 'unqualified.' The correct spelling in the sentence should be 'sheer.' Choice A, 'peeked' is the correct past tense of 'peek,' meaning to glance quickly or briefly. Choice B, 'through' is the correct preposition to indicate moving in one side and out the other. Choice D, 'scene,' is the correct term for a part of a play or movie, not 'seen,' which is the past participle of 'see.'

3. 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.

4. Identify the subject in the following sentence: 'The red car parked in the driveway.'

A. driveway
B. red
C. car
D. the

Correct answer: C

Rationale: In the sentence 'The red car parked in the driveway,' the subject is 'car' because it is the noun that is performing the action of parking. The subject is typically the main noun that the rest of the sentence revolves around. 'Driveway' is part of the prepositional phrase 'in the driveway.' 'Red' is an adjective describing the car, and 'the' is an article providing information about the car but not the main noun carrying out the action.

5. Which of the following sentences uses correct punctuation?

A. Carole is not currently working; her focus is on her children at the moment.
B. Carole is not currently working, and her focus is on her children at the moment.
C. Carole is not currently working; her focus is on her children at the moment.
D. Carole is not currently working, her focus is on her children at the moment.

Correct answer: A

Rationale: Option A uses correct punctuation by correctly utilizing the semicolon to separate two closely related independent clauses. This punctuation choice effectively conveys the relationship between the two ideas presented in the sentence. Choice B is incorrect because it uses a comma without a coordinating conjunction to join two independent clauses. Choice C is incorrect as it lacks the coordinating conjunction 'and' after the comma to connect the two independent clauses. Choice D is incorrect because it lacks any punctuation or conjunction to properly separate the two independent clauses, leading to a run-on sentence.