Nursing Elites

1. Which sentence uses parallel structure correctly?

• A. I enjoy reading, watching movies, and spending time with friends.
• B. Reading, watching movies, and spending time with friends are all activities I enjoy.
• C. I like to read, watch movies, and spend time with friends.
• D. Reading, movies, and friends are all things I enjoy.

Correct answer: B

Rationale: Parallel structure means using the same grammatical form for elements in a list. Option (B) uses parallel gerunds ('reading,' 'watching,' 'spending'), making it the correct choice. The other options have inconsistencies in the form of the listed activities, making them grammatically incorrect. Option (A) starts with 'I enjoy' but then switches to '-ing' verbs. Option (C) changes from 'like' to '-ing' verbs, breaking parallelism. Option (D) lists 'reading' correctly but then switches to singular nouns ('movies,' 'friends'), which is not parallel.

2. 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.

3. A teacher notices that, when students are talking to each other between classes, they are using their own unique vocabulary words and expressions to talk about their daily lives. When the teacher hears these non-standard words that are specific to one age or cultural group, what type of language is she listening to?

• A. Slang
• B. Jargon
• C. Dialect
• D. Vernacular

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is 'Slang.' Slang refers to informal words or phrases that are specific to a particular group of people, such as young people or a specific culture. In this scenario, the teacher is hearing non-standard words and expressions used by students, which aligns with the definition of slang. Jargon typically refers to specialized terminology used within a specific profession or group. Dialect refers to a particular form of a language that is specific to a region or social group. Vernacular refers to the everyday language spoken by people in a particular region or country.

4. Which of the following sentences is punctuated correctly?

• A. A carpenter must use certain tools - hammers, saws, chisels - to finish a job.
• B. A carpenter must use certain tools: hammers, saws, chisels to finish a job.
• C. A carpenter must use certain tools hammers, saws, chisels to finish a job.
• D. A carpenter must use certain tools; hammers, saws, chisels to finish a job.

Correct answer: A

Rationale: Choice A is the correct answer as the sentence is correctly punctuated using em dashes to set off the list. The em dashes help to clearly separate the list of tools from the rest of the sentence. In Choice B, a colon is used, which is incorrect as colons are typically used to introduce a list, not within the list itself. Choice C lacks any punctuation to separate the list, making it unclear and incorrect. Choice D uses semicolons, which are not appropriate for separating items in a list, making it incorrect as well.

5. Identify the type of error in the sentence, 'They went to the store, bought groceries, then went home.'

• A. Run-on sentence
• B. Comma splice
• C. Dangling modifier
• D. Subject-verb agreement

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The given sentence combines multiple independent clauses without appropriate punctuation or conjunctions, creating a run-on sentence. A run-on sentence occurs when two or more independent clauses are joined without the necessary punctuation or coordination. In this case, the sentence lacks the proper conjunction or punctuation between 'store' and 'bought,' resulting in a run-on sentence. Choice B, 'Comma splice,' is incorrect because a comma splice involves joining two independent clauses with just a comma, which is not the case in the given sentence. Choice C, 'Dangling modifier,' is incorrect as there are no misplaced modifiers in the sentence. Choice D, 'Subject-verb agreement,' is also incorrect as the error in the sentence does not involve subject-verb agreement but rather the incorrect combination of independent clauses.

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