Nursing Elites

1. Which word best completes the sentence: 'The students _______ finished their exams.'

• A. has
• B. have
• C. is
• D. was

Correct answer: B

Rationale: In the sentence, 'The students' is referring to a plural subject. Since 'students' is plural, the correct verb should also be plural. 'Have' is the correct verb form for the plural subject 'students' in this sentence. Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because 'has' and 'is' are singular verbs, while 'was' is past tense and does not agree with the present tense of 'finished.' Therefore, the correct choice is B: 'have.'

2. Which of the following is an incomplete sentence?

• A. Watch out.
• B. In the rose garden out back.
• C. I guess that's true.
• D. It would take about three weeks.

Correct answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B: 'In the rose garden out back.' This is an incomplete sentence because it lacks a subject and a verb. A complete sentence requires both a subject (who or what the sentence is about) and a verb (action or state of being). Choices A, C, and D are complete sentences as they have the necessary components to form a grammatically correct sentence. 'Watch out' has an implied subject (you) and verb (watch), 'I guess that's true' has the subject 'I' and the verb 'guess', and 'It would take about three weeks' has the subject 'It' and the verb phrase 'would take.'

3. Which of the following compound sentences is punctuated correctly?

• A. The Forlows would be spending two weeks in Greece and Turkey.
• B. She was awake the minute the sun came up; although she had been up late the night before.
• C. Diana stepped out into the rain, but she had to turn immediately back inside for an umbrella.
• D. Aziz was astonished; he had never seen horses in the wild before.

Correct answer: D

Rationale: Choice D is the correct answer because it correctly punctuates the compound sentence with a semicolon separating the two independent clauses. The use of a semicolon is appropriate when two closely related independent clauses are joined without a coordinating conjunction. Choices A, B, and C have incorrect punctuation or conjunction usage. Choice A incorrectly uses a comma before 'and,' while Choice B uses 'though' which is not the best conjunction to join the two clauses. Choice C also lacks appropriate punctuation to separate the two independent clauses.

4. What is the function of a colon when used to introduce a list?

• A. A colon joins two related sentences.
• B. A colon sets off direct quotes longer than five words.
• C. A colon introduces a list or explanation after a complete sentence.
• D. A colon separates clauses in a compound sentence.

Correct answer: C

Rationale: When a colon is used to introduce a list, it is placed after a complete sentence and serves to signal that what follows will be a list or an explanation related to the preceding sentence. Choice A is incorrect because a colon doesn't join two related sentences; it introduces what follows after a complete sentence. Choice B is incorrect as a colon is not used to set off direct quotes longer than five words; quotation marks are used for that purpose. Choice D is incorrect because a colon does not separate clauses in a compound sentence; it is used to introduce a list or explanation after a complete sentence.

5. 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.

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