after the policeman for several miles he finally caught up with the man who had stolen the purse

HESI A2

Vocabulary HESI A2 Practice Test

1. After the policeman _____ for several miles, he finally caught up with the man who had stolen the purse.

A. ran
B. had run
C. chased
D. drove

Correct answer: B

Rationale: In this sentence, the correct option is 'had run' as it is the past perfect tense, which is used to indicate an action completed before another past action. The sentence structure requires the past perfect form to show that the running occurred before catching up with the man. 'Ran' (choice A) is in simple past tense and does not convey the sequence of events correctly. 'Chased' (choice C) is the simple past tense of the verb 'chase' and does not align with the past perfect tense needed in the sentence. 'Drove' (choice D) is incorrect as it refers to using a vehicle to pursue someone, whereas the context of the sentence indicates running on foot.

2. What is the meaning of Contrite?

A. Guilty
B. Regretful
C. Shameful
D. Pleased

Correct answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B: 'Regretful.' Contrite means feeling regret or remorse. 'Guilty' (A) refers to being responsible for a wrongdoing, not necessarily feeling remorseful. 'Shameful' (C) means feeling ashamed, which is related but not the same as feeling regret. 'Pleased' (D) means feeling satisfied or happy, which is the opposite of contrite.

3. He tried to remember the names of all the people who were there that night.

A. that
B. who
C. which
D. whom

Correct answer: B

Rationale: In this context, 'who' is the correct relative pronoun to refer to people. 'That' is used for things, 'which' is used for animals or things, and 'whom' is an object pronoun, not needed in this sentence. Therefore, 'who' is the most appropriate choice.

4. If they _____ that the weather was going to be so bad, they wouldn't have gone to the beach.

A. knew
B. had known
C. knew
D. could have known

Correct answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is 'B: had known.' In this conditional sentence, the past perfect tense is required to indicate that knowing about the weather should have happened before going to the beach. 'Knew' (choice A and C) is in the simple past tense, which doesn't convey the sequence of events accurately. 'Could have known' (choice D) is incorrect as it implies a possibility of knowing in the past, but it doesn't fit the context of the sentence where the emphasis is on prior knowledge before going to the beach.

5. The man's heart attack scared him badly and he decided to have a regular check-up.

A. severely
B. badly
C. intensely
D. profoundly

Correct answer: B

Rationale: In this context, 'badly' is the appropriate adverb to describe the intensity of the fear caused by the heart attack. 'Severely' and 'intensely' do not convey the same meaning in this sentence. 'Profoundly' refers more to depth or seriousness of an emotion, which doesn't fit the context of fear caused by a heart attack.