Nursing Elites

1. What is the function of an adjective in a sentence?

• A. To describe a verb
• B. To connect clauses
• C. To describe a noun
• D. To show action

Correct answer: C

Rationale: The function of an adjective in a sentence is to describe or modify a noun. Adjectives provide more information about the noun they modify, such as its size, color, shape, etc. For example, in the sentence 'The tall building,' 'tall' is an adjective describing the noun 'building.' Choices A, B, and D are incorrect. Adjectives do not describe verbs (adverbs do that), connect clauses (conjunctions do that), or show action (verbs do that).

2. Select the context clue from the following sentence that helps you define the word pungent: 'The pungent odor in the room made everyone’s eyes tear for a few minutes.'

• A. odor
• B. room
• C. made
• D. tear

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is 'A: odor.' In the sentence provided, 'odor' serves as the context clue that helps define 'pungent' as a strong smell. The word 'pungent' commonly refers to something having a sharply strong scent, and 'odor' directly relates to this meaning in the sentence. Choices 'B: room,' 'C: made,' and 'D: tear' do not provide contextual information about the meaning of 'pungent,' making them incorrect choices for defining the word in this context.

3. Which of the following is a simple sentence?

• A. Phillippa walked the dog, and Primula gave the dog a bath.
• B. Phillippa walked and bathed the dog, and Primula helped.
• C. Phillippa walked the dog, while Primula gave the dog a bath.
• D. Phillippa and Primula walked the dog and gave the dog a bath.

Correct answer: D

Rationale: A simple sentence contains only one independent clause. Choice D, 'Phillippa and Primula walked the dog and gave the dog a bath,' is a simple sentence as it consists of a single subject (Phillippa and Primula) and predicate (walked the dog and gave the dog a bath). Choices A, B, and C contain multiple clauses or conjunctions that create compound sentences, making them more complex and not fitting the criteria of a simple sentence.

4. Which sentence avoids a comma splice?

• A. The wind howled, the branches swayed, and rain lashed against the windows.
• B. He packed his bags, checked the weather forecast, and then hit the road.
• C. The movie was entertaining; it was also thought-provoking.
• D. Tired and hungry, she stopped for a quick bite at the cafe.

Correct answer: C

Rationale: Option C uses a semicolon to correctly separate the two independent clauses 'The movie was entertaining' and 'it was also thought-provoking.' This usage of a semicolon avoids a comma splice, which occurs when two independent clauses are incorrectly joined by a comma without a coordinating conjunction or appropriate punctuation. Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because they all contain comma splices. In choice A, the comma splice is present between 'The wind howled' and 'the branches swayed.' In choice B, the comma splice occurs between 'He packed his bags' and 'checked the weather forecast.' Choice D has a comma splice between 'Tired and hungry' and 'she stopped for a quick bite at the cafe.'

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

Correct answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B. In this context, 'peaked' should be 'peeked,' meaning to take a quick look. The other choices are incorrect: A is wrong because 'sheer' is the correct term referring to the absolute or complete number of people; C is incorrect as 'through' is the right term indicating looking by going across something; D is inaccurate as 'scene' is the correct term for a part of a play or film.

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