Nursing Elites

1. 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.

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 is an example of a correctly punctuated sentence?

• A. Beatrice is very intelligent; however, she just does not apply herself well enough in her classes to make good grades.
• B. Beatrice is very intelligent: she just does not apply herself well enough in her classes to make good grades.
• C. Beatrice is very intelligent; she just does not apply herself well enough in her classes to make good grades.
• D. Beatrice is very intelligent; she just does not apply herself well enough in her classes to make good grades.

Correct answer: D

Rationale: Option D is the correct answer as it uses a semicolon to correctly separate two independent clauses. In this sentence, 'Beatrice is very intelligent' and 'she just does not apply herself well enough in her classes to make good grades' are two independent clauses that are related but can stand alone as separate sentences. The semicolon is the appropriate punctuation mark to link these two closely related ideas. Choices A, B, and C are incorrect because they either use a comma splice (A), a colon (B), or lack appropriate punctuation (C) to separate the independent clauses.

4. Which sentence correctly uses the colon?

• A. She had one wish: to visit Paris.
• B. She had: one wish to visit Paris.
• C. She had one: wish to visit Paris.
• D. She had one wish: visit Paris.

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: "She had one wish: to visit Paris." A colon is used after a complete sentence to introduce a list, quotation, or explanation. In choice A, the colon is appropriately used after the complete sentence 'She had one wish' to introduce the explanation 'to visit Paris.' Choices B, C, and D incorrectly place the colon in positions that do not follow a complete sentence or do not properly introduce an explanation, making them grammatically incorrect.

5. Which sentence uses the pronoun 'they' correctly?

• A. They is going to the park later today.
• B. Sarah and John said they would come to the party.
• C. The teacher said they needs to finish the report.
• D. They enjoys reading books in their free time.

Correct answer: B

Rationale: A. "They" should be used with "are," not "is." B. Correct use of "they" for multiple people (Sarah and John). C. "They" should not be paired with "needs." D. "They" should be used with "enjoy," not "enjoys."

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