Nursing Elites

1. Which of the following sentences has correct subject-verb agreement?

• A. The crowd standing outside the club is getting restless.
• B. Most of the cookies we left out on the counter were eaten by the dog.
• C. The upholstered couch and rocking chair we bought together look great in the living room.
• D. Ricotta cheese and pesto taste great on pizza.

Correct answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is C: 'The upholstered couch and rocking chair we bought together look great in the living room.' This sentence has correct subject-verb agreement with a compound subject. 'The crowd standing outside the club are getting restless' (Choice A) has incorrect agreement as 'crowd' is singular and should be paired with 'is'. 'Most of the cookies we left out on the counter was eaten by the dog' (Choice B) has incorrect agreement as 'cookies' is plural and should be paired with 'were'. 'Ricotta cheese and pesto tastes great on pizza' (Choice D) has incorrect agreement as 'cheese' and 'pesto' form a compound subject that is plural and should be paired with 'taste'.

2. The professor explained the concept clearly. What is the past participle of the verb 'explain'?

• A. explains
• B. explaining
• C. explained
• D. explanation

Correct answer: C

Rationale: The past participle of a verb is used to form various tenses and passive voice constructions. In this case, 'explained' is the correct past participle form of the verb 'explain'. The sentence structure indicates a completed action in the past, which aligns with the use of the past participle. Choice A, 'explains,' is the present tense form of the verb, not the past participle. Choice B, 'explaining,' is the present participle form of the verb, not the past participle. Choice D, 'explanation,' is a noun derived from the verb 'explain,' not the past participle form of the verb itself.

3. 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.'

4. What verb tense is used in the underlined words in the following sentence? 'The doctor prescribed medicine after my son had been sick for four days.'

• A. Past perfect
• B. Present perfect
• C. Past progressive
• D. Present progressive

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is 'A: Past perfect.' In the sentence, 'had been sick' is in the past perfect tense. The past perfect tense is formed with 'had' + the past participle of the main verb. In this sentence, it indicates an action that was completed before another past action. Choices B, C, and D are incorrect because the sentence does not contain the present perfect, past progressive, or present progressive tenses as indicated by the underlined words. The present perfect tense would require 'has' or 'have' + past participle, the past progressive would involve 'was' or 'were' + present participle, and the present progressive would include 'am', 'is', or 'are' + present participle, none of which are present in the sentence.

5. I know you'll be busy on your trip, but will you send me a postcard from Germany?

• A. Period
• B. Colon
• C. Question mark
• D. Exclamation mark

Correct answer: C

Rationale: The sentence is a direct question as the speaker is asking if the person will send a postcard from Germany. Therefore, the correct punctuation mark to use at the end of a question is a question mark. An exclamation mark (Choice D) is used to convey strong emotion or surprise, which is not the case here. A period (Choice A) is used for declarative statements. A colon (Choice B) is used to introduce a list or explanation, which is not needed in this context.

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