U.S English Basic Skill Test

U.S English Basic Skill Test

:: Home > Upwork > English Language > U.S English Basic Skill Test

Choose the series of articles and conjunctions that best completes the following sentence _____________she was feeling ill, Teresa wanted to eat only ____________apple _____________some soup.

a. Yet, the, or

b. After, an, and

c. Because, an, or

d. If. a. and

Choose the series of prepositions that best completes the following sentence.

Charlotte knew _____________ the secret investigation _____________ her past, but she closed her eyes to it and pretended it wasn't happening.

a. of, about

b. on, of

c. about, to

d. of, After

Which of the following sentences illustrates proper sentence structure?

a. Everyone knows that a mango is much sweeter to an orange

b. I saw the girl with my own eyes who said she had been abducted by aliens

c. Either one of you should try and to fix their broken fence

d. The queen had hardly finished her speech when the people began to disperse

Choose the series of pronouns that best completes the following sentence _____________ is the name of the opera, and _____________ role did you say Maria would play?

a. This, which

b. Who, that

c. What, which

d. Which, what

Which of the following sentences illustrates correct usage of articles and conjunctions?

a. The cake that I ate was better that the one you had

b. An house is not the home, or so they saying goes

c. For my birthday, I would like a book, an hourglass, and the keys to a new boat

d. Has a package I've been waiting for been delivered yet, nor must I wait longer?

Complete the following sentence by choosing the phrase with the best word order from the options given.

Those who are not wise

a. do not need be necessarily stupid

b. need not necessarily be stupid

c. need not to be necessarily stupid

d. does not need to be necessarily stupid

Which of the following sentences illustrates proper sentence structure?

a. Unless the world controls its population, mankind will continue to face one problem after another

b. Unless the world doesn't control its population, mankind will continue to face one problem after another

c. Unless the world controls its population, until then mankind will continue to face one problem after another

d. Unless the world fails to control its population, mankind until then will continue to face one problem after another

Choose the series of verbs that best completes the following sentence

If Harry _____________ to the party too early, don't let him in, he _____________ outside like everyone else.

a. gets, will have to wait

b. got, waits

c. gets, is waiting

d. has gotten, must be waiting

Change the following sentence from a quotation to indirect speech.

"It may snow tomorrow," he said

a. He said it should snow tomorrow

b. He might say it will snow tomorrow

c. He says it may snow tomorrow

d. He said it might snow the next day

Choose the series of adjectives and adverbs that best completes the following sentence Knowing that February was the _____________ month of the year, Cheryl planned her vacation.

a. short, in accordance

b. shortest, accordingly

c. shorter, according

d. shortness, accordion

Which of the following sentences illustrates correct verb and verb tense usage?

a. Until the snow is melting, the tram is not able to move

b. Until the snow does not melt, the tram will not be able to move

c. Until the snow melts, the tram will not be able to move

d. Until the snow will melt, the tram will not be able to move

Choose the series of adjectives and adverbs that best completes the following sentence.

I think Pamela deserves to be punished for her _____________ stupid and _____________ behavior.

a. irresponsible, totally

b. totally, irresponsibility

c. totally, irresponsible

d. total, irresponsibly

Which of the following sentences is NOT punctuated correctly?

a. We expect only three things from our dog loyalty, affection, and tail wagging

b. I need you to pick up several boxes of paperclips, pens, and pencils, three pounds each of potatoes, carrots, and peas, and my dry cleaning

c. Marcy, my parrot, squawked for an hour, before finally calming down

d. All of the above are punctuated correctly.

Which of the following sentences illustrates correct verb and verb tense usage?

a. Did Annabel knowingly lie on the witness stand?

b. We think the judge will have noticed something strange in her behavior

c. The lawyers had decided to keep her testimony a secret.

d. Somehow, all of the newspapers gotten hold of the story

Read the original sentence below and then choose the rewritten sentence that illustrates proper sentence structure.

ORIGINAL SENTENCE

It is easy to carry solid objects, but the same cannot be said of liquids.

REWRITTEN SENTENCES

a. Unlike liquids, solid objects are easy to carry

b. Unlike liquids, we can easily carry solid objects

c. Unlike liquids, solid objects can easily be carried

d. Unlike liquids, solid objects easy to be carried

Which of the following sentences illustrates the proper use of parallel construction?

a. Terry hoped to find a new job that would let him earn extra cash in the summer and to work fewer hours

b. Although Tommy was failing his biology class at college, he was passing his chemistry class

c. Trina loved to sail, skate, swim, and surfing

d. Tatiana declared that the people in her office are smarter than the people who work in Tad's office

Choose the series of pronouns that best completes the following sentence

Don't _____________ think Larry should call _____________ wife if _____________ is going to be late for dinner'?

a. you, his, he

b. we, your, his

c. he, his, he

d. you, his, himself

Change the following sentence from a quotation to indirect speech Jerry said, "I saw my cousin at the fair"

a. Jerry had said he'd seen his cousin at the fair

b. Jerry said he had seen his cousin at the fair

c. Jerry said he'd saw his cousin at the fair

d. Jerry says he saw his cousin at the fair

Rearrange the following words to create the most logical and grammatically correct sentence.

Would I have it anything if had  I you known said would not bother.

a. Would I have not said anything if you had known it would bothers

b. I would not have said anything if I had known it would bother you

c. Had I known if it would bother you I would not have said anything

d. If I had known it would not bother you I would have said anything

Choose the verb that best completes the following sentence.

Do you know if Harlon _____________ Japanese before moving to Japan?

a. has studied

b. has been studying

c. will have been studying

d. will be studying

Which of the following sentences does NOT illustrate correct verb and verb tense usage?

a. These repetitive and misleading guidelines could easily be interpreted in several different ways

b. Clarabelle's mother absolutely hated nicknames and always calls her daughter by her full name

c. The Imagist movement in poetry is commonly regarded as having begun in the early twentieth century

d. We all danced across the lawn and lifted Zoe above our heads in triumph

Choose the phrase that best completes the sentence below without creating a run-on sentence.

Mr. Peach has sent his four children to Ivy League colleges _____________ he has sacrificed his health working day and night in that dusty factory.

a. however

b. however

c. however

d. however

Choose the series of prepositions that best completes the following passage

Although Marvin said he had hidden the keys _____________ the flower pot, we were unable to find them _____________ the dark In the end, we waited for him at the coffee shop _____________ the corner.

a. under, in, around

b. in, with, at

c. around, at, on

d. beside, from, around

Choose the series of prepositions that best completes the following sentence

Jeremy drove his motorcycle _____________ the bridge, _____________ the hill, and _____________ the diner before finally parking it _____________ two police cars.

a. beside, among, behind, near

b. beneath, over, under, on

c. across, down, past, between

d. under, around, through, into

Choose the series of adjectives and adverbs that best completes the following sentence

The helium-__________balloon rose _____________ into the air, the villagers knew then that their leader was off on another mission.

a. power, powerful, powered

b. powered, powered, powerful

c. powered, powerfully, powerful

d. powerful, powered, powerfully

Choose the series of adjectives and adverbs that best completes the following sentence.

We were surprised when the _____________ parade _____________ turned into _____________ party.

a. dull, suddenly, wild

b. duller, all of a sudden, wilder

c. dullest, suddenly, wildest

d. dull, sudden, wild

Rearrange the following words to create the most logical and grammatically correct sentence your company name? of What the is

a. What is the company of your name?

b. your company What is the name of?

c. What is the name of your company?

d. The name of your company What is?

Choose the series of pronouns that best completes the following sentence

That house used to be _____________, but _____________ have given it to_____________

a. my, I, her

b. mine, me, her

c. mine, I, her

d. myself, she, her

Choose the series of pronouns that best completes the following sentence.

That house used to be _____________, but _____________ have given it to _____________

a. my, I, her

b. mine, me, her

c. mine, I, her

d. myself, she, her

Rearrange the following words to create the most logical and grammatically correct sentence sleeping likes the midday Katie until on weekends

a. sleeping Katie likes until midday on the weekends

b. Katie likes sleeping until weekends on the midday

c. Katie likes on sleeping until the midday weekends

d. Katie likes sleeping on midday until the weekends

e. Katie likes sleeping until midday on the weekends

Which of the following sentences does NOT illustrate correct verb and verb tense usage?

a. Frank and Marjorie have opened a new chocolate shop on the corner

b. By the time I get there, all the best candy will have been eaten already

c. They was going to sell pastries as well, but then decided against it

d. Have you ever wondered how many jelly beans there are in the world?

Which of the following sentences illustrates the proper use of apostrophes?

a. Helga borrowed her friend's skates for the day, however, she failed to return them

b. Thousand's of bargains are available during the holiday season, but I cant find time to shop

c. The koala bear closed it's eyes and fell fast asleep

d. Although I like the Joneses, I'm angry at them for breaking all of Ralphs' tools

Read the following question and choose the response that uses the correct corresponding verb tense

Will you be going to the company picnic this year?

a. Yes, I will have always gone every year

b. No, unfortunately I didn't have time this year

c. Yes, and I plan on swimming, fishing, and eating all day

d. I might go if I had known about it sooner

Choose the series of articles and conjunctions that best completes the following sentence.

Julia, who is studying to be _____________ foreign correspondent, is currently doing _____________ internship in _____________ Middle East _____________ will return before the end of _____________ year

a. (no article required), an, the, but, the

b. the, a, the, however, a

c. a, an, (no article required), yet, a

d. a. an. the. but. The

Which of the following sentences is NOT punctuated correctly?

a. All of the apple's at the grocer's were rotten, so I bought oranges instead

b. "Seven canteens full of water should be enough for the hike," said Tabitha

c. Until the stove is fixed, there's no way I can bake a lemon meringue pie

d. The woman, whose name escapes me at the moment, disappeared into the limousine

Which of the following sentences illustrates correct verb and verb tense usage?

a. Let's wait until seven to leave, the traffic should be much lighter by then

b. My boss says I have to stay late tonight because I was sleeping during office hours

c. I would call them, but I think they have left for the day

d. Have you seen the cookies that were on my desk? They seem to have disappeared

Which of the following sentences illustrate(s) the proper use of commas?

a. Randy wanted to end the meeting, but Amy wanted to prolong it

b. After pouring herself a glass of water in silence, Nicky answered my question

c. The committee, which had failed to come to a consensus decided to meet again on Tuesday

d. Mr. Bridges is never home on the weekends, he always goes to his home in the country

e. a and b

f. All of the above

Choose the series of prepositions that best completes the following sentence

I placed my notes _____________ my desk and referred to them _____________ the meeting

a. at, among

b. beside, during

c. with, at

d. upon, around

Choose the series of prepositions that best completes the following sentence

Although the issue was very serious, the committee disposed _____________ it in a few minutes and moved _____________ to other business

a. onto, off

b. of, away

c. on, out

d. of. On

Choose the series of adjectives and adverbs that best completes the following sentence.

The _____________ odor was _____________ coming from the chemistry lab up the street.

a. pungent, nastily, clearness

b. pungently, nastily, clearly

c. pungently, nasty, clear

d. nasty, pungent, clearly