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Review Tests
So, you’ve gone through one of the chapters, and now you want a real challenge. We’ve included review tests for some of the tougher grammar units in the program:
006Perplexing Pronouns
006Vexing Verbs
006Ambiguous Agreements
006Mangled Modifiers
006Problem Prepositions
006Confused Connections
These tests can help you determine whether the lessons you’ve learned are really sticking. (See the Introduction for advice on when exactly you should take the tests.) Each review test is followed immediately by an answer key that gives the answers and brief explanations. Good luck!

Chapter 1: Perplexing Pronouns Test

Please circle the correct choice.
1. The bank teller declared that the man at the head of the line and (I, me) would have to leave if we didn’t stop singing.
2. I was seated directly between Frank and (she, her) at dinner when they were throwing rolls at each other.
3. We saw Zelda and (he, him) sneaking into the health food store for a quick tofu fix.
4. We thought that (them, their) sneaking around was pointless since everyone knew about their tofu habit.
5. We realized Zelda and (he, him) had no idea they were being watched.
6. Ivan will hire a decorator (who, whom) will promise to refrain from using mauve.
7. Ivan will hire a decorator (who, whom) he can trust with his pit bull, Killer.
8. Ivan will hire (whoever, whomever) gives him the best estimate, but only if Killer approves.
9. Umberto, (who, whom) we’d thought was still in Tibet, appeared yesterday on our doorstep.
10. The car (that, which) you just passed says “Police” on it.
11. Shelley’s car, (that, which) is a peculiar eggplant color, cost enough to finance the national debt.
12. Stefano will be working closely with my colleagues and (I, me, myself) to create our new line of designer tweezers.
13. It was (she, her) (who, whom) you saw last night carousing in the moonlight with Dexter and (I, me).
14. May we ask Mildred and (you, yourself) to mind the baby while we’re out?
15. Though the baby usually adores (whoever, whomever) she sees, she screamed at our last sitter, (who, whom) we think played the tuba all night.
16. The wig (that, which) we found in the car is much longer and curlier than the wig (that, which) Miriam lost last week.
17. We were petrified by (him, his) sledding so close to the edge of the cliff.
18. The astronomer (who, whom) discovered the comet will name it after either her husband or (whoever, whomever) was bringing her coffee that night.

Answer Key for Chapter 1 Test

1. I. Subject of “would have to leave.”
2. her. Object of the preposition “between.”
3. him. Object of the verb “saw.”
4. their. We didn’t think that they were pointless in general, just that the sneaking around was pointless. Thus “sneaking around” is the subject of “was,” and “their” modifies “sneaking.”
5. he. Subject of “had no idea.”
6. who. Subject of “will promise”; if we were using a personal pronoun, we’d say “he will promise.”
7. whom. Object of “trust”: “Ivan can trust him.”
8. whoever. Subject of “gives.” The entire second clause, “whoever gives him the best estimate” is the object of “hire”; within that clause, “whoever” is the subject of gives: “he gives Ivan the best estimate.”
9. who. Subject of “was”: “We’d thought he was still in Tibet.”
10. that. Restrictive clause providing information essential to understanding which car; referring to a thing.
11. which. Nonrestrictive clause referring to a thing (“car”).
12. me. Object of the preposition “with.”
13. she (subjective after “to be ”), whom (object of the verb “saw”: “you saw her carousing”); me (object of the preposition “with”).
14. you. Subject of the infinitive “to mind.”
15. whomever (object of the verb “sees”: “she sees them”); who (subject of the verb “played”: we think she played the tuba).
16. that, that. Both restrictive clauses referring to a thing (wig).
17. his. We were petrified not by him in general, but by the action of sledding close to the edge of a cliff. “Sledding” is thus the object of “by,” and “his” modifies sledding.
18. who (subject of the verb “discovered”: “she discovered the comet”), whoever (subject of the verb “was”; the entire last clause, “either her husband or whoever was bringing her coffee” is the object of the preposition “after,” but within that clause, “whoever” is the subject of “was ”: “he. was bringing her coffee”).

Chapter 2: Vexing Verbs Test

Please circle the correct choice.
1. After Patrick had (drank, drunk) the third milk shake, he (lay, laid) on the couch for an hour without speaking.
2. Heidi had just (dived, dove) off the side of the pool when she remembered it had been drained for cleaning.
3. Tom absently (set, sat) the TV remote on the couch, forgot about it, and then (set, sat) on it five minutes later.
4. What Jody hadn’t (did, done) was to (be sure and, be sure to) lock the gate before the wolves (sprang, sprung) through it.
5. Jean-Paul has cleverly concealed his crime by (lying, laying) a mat over that unfortunate stain on the floor.
6. Jasmine had been studying till her head (swam, swum) and her ears (rang, rung).
7. The enraged mob had already (hang, hung, hanged) Dangerous Dave, but we found his henchmen (lying, laying) in their cells.
8. Jane wished she (was, were) wearing a less extraordinary hat.
9. Elizabeth had never (drived, drove, driven) so fast before, and she liked it so much that she (sang, sung) at the top of her lungs.
10. If Mary (was, were) here yesterday, she won’t be coming in today.
11. Kitty’s eyes (swam, swum) with tears as she (lay, laid) down the romance novel.
12. Lydia demanded that George (eat, eats) more quickly so they could wash up in time for her favorite show.
13. That banana peel has (laid, lain) on the floor for hours, but no one’s slipped on it yet.
14. Jim (hang, hung, hanged) his hat on door, (sat, set) down his boots, and (drank, drunk) a tall, cool root beer float.
15. If I (was, were) safe at home right now, I wouldn’t be having half as much fun.
16. We’ve (swam, swum) so much today that I’m surprised we haven’t turned into fish.
17. I suggest that he (lie, lies, lay, lays) his clothes out neatly before packing for the trip.

Answer Key for Chapter 2 Test

1. drunk (past perfect of “drink”), lay (past of “lie”).
2. dived. Past of “dive.”
3. set (past of “set”), sat (past of “sit”).
4. done (past perfect of “did”), be sure to (infinitive with “be sure”), sprang (past of spring).
5. laying. Present participle of “lay.”
6. swam (past of “swim”), rang (past of “ring”).
7. hanged (past perfect of “hang,” special form for executions), lying (present participle of “lie”).
8. were. Subjunctive; wish.
9. driven (past perfect of “drive”), sang (past of “sing”).
10. was. Indicative; the speaker is not describing a condition contrary to fact (which would require the subjunctive “were”) but is explaining what effect will follow from something has already happened.
11. swam (past of “swim”), laid (past of “lay”).
12. eat. Subjunctive; demand.
13. lain. Present perfect of “lie.”
14. hung (past of “hang”), set (past of “set”), drank (past of “drink”).
15. were. Subjunctive; condition contrary to fact.
16. swum. Present perfect of “swim.”
17. lay. Subjunctive form of “lay” in a sentence offering a suggestion.

Chapter 3: Ambiguous Agreements Test

Please circle the correct choice.
1. Edmund and Daphne (has, have) never taken a vacation without their 10 children.
2. The chair with the scarlet cushions and the five spiral-shaped legs (is, are) a family heirloom.
3. Either that chair or the sofas that clash with it (has, have) got to go.
4. Either the carpenters or the plumber who brought his three assistants (has, have) turned the kitchen upside down.
5. Either Bob or the women in the green car (has, have) knocked over our mailbox this morning.
6. Either the fish or the chicken (was, were) bought fresh this morning, but neither of them (look, looks) very appetizing.
7. Neither your cousins nor Uncle George (has, have) come to the wedding, but all of them (has, have) sent the happy couple a toaster.
8. Each boy and girl in the class (has, have) been given a part in the play, although some of them (is, are) only playing trees and therefore (has, have) no lines.
9. Every rug in this house (needs, need) to be cleaned professionally.
10. Their rock-climbing expedition will be a short one, because all of them (has, have) forgotten to bring rope.
11. None of the pasta (is, are) ready to be served because everyone in the kitchen (keep, keeps) eating it.
12. Somebody left (their, his or her) lurid novel on this seat.
13. Each of the hotels (have, has) an excellent view of either the beach or the factory.
14. Hello, emergency? Someone who can capture hungry bears (need, needs) to come to 31 Maple Street right away.
15. Both the weight machine and the exercise bicycle (was, were) fine pieces of equipment, but I threw them out because neither of them (was, were) being used.
16. Everyone (knows, know) that neither Tom nor Heidi (has, have) the least idea what (they are, he or she is) doing.
17. Anyone who (volunteer, volunteers) to clean this room will get to keep anything (they, he or she) (find, finds).
18. All of the violinists (play, plays) with the orchestra for two hours and (practice, practices) on (their, his or her) own time.
19. Everyone who (bring, brings) (their, his or her) gun (have to, has to) check it at the door.

Answer Key for Chapter 3 Test

1. have. Compound subject with “and.”
2. is. The subject, “chair,” is singular; everything between “chair” and the verb modifies “chair” and thus can’t influence the verb. No matter how many cushions and legs the chair has, it’s still one chair: the chair is a family heirloom.
3. have. Either/or, closest subject (“sofas”) is plural; “that clash with it” modifies “sofa.”
4. has. Either/or, closest subject (“plumber”) is singular; “who brought his three assistants” modifies “plumber.”
5. have. Either/or, closest subject (“women”) is plural; “in the green car” modifies “women.”
6. was. (Either/or, closest subject [“chicken”] is singular); looks (“neither” is the singular subject).
7. has (neither/nor; closest subject [“Uncle George”] is singular) ; have (“all” takes a singular or plural verb depending on the meaning of the sentence; here we’re referring to a countable number of people, so the verb is plural).
8. has (“each” takes a singular verb), are, have (“some” takes a singular or plural verb depending on the meaning of the sentence, and here we’re referring to a countable number of boys and girls, so the verbs are plural).
9. needs. “Every” takes a singular verb.
10. have. “All” takes a singular or plural verb depending on the meaning of the sentence; here, we’re referring to a countable number of people, so the verb is plural.
11. is, keeps. “None” takes a singular or plural verb depending on the meaning of the sentence; here, we’re referring to the pasta as a whole, so the verb is singular. “Everyone is singular, so we use the singular verb “keeps”.
12. his or her. “Somebody” is singular, so other pronouns referring to it must be singular too. You can avoid “his or her” by rewriting: “Somebody left a lurid novel on this seat.”
13. has. “Each” takes a singular verb.
14. needs. “Someone” is the singular subject; “who can capture hungry bears” modifies “someone.”
15. were (compound subject with “and”), was (“neither” takes a singular verb).
16. knows (“everyone” takes a singular verb), has (“neither” takes a singular verb), he or she (because “neither” is singular, then pronouns referring back to it must be singular too; you may avoid “he or she” by rewriting: Everyone knows that Tom and Heidi haven’t the least idea what they’re doing.
17. volunteers (“anyone” takes a singular verb), he or she, finds (because“anyone” is singular, then pronouns and verbs referring back to it must be singular too; you may avoid “he or she” by rewriting: Volunteers to clean this room will get to keep everything they find.
18. play, practice (“all” takes a singular or plural verb depending on the sentence’s meaning; here, we’re talking about a quantifiable number of distinct violinists, so the verbs are plural), their (because “all” is plural in this case, pronouns referring back to it must be plural too).
19. brings, his or her, has to. “Everyone”is singular, so everything that follows must be singular too. To avoid “his or her,” you may rewrite: All bandits who bring their guns have to check them at the donor.

Chapter 4: Mangled Modifiers Test

Please circle the correct choice.
1. He felt so (bad, badly) after their fight that he did the dishes for a week, and he apologized so (good, well) that she considered forgiving him.
2. (Near, nearly) 20 clowns came out of that Volkswagen.
3. This is the (bigger, biggest) collection of Jesse James memorabilia in the whole world.
4. Which of the twins is (less, least) likely to be happy living above the garage?
5. Francesca is in the happy position of choosing (between, among) five different suitors; she’s decided to accept the one who is the (better, best) dancer.
6. If Francesca were choosing only (between, among) Dexter and Gordon, however, she’d pick the one with (more, the most) money.
7. The (fewer, less) happy Bob is, the more work he does.
8. We found (fewer, less) fish in the pond than we’d hoped, but the (number, amount) of old tires in the water was staggering.
9. The relationships (between, among) the three of us have a convoluted history going back for 20 years.
10. There is a direct relationship (between, among) how loudly you snore and how irritable I get.
11. Of all the children in the class, Hector is the (smartest, most smartest) but also the (less pleasant, least pleasant, least pleasantest).
12. Of all the vases in my apartment, the one shaped like a pig in a tuxedo is (unique, the most unique).
13. Those heavy-duty fish tongs are (the most perfect, the perfect) gift for Steve.
14. Pitching a perfect ball game is the (ultimate, penultimate) achievement for a baseball player.
15. I won’t let you leave elementary school to join the circus, and I refuse to discuss this subject any (further, farther).
16. (Hopefully, I hope that) Egore will never drop by unannounced again.
17. She’s (plenty, very) lucky to get so much good advice from her mother.
18. (Regretfully, I’m sorry that) we have no patent leather pumps in your size; we do, however, have a fine selection of work boots today.

Answer Key for Chapter 4 Test

1. bad, well.
2. Nearly.
3. biggest.
4. less.
5. among, best.
6. between, more.
7. less.
8. fewer, number.
9. among.
10. between.
11. smartest, least pleasant.
12. unique.
13. the perfect.
14. ultimate.
15. further. Conservative speakers prefer “further” for a quantity that can’t be measured.
16. I hope that. “Hopefully” is widely used, widely understood, and useful, but conservative speakers object to it.
17. very.
18. I’m sorry that. “Regretfully” is, like “hopefully,” widely used and useful; but very conservative speakers object to it.

Chapter 5: Problem Prepositions Test

Please circle the correct choice.
1. Horace (agrees to, agrees with) store the limburger in his refrigerator, but he doesn’t (agree to, agree with) your theory that limburger is best preserved unwrapped.
2. I strongly (differ with, differ from) Egbert on the question of how Martians (differ with, differ from) human beings.
3. I still don’t see how your new job is (different from, different than) the last one.
4. Our ongoing feud (centers on, centers around) his refusal to make more coffee when he’s drunk the last cup.
5. Reginald certainly hoped his new dungeon would be (dif ferent from, different than) the one where he’d languished for so long.
6. When I asked them where the nearest gas station (was, was at), they said I should have found one before entering Death Valley.
7. Get (off, off of) that stage this minute and go back to the office where you belong!
8. Have you been warned (as to, about) his tendency to do the cha-cha in his sleep?

Answer Key for Chapter 5 Test

1. agrees to, agree with.
2. differ with, differ from.
3. different from.
4. centers on.
5. different from.
6. was.
7. off.
8. about.

Chapter 6: Confused Connections Test

Please circle the correct choice or rewrite according to instructions.
Use “not only/but also” to link the following sentence:
1. I’m so delighted that I’ll praise you to the skies. I’ll bake you a cake. Use “on the one hand/on the other hand” to link sentences in questions 2, 3, and 4:
2. Irving has an amazing computer. He has no notion how it works.
3. Deborah’s feet are on the ground. Deborah’s head is in the clouds.
4. My stomach is growling. My heart is singing. My mind is wandering.
5. You can give me either a tie for my birthday (or, or maybe) a gold-plated yacht.
6. Neither the policeman, who had a slight limp, (or, nor) the startled onlookers could stop the thief who snatched Vivian’s ruby hat pin.
7. As exhausted (as, that) they were, they played Ping-Pong obsessively into the small hours of the night. Include “because” when rewriting the following sentence:
8. The reason you can’t see Alphonso is because he’s hiding from you behind the curtains.
Rewrite the sentences in 9 and 10, replacing “per” with a more precise connector:
9. Per this report card, you’re failing in spelling and arithmetic.
10. Per your inquiry, we have sought a reason for this regulation and found none.
11. I never want to see you again, (and, plus) I never even want to see your house again.
12. We wondered (as to whether, whether) we had ever laughed so hard at a budget meeting before.
Rewrite this sentence, replacing “in the event that” with a more precise connector:
13. In the event that the liquid in this test tube turns orange and starts to smoke, drop everything and run before it explodes.
Rewrite this sentence, replacing “owing to the fact that” with a more precise connector:
14. At the end of his act, Chip couldn’t pull a rabbit out of a hat owing to the fact that the rabbit had eaten the hat.
15. “Gapers’ delay” (is where, means that) there’s a traffic jam (due to the fact that, because) drivers slow down to gape at something off the road.

Answer Key for Chapter 6 Test

1. I’m so delighted that I will not only praise you to the skies, but also bake you a cake.
2. On the one hand, Irving has an amazing computer, but on the other hand, he has no notion how it works.
3. On the one hand, Deborah’s feet are on the ground, but on the other hand, her head is in the clouds.
4. On the one hand, my stomach is growling and my mind is wandering, but on the other hand, my heart is singing. Or: On the one hand, my heart is singing, but on the other hand, my stomach is growling and my mind is wandering. (Remember, you can’t have three hands!)
5. or.
6. nor.
7. as.
8. You can’t see Alphonso because he’s hiding from you behind the curtains.
9. According to this report card, you’re failing in spelling and arithmetic.
10. In response to your inquiry, we have sought a reason for this regulation and found none.
11. and.
12. whether.
13. If the liquid in this test tube turns orange and starts to smoke, drop everything and run before it explodes.
14. At the end of his act, Chip couldn’t pull a rabbit out of a hat because the rabbit had eaten the hat.
15. means that, because.
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