1. In the following sentence, what part of speech is the word Tearfully? Tearfully, I hung up the phone. A. Adjective C. Preposition B. Adverb D. Interjection 2. In the following sentence, how is the underlined phrase used? Both Joe and I wanted the last piece of pizza. A. Subject B. Verb C. Direct object D. Object of a preposition 3. Which one of the following statements correctly describes a topic sentence? A. It’s always the first sentence in a paragraph. B. It includes specific details about the subject. C. It expresses the main idea of a paragraph. D. It’s always the last sentence in a paragraph. 4. Coherence in a paragraph means that every sentence A. leads logically to the next sentence. B. supports the topic sentence. C. supports the main idea of the entire essay. D. follows in chronological order. 5. Which one of the following sentences represents an example of an effective definition? A. An animal is a living creature that is not human. B. An animal is different from a vegetable or mineral. C. All animals are the same in some ways, yet different in others. D. An animal is a living creature that moves and ingests food through a mouth. 6. Which one of the following sentences is an example of a declarative sentence? A. That’s the strangest thing I’ve ever seen! B. Who let the dogs out? C. All you need is love. D. Do as you are told. 7. Identify the adjective in the following sentence. John Keats’s “Ode on Melancholy” is a truly beautiful poem. A. Melancholy C. beautiful B. truly D. poem 8. In the following sentence, how is the underlined word used? Even though the darkening skies threatened rain, the band decided to play the concert. A. Subject C. Direct object B. Verb D. Object of a preposition Question 9 is based on the following paragraph. When I get up in the morning, the first thing I do is head straight for my coffeemaker. After one cup, I start feeling at least somewhat normal. (Don’t most people feel this way?) I won’t have my last cup until shortly before I go to bed. In between, I’ll litter my desktop with Styrofoam cups of instant coffee, I’ll enjoy a cup after each meal, and if I’m lucky, I’ll take a mid-afternoon break and enjoy a cup with my colleagues at the local café. I guess you could say I’m a caffeine addict. I really couldn’t get through the day without it. 9. What organization pattern characterizes this paragraph? A. Question-answer C. Chronological order B. Specific to general D. Problem-solution 10. Which one of the following examples is an illustration of a sentence fragment? A. The author of this book, William Gaddis. B. “I’m not sure,” she said; and I knew that she wanted to be sure more than she wanted anything in the world. C. It’s easy to grow a pumpkin. D. Jesus wept. 11. Identify the part of speech of the underlined word in the following sentence. I plan to start writing before seven o’clock each morning. A. Adjective C. Preposition B. Adverb D. Interjection 12. In the following sentence, how is the underlined word used? We both thought that this novel was one of the finest books we had ever read. A. Subject C. Direct object B. Verb D. Object of a preposition 13. Which one of the following examples is an illustration of a fused, or run-on, sentence? A. I didn’t know which way to turn; every road seemed long and hard. B. The raccoon in the garage was vicious you could see it in his eyes. C. You never know where you are going until you get there. D. Some dogs hate cats. Because they are born that way I guess. Question 14 is based on the following paragraph. I’ve always been a pretty good basketball player. When I played today, I scored 22 points and grabbed 4 rebounds—not bad for an old guy. In high school, I led the league in assists one year and made nearly every shot from the free-throw line. Of course, sometimes I have a bad day, but a bad day for me means shooting 60 percent or worse. I remember in college making a few shots that were game winners. I think it’s partly the love of the game that has made me a good ballplayer. I actually started playing when I was three years old, and I’d try really hard to throw the heavy ball toward the basket. To be able to keep up with the younger guys on the court, you have to stay in shape and practice regularly. 14. The major problem with this paragraph is that it lacks A. a topic sentence. C. definitions. B. unity. D. coherence. 15. Which of the following sentences defines a term by including an appositive? A. The word irascible means “marked by hot temper.” B. Proper nouns (like Philadelphia, James, and the Empire State Building) always begin with a capital letter. C. A stylus, a type of writing instrument, was originally used to write on clay or waxed tablets. D. In this paper, the modern era refers to anything that has occurred since 1990. 16. Which of the following is an example of a compound sentence? A. Because the weather was so nice, we decided to take the day off from work. B. There are five players on the court for each basketball team at any given time: two guards, two forwards, and a center. C. She bought me a guitar, so I decided to learn how to play it. D. Carl and Sara decided to go bowling and then out to dinner. 17. Identify the part of speech for the underlined word in the following sentence. What I loved most about her was her laugh. A. Noun C. Adjective B. Verb D. Adverb 18. How is the underlined word used in the following sentence? When it came to autumn, my thoughts often turned to the years I had spent quarterbacking my high school football team. A. Subject C. Direct object B. Verb D. Object of a preposition 19. Which one of the following examples illustrates a comma splice? A. Swimming is great exercise, but I prefer riding my bicycle. B. I saw fish, frogs, turtles, and tadpoles at the lake. C. Fishing for trout, and frying them on a campfire. D. Don’t go over before noon, I won’t be there. 20. Which one of the following sentences contains a double negative? A. She did not like skating so she would not go to the party. B. James couldn’t hardly stay awake after his surgery. C. No one could tell me that he wasn’t afraid. D. Sherrill wouldn’t tell me that I didn’t win the contest.