LESSON FOUR -- Principles of Word Usage, Punctuation, Capitalization and Spelling
Questions: 40
INSTRUCTIONS: The following items will test your grasp of the material in this lesson. There is only one correct answer for each item. When you complete the exercise, check your answers with the asnwer key that follows. If you answer any item incorrectly, study that part of the lesson again before continuing. Answer the following 40 multiple-choice questions. Choose the BEST answer for each question, and select the corresponding letter.
In a sentence nouns typically function as either the subject or object. Which one of the following choices do nouns complement as either the subject or object?
a. Pronouns.
b. Conjunctions.
c. Verbs and prepositions.
d. Adjectives and adverbs.
3.
What is the classification of the pronouns who, which, and what?
a. Reflexive.
b. Intensive.
c. Reciprocal.
d. Interrogative.
4.
What is the classification of the pronouns this, that, these, and those?
a. Relative.
b. Personal.
c. Indefinite.
d. Demonstrative.
5.
What is the classification of the pronouns myself, yourself, himself, etc.?
a. Relative.
b. Reflexive.
c. Personal.
d. Indefinite.
6.
Which of the following sentences incorrectly uses the relative pronoun who?
a. Sergeant Thomas is the man who, I think, can do the job.
b. You may tell anyone who asks you that I signed the paper.
c. Everyone who received an invitation to the party was there.
d. Our company clerk is a man in who you can put a great deal of trust.
7.
What does a transitive verb do?
a. Helps another verb.
b. Links to some word that names or describes it.
c. Expresses a transfer of action from subject to object.
d. Expresses no transfer of action from subject to object.
8.
Verb tense refers to the action or state of being of the verb. What are the six verb tenses?
a. Pluperfect, future perfect, past perfect, future, past, present.
b. Future perfect, past perfect, present perfect, aorist, past, present.
c. Future perfect, past perfect, present perfect, future, past, present.
d. Future perfect, past perfect, present pluperfect, future, past, present.
9.
Which of the following statements best describes the three moods (indicative, subjunctive, and imperative)?
a. Indicative expresses doubt, imperative a command, and subjunctive a wish.
b. Indicative asks a question, subjunctive a command, and imperative a request.
c. Indicative states a fact, subjunctive expresses a request, and imperative a wish.
d. Indicative states a fact, subjunctive expresses a wish, and imperative a command.
10.
What is the function of an adjective?
a. Describes a verb.
b. Modifies a noun or pronoun.
c. Modifies a verb or an adverb.
d. Names a person, place, or thing.
11.
In which of the following sentences is the relative pronoun whom used as the object of the verb?
a. For whom are you looking?
b. The club is looking for a man on whom it can depend.
c. He is one man whom the union bosses have not influenced.
d. As I didn't know whom the package was for, I would not accept it.
12.
Which of the following groups of pronouns could you substitute for the pronoun in the following sentence?
Tell the sergeant and him how the accident happened.
a. I, they, we.
b. Them, we, me.
c. Her, me, them.
d. Me, we, I, they.
13.
How is the noun commander used in the following sentence?
Captain Lowry is my commander.
a. As an appositive.
b. As an object of the verb.
c. As a subject of the verb.
d. As a predicate nominative.
14.
Which of the following sentences incorrectly uses the pronoun?
a. We want to finish our project today.
b. One of our personnel clerks is on leave.
c. Hitting wood shots is the best part of my game.
d. The cub scouts played his first game.
15.
Which one of the following sentences contains an error in pronoun-antecedent agreement?
a. Everybody was in his proper seat.
b. Everyone had taken off their heavy equipment.
c. The executive officer and all the company NCOs have completed their course.
d. Neither the first sergeant nor the company commander had confidence in himself.
16.
Which of the following sentences shows the incorrect use of punctuation in a series which contains commas?
a. His best friends were Tom Wouster, his fraternity brother; George Wouster, Tom's brother; and Al Rich, the president of the class.
b. Those who were awarded letters of commendation included Private Small, Oakland, California; Private Leedy, Shelbyville, Indiana; and Specialist Arlis, Topeka, Kansas.
c. The lake is useful as a source of energy, pouring its waters through the mighty turbines, as a reservoir, and as a place of recreation, providing boating, bathing, and fishing.
d. The following military personnel are members of the Detroit Chamber of commerce: General Black, post commander; General Smith, USAFAC Commander; and Colonel Jones, USAIPRM commander.
17.
Which one of the following sentences either uses quotation marks incorrectly or omits them?
a. Dr. Cummings delivered a lecture entitled "What Chance Has Youth Today?"
b. Lesson 9, which is the most interesting part of the book, is entitled "Mine Warfare."
c. Sergeant Kelly was reading "Lost in the Wilderness" in the current issue of Reader's Digest.
d. Private Holland said, "I liked the poem Invictus very much, but I do not know the name of the author."
18.
Which of the following sentences is punctuated incorrectly?
a. Is this the way to Chapel #1?
b. You have used too many but's in this sentence.
c. "It's time to go," said Specialist Cunningham. "Is everybody ready?"
d. The members present were: Specialist Helms, Specialist Smith, and Specialist DeVoe.
19.
Which one of the following sentences uses the apostrophe incorrectly to form the possessive?
a. It's going to be dark before corporal Hoover's platoon returns from the field.
b. Private Martinson denied he had placed the snake in Sergeant Smith's bunk.
c. Sergeant Wilsons' rifle is lying on his bunk, where he placed it this afternoon.
d. Parker's and Bailey's boots were so muddy that it took them nearly an hour to clean them.
20.
Which one of the following sentences correctly uses commas in a series?
a. It was a cold, raw, dark, November day.
b. The weatherman predicted rain, or sleet, or snow.
c. There were toys for the children, tools for Father, and books for Mother.
d. During the summer the workmen had installed, a new gymnasium floor, an improved heating system, and green blackboards, in the high school building.
21.
Which one of the following sentences uses the apostrophe correctly.
a. Yours' is the blue hat on top of the rack.
b. The band will do it's best for the ceremony.
c. Camp Perry was 2 days' march from where we were encamped.
d. Private Dunbar bought 5 dollar's worth of pencils so that he would not run out before the course was completed.
22.
Which of the following sentences incorrectly illustrates the use of there, their, or they're?
a. They're expecting us to show up for chow.
b. The commander said to be there by Friday.
c. Their is a slight difference in our interpretations.
d. There will be four field trips during the Career Officers Class.
23.
Which one of the following choices best describes why we use punctuation?
a. Prevent misreading.
b. Clarify the meaning of the text.
c. Take the place of pauses and emphasis in speaking.
d. All of the above.
24.
Which one of the following sentences is incorrectly punctuated?
a. Never say, "It can't be done!"
b. Did Major Stuckey really say, "I won't go"?
c. Sergeant Core cried, "there goes my parachute!"
d. "What was the last lesson we were to study"? asked Specialist Dean.
25.
Which one of the following sentences is incorrectly punctuated?
a. Take with you only indispensable things; leave behind all heavy and bulky items.
b. He receives $420 a month base pay; he receives $4.20 a day for separate rations.
c. Tension rose rapidly during yesterday's meeting, they consequently adjourned an hour early.
d. We started in plenty of time and lost no time along the way; everyone else arrived before we did.
26.
Which one of the following sentences contains an incorrectly punctuated compound possessive?
a. Specialist Rush has his mother-in-laws car.
b. The Commander-in-Chief's order was published today.
c. Dun & Bradstreet's publications are among the best trade publications available.
d. Colonel Nelson and Major Limb's sedan was sitting outside the office while they were in conference.
27.
Which one of the following sentences is incorrectly punctuated?
a. Jones said, "I am not going"; that was all I heard.
b. During his briefing, Specialist Collons said, "Bring everything we shall need."
c. Captain Page said, "The company will go on a 10-mile hike;" therefore, I forgot about the siesta I was planning.
d. The following pieces of equipment were listed as "lemons": the electric typewriter, the adding machine, and the addressograph.
The following questions contain sentences with a misspelled word. Identify the misspelled word in each sentence, and circle the letter of your choice.
28.
He is sincrly trying to achieve success in his procurement of personnel.
a. Sincrly.
b. Trying.
c. Achieve.
d. Procurement.
29.
These data show that we are truly susceptible to outside influences.
a. Data.
b. Truly.
c. Susceptible.
d. None.
30.
The lieutenants general attended the council meeting.
a. Council.
b. Attended.
c. Lieutenants general.
d. None.
31.
The facultys of the city high schools are invited to take one of two journeys to Europe this summer.
a. Facultys.
b. Europe.
c. Journeys.
d. None.
32.
The chaplain believes the churches will succede in reaching their goals.
a. Their.
b. Succede.
c. Believes.
d. Churches.
33.
That useful regulation was superceded by AR 600-3, which we received yesterday.
a. Useful.
b. Received.
c. Superceded.
d. None.
34.
The indexs to the memorandums were numbered incorrectly.
a. Indexs.
b. Incorrectly.
c. Memorandums.
d. None.
35.
The enemy's aparent intention was to deceive us.
a. Deceive.
b. Aparent.
c. Enemy's.
d. Intention.
The following questions contain errors in capitalization. Choose the word which is incorrectly capitalized, and circle the letter of your choice.
36.
The sergeant said, "After you cross the river, you will have to go 10 miles before you reach the Airport."
a. After.
b. River.
c. Airport.
d. Sergeant.
37.
The winter I was stationed in Germany, I wrote a letter to my Mother every week.
a. Winter.
b. I.
c. Germany.
d. Mother.
38.
Shortly after graduating from High School, Charles Brown visited the United Nations and the U.S. Senate.
a. U. S. Senate.
b. High School.
c. Charles Brown.
d. United Nations.
39.
The Judge advocate general of the Army is Major General Wilton B. Persons.
a. Army.
b. Judge advocate general.
c. Major General Wilton P. Persons.
d. None.
40.
He said, "Don't do it. If you do, you'll have to fill out a DA form 285."
