1. Which of the following topics would lend itself only to a formal style of writing?
A. Folk Songs I Have Sung
B. Psychological Effects of Nuclear Weapons
C. Why Living in the Country Is Better Than Living in the City
D. How I Lost 10 Pounds

2. What is the complete predicate of the sentence below? Looking up from his computer monitor, Jason mopped his brow, exhaled sharply, and picked up his phone.
A. picked up the phone
B. Looking up from his computer monitor, —— mopped his brow, exhaled sharply, and picked up his phone.
C. mopped his brow, exhaled sharply, and picked up his phone.
D. mopped his brow

3. Which one of the following sentences contains two ideas joined by a connecting word?
A. Tina arrived at work earlier than usual.
B. Frank went fishing on Saturday he caught many fish.
C. Sally lives with her parents, although she could afford her own apartment.
D. Mike ran after the bus.

4. Which of these is a run-on sentence?
A. You and I and the whole team will go.
B. I thought about what he'd said soon I realized he was right.
C. Before lunch, I played volleyball; after lunch I did again.
D. I went home and ate and ate.

5. What is the name of the common error in the following sentence? Having risen because of the rains, the hikers were unable to cross the river.
A. Prepositional phrase
B. Run-on sentence
C. Infinitive phrase
D. Dangling modifier

6. Which of the following sentences has a dangling modifier?
A. On the way to the bank, the interest rates went down.
B. By the light of the moon, I tripped over a rock.
C. When the storm began to abate, we went home.
D. The dog that is man's best friend is cat's worst enemy.

7. Which of the following is a complex sentence?
A. As Jake was reading the letter from June yet again, the flight attendant coughed gently to get his attention.
B. I would like to visit the Kinshasa, but I understand the city is unsafe for foreigners.
C. I simply cannot make heads or tails of rap lyrics, but I suppose I'm just too old to understand them.
D. Check out the editorial page in today's paper and you'll notice the piece by Oscar Lewis.

8. Which one of the following sentences contains an unnecessary word?
A. Rich was angry, but he concealed his feelings.
B. She left early, though he told her not to.
C. Why don't you leave before the crowd arrives?
D. The snake raised up its head and struck.

9. Choose the connective that belongs in the blank in the following sentence. Everyone appeared to be having a good time. _______, my impressions may have been wrong.
A. Of course
B. Furthermore
C. In other words
D. In fact

10. Which sentence contains a prepositional phrase?
A. Running all the way, he got there early.
B. With the proper help, they'll complete the project early.
C. They sang it, and sang it again.
D. They tried, although they didn't expect to win.