Punctuation and Capitalization Practice Questions

  1. What correction should be made to the sentence below?
Today’s choices for pets go beyond the question of whether to get a cat or a dog?
  1. Change the question mark to a period.
  2. Change Today’s to Todays.
  3. Change question to questions.
  4. Change whether to weather.
  5. No correction needed
Show Answer
The correct answer is A!

The sentence is declarative, rather than interrogative, despite the implied question that is asked. It therefore requires a period as the end mark.

Choice B is not correct; the apostrophe is necessary to indicate that it is possessive. Choice C, likewise, is incorrect; it does not solve the problem, and it creates a problem of agreement. Option D is not correct; it offers a false homonym choice, which is not the problem and only compounds the error. Choice E is incorrect as well; the sentence as written contains an error to be remedied.

 

  1. What correction should be made to the sentence below?
Margaret Chase Smith (who served in both houses of Congress) was the first woman nominated by a major party, the Republicans.
  1. Place commas before and after the parentheses.
  2. Do not capitalize Republicans.
  3. Change woman to women.
  4. Change nominated to nomminated.
  5. No correction needed
Show Answer
The correct answer is E!

The sentence is correct as written. Using commas with the parentheses would be redundant and incorrect, making choice A wrong. Answer B is also wrong; Republicans is the proper name of a particular political party and requires capitalization. Choice C is also incorrect; the sentence requires a singular noun to refer to Margaret Chase Smith. Answer D is wrong; the word is correctly spelled as it is written in the text.

 

  1. What correction should be made to the sentence below?
Many businesses in the United States regularly hire “temps”, or temporary workers.
  1. Remove the quotation marks from temps.
  2. Place the comma inside the quotation marks.
  3. Change temporary to temperary.
  4. Remove the comma after temps.
  5. No correction needed
Show Answer
The correct answer is B!

In American English, commas belong inside the quotation marks. Option A is incorrect; the word is being distinguished as a slang or insider term and thus requires quotation marks. Choice C is also wrong: the word temporary is correctly spelled as written. Option D is incorrect. The comma is required because it introduces an appositive phrase that defines the term before the comma. Choice E, likewise, is not correct.

 

  1. Identify the error in the sentence below.
Graduation from High School is considered by many a momentous occasion.
  1. Capitalization
  2. Punctuation
  3. Spelling
  4. Grammar
Show Answer
The correct answer is A!

The term high school is not a proper noun when used alone. So although the name of a specific school (e.g., Amory High School) would be capitalized, high school would not.

 

  1. Identify the error in the sentence below.
The patient’s mind was lucid during the evaluation?
  1. Capitalization
  2. Punctuation
  3. Spelling
  4. Grammar
Show Answer
The correct answer is B!

The sentence in this example is a declarative statement, not a question. Therefore, it is incorrect to end it with a question mark.

 

  1. Identify the error in the sentence below.
David was known for belching; and telling inappropriate jokes in public.
  1. Capitalization
  2. Punctuation
  3. Spelling
  4. Grammar
Show Answer
The correct answer is B!

Semicolons are most commonly used between two independent clauses or to separate items in a series that contain internal punctuation. In this instance, it is inappropriately used between an independent clause and a dependent clause joined by a conjunction.

 

  1. Which of the following sentences contains an error? (If no errors are found, select D.)
  1. Joni designed the grocery stores sign, but Evan painted it
  2. The “figure-ground phenomenon” is a term used to describe the way we perceive some objects to be in the foreground and others to be in the background.
  3. The Latin professor called his students “quidnuncs” when they asked too many questions about the course; the term is Latin for “what now?”
  4. There are no errors.
Show Answer
The correct answer is A!

Because the sign belongs to the grocery store, an apostrophe should be used to indicate possession. The sentence should read as follows:

Joni designed the grocery store’s sign, but Evan painted it.

 

  1. Which of the following sentences contains an error? (If no errors are found, select D.)
  1. The term algebra comes from the title of a book written in the 9th century that explains how to balance equations.
  2. Atomic clocks keep time by measuring the vibrations of Atoms and molecules.
  3. The chemical formula for the caffeine molecule contains calcium, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.
  4. There are no errors.
Show Answer
The correct answer is B!

The word atoms should not be capitalized because it is not a proper noun.

 

  1. Which of the following sentences contains an error? (If no errors are found, select D.)
  1. The narwhal is a member of the dolphin family, easily recognized by its long, spiraling tusk, it is often compared to the mythical unicorn.
  2. The ocean is saltier in regions where the temperature is higher due to a higher rate of evaporation.
  3. The garter snake is often called a gardener snake or a guarder snake because of the similar sounds of the words.
  4. There are no errors.
Show Answer
The correct answer is A!

There are two complete thoughts joined together with a comma. The second complete thought begins with the words “it is often…” To correct this sentence, replace the comma after tusk with a period or semicolon.

 
 
Questions 10-11 refer to the following passage.

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

The Supreme Court ruling of the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case said that segregating students by race was unconstitutional. In other words, it ruled that segregation was illegal. Chief justice Earl Warren10 “said that when black students are segregated, it causes harm.”11 He advocated a mixture of black and white students in schools around the country. Warren said that learning for both racial groups would improve when there were both black and white students in the same school.

  1. How should this portion of the text be written?
  1. Chief justice
  2. The chief justice
  3. The chief Justice
  4. Chief Justice
Show Answer
The correct answer is D!

Chief Justice refers to Earl Warren’s title and immediately precedes his name. Both parts of the title should be capitalized.

 

  1. How should this portion of the text be written?
  1. “said that when black students are segregated, it causes harm.”
  2. said that when black students are segregated, it causes harm.
  3. said “that when black students are segregated, it causes harm.”
  4. said that “when black students are segregated,” it causes harm.
Show Answer
The correct answer is B!

The words mentioned here are not presented as a quote, so quotation marks should not be used.