Dr. Norman Prinsky
English 1101 - Augusta State University
Quiz on Ch. 34 (Subject-Verb Agreement) and 36k-o (Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement) in NMHH
Ch. 34 (Subject-Verb Agreement)
1. As pointed out in Ch. 34, with regard to the issue of singular or plural, adding -s to present tense verbs, does, in comparison to adding -s to nouns: (a) the same thing (b) the opposite thing (c) both the same and the opposite thing (d) nothing at all
2. As pointed out in Ch. 34, important verbs that have irregular forms in both the present and past tense are all the following except which one: (a) be (b) do (c) have (d) learn
3. Number in English indicates: (a) singular (b) plural (c) either singular or plural (d) singular, plural, or extremely large numbers
4. Person in English indicates: (a) first (b) second (c) third (d) fourth (e) first, second, or third
5. Which is the correct choice for “The candidates position on foreign policy issues _____ some voters”: (a) trouble (b) troubles (c) either a or b
6. Which is the correct choice for “The chorus _____ singing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in Carnegie Hall”: (a) is (b) are (c) either a or b
7. Which is the correct choice for “Often in the wake of natural catastrophe _______ financial disasters”: (a) follow (b) follows (c) either a or b
8. Which is the correct choice for “The goal of the new law ____ improvements in air and water quality”: (a) is (b) are (c) either a or b
9. Which is the correct choice for “Anorexia nervosa is among the eating disorders that ________ teenagers”: (a) afflict (b) afflicts (c) either a or b
10. Which is the correct choice for “Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases ___ a goal of the Kyoto Treaty”: (a) is (b) are (c) either a or b
Exercise 34.1
11. 34.1 #1 (“Nowadays computers”): (a) gives (b) give
12. 34.1 #2 (“Before computers”): (a) was (b) were
13. 34.1 #3 (“Alternative designs”): (a) is (b) are
14. 34.1 #4 (“With Computers”): (a) is (b) are
15. 34.1 #5 (“Page layout”): (a) takes (b) take
16. 34.1 #6 (“Designers”): (a) has (b) have
17. 34.1 #7 (“They”): (a) doesn’t (b) don’t
18. 34.1 #8 (“Designs”): (a) is (b) are
19. 34.1 #9 (“Still”): (a) doesn’t (b) don’t
20. 34.1 #10 (“Nonetheless”): (a) needs (b) need
_________
21. Which is correct in “Hamlet and Claudius ______ down the Danish royal family”: (a) brings (b) bring
22. Which is correct in “The candidate’s position on foreign policy issues ________ some voters”: (a) trouble (b) troubles
23. Which is correct in “The leaders of the trade union _______ the new law”: (a) opposes (b) oppose
24. Which is correct in “My teacher, as well as other faculty members, _______ the new school policy”: (a) opposes (b) oppose
25. Which is correct in “The king and his advisers ____ shocked by this turn of events”: (a) was (b) were
26. Which is correct in “This poem’s first line and last word ____ a powerful effect on the reader”: (a) has (b) have
27. Which is correct in “My best girlfriend and most dependable adviser ___ my mother”: (a) is (b) are
28. Which is correct in “Each man, woman, and child ________ respect”: (a) deserve (b) deserves
29. Which is correct in “Either the children or their mother ___ to blame”: (a) is (b) are
30. Which is correct in “Neither the experimenter nor her subjects _____ aware of the takeover”: (a) was (b) were
31. Which is correct in “The audience _____ the theater”: (a) fill (b) fills
32. Which is correct in “The committee _____ on the budget tomorrow”: (a) vote (b) votes
33. Which is correct in “One hundred thirty feet ___ the maximum safe depth for recreational scuba diving”: (a) is (b) are
34. Which is correct in “Three hundred dollars ___ a high price to pay”: (a) is (b) are
35. Which is correct in “The number of casualties ____ underreported”: (a) was (b) were
36. Which is correct in “That news _____ me speechless”: (a) leaves (b) leave
37. Which is correct in “Advanced physics ________ years of study to master”: (a) requires (b) require
38. Which is correct in “The statistics ________ that smoking is dangerous”: (a) confirms (b) confirm
39. Which is correct in “Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls ___ arguably his darkest work”: (a) is (b) are
40. Which is correct in “The Misfits ________ Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable in their last film”: (a) features (b) feature
41. Which is correct in “The United States ____ a charter member of the United Nations”: (a) was (b) were
42. Which is correct in “Mice ___ an example of an irregular plural noun in English”: (a) is (b) are
43. Which is correct in “The committee ____ discussion the issue among themselves”: (a) was (b) were
44. Which is correct in “One-fourth of the students in the class ___ failing the course”: (a) is (b) are
45. Which is correct in “Seventy-five percent of the applications ___ unemployed”: (a) is (b) are
46. Which is correct in “A number of cases ____ not fit the predicted pattern”: (a) does (b) do
Exercise 34.2
47. 34.2#1 (“Designers”): (a) has (b) have
48. 34.2#2 (“A layout”): (a) shows (b) show
49. 34.2#3 (“Half of”): (a) contains (b) contain
50. 34.2#4 (“The size”): (a) is (b) are
51. 34.2#5 (“China and Japan”): (a) was (b) were
52. 34.2#6 (“Neither a”): (a) was (b) were
53. 34.2#7 (“A pioneering”): (a) was (b) were
54. 34.2#8 (“A number”): (a) shows (b) show
55. 34.2#9 (“A design”): (a) approves (b) approve
56. 34.2#10 (“Each letter”): (a) is (b) are
_________
57. Which is correct in “Everyone in my hiking club ___ an experienced climber”: (a) is (b) are
58. Which is correct in “In the movie, five men set out on an expedition, but none _______”: (a) returns (b) return
59. Which is correct in “Neither ____ a way out of this predicament”: (a) sees (b)
see
60. Which is correct in “Several of my friends ____ very happy about the outcome of the election”: (a) was (b) were
61. Indefinite pronouns that may be either plural or singular depending on the context of the sentence are all of the following except which one: (a) all (b) any (c) each (d) most (e) some
62. Which is correct in “In the courtyard stand a leafless tree and a rusted arbor”: (a) stands (b) stand
63. Which is correct in “One gift that gives her pleasure ___ books”: (a) is (b) are
64. Which is correct in “Measles is a childhood disease that ____ dangerous side effects”: (a) has (b) have
65. Which is correct in “Tuberculosis is one of the diseases that ____ long, tragic histories in many parts of the world”: (a) has (b) have
66. Which is correct in “Barbara is the only one of the managers who ____ a degree in physics”: (a) has (b) have
Exercise 34.3
67. 34.3#1a (“The Guerilla”): (a) is (b) are
68. 34.#1b (“The Guerilla”): (a) acts (b) act
69. 34.3#2 (“One of”): (a) is (b) are
70. 34.3#3a (“No one”): (a) knows (b) know
71. 34.3#3b (“No one”): (a) there is (b) there are
72. 34.3#3c (“No one”): (a) has (b) have
73. 34.3#4 (“The Guerilla”): (a) maintains (b) maintain
74. 34.3#5 (“Some people”): (a) is (b) are
75. 34.3#6 (“Their story”): (a) begins (b) begin
76. 34.3#7 (“Fewer than”): (a) was (b) were
77. 34.3#8 (“Not everyone”) (a) is (b) are
78. 34.3#9 (“They often”): (a) shows (b) show
79. 34.3#10 (“Several of”): (a) has (b) have
Ch. 36k-o (Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement; Start at the Heading on p. 649)
80. Which is correct in “Did either of the boys lose _____ bicycle”: (a) his (b) their
81. Which is correct in “Everybody took _____ turn”: (a) his or her (b) their (c) either a or b
82. Which is correct in “The responsible citizen decides _____ vote based on issues, not personality”: (a) his or her (b) their (c) either a or b
83. All of the following strategies except which one are good to avoid the pronoun-antecedent agreement problem: (a) pluralizing the antecedent (b) eliminating the pronoun (c) substituting “he or she” or “his or her” (d) substituting “he/she” or “his/her”
84. Which is correct in “All together, the crowd surged through the palace gates, trampling over everything in _____ path”: (a) its (b) their
85. Which is preferable, in avoiding the pronoun-antecedent problem: (a) “The committee left the conference room and returned to _____ offices” (b) “The committee member left the conference room and returned to ____ offices”
86. Which is correct in “To remove all traces of the crime, James put the book and the magnifying glass back in _____ place”: (a) its (b) their
87. Which is correct in “Neither the child nor the parents shared _____ food”: (a) his or her (b) their
88. Which is correct in “Every poem and letter by Keats has _____ own special power”: (a) its (b) their
Exercise 36.6 (best choice, not simply correct choice)
89. 36.6#1 (“Everybody”): (a) submit his medical records (b) submit medical records (c) submit their medical records
90. 36.6#2 (“Many”): (a) correct as is (b) because he or she (c)
91. 36.6#3 (“This was”): (a) correct as is (b) separated from his or her family (c) separated from family
92. 36.6#4 (“Some immigrants”): (a) correct as is (b) forging his or her (c) forging their
93. 36.6#5 (“After all”): (a) correct as is (b) her children (c) his or her children
94. 36.6#6a (“Immigrants had”): (a) their patients (b) his or her patients (c) patients
95. 36.6#6b (“Immigrants had”): (a) they had (b) he or she had
96. 36.6#7 (“Even so”): (a) its new surroundings (b) their new surroundings (c) his or her new surroundings
97. 36.6#8 (“Every difficulty”): (a) its own challenge (b) their own challenge