List of Questions & Answers Question 1. Which sentence is written correctly? a) The field name was "Employee". b) The field name was "Employee." c) Don't Know
Your Answer
Correct Answer
B
b
C
c
Commas and periods always go inside quotation marks.
2. Which sentence is written correctly? a) We will meet with all Associates and their Managers on Monday to discuss the Year-End Report and Company Budget. b) We will meet with all associates and their managers on Monday to discuss the Year-End Report and Company Budget. c) We will meet with all associates and their managers on Monday to discuss the year-end report and company budget. d) Don't Know
Do not capitalize the names of positions within the company unless they precede the person's name ("President Jacobs") or follow the name in the address or closing of a letter. Do not capitalize words that are not names of one specific thing, as in "Washington" or "2004 Berringer Year-End Report."
3. Which sentence is written correctly? a) Their software turned out to be the best; by far. b) Their software turned out to be the best; I recommend it. c) Both are correct. d) Don't Know
b
b
Use a semicolon only when there is a complete sentence before the semicolon and a complete sentence after it.
b
4. Which sentence is written correctly?
B
a) Give us the following data; employee addresses, employment history, and current salaries. b) Give us the following data: employee addresses, employment history, and current salaries. c) Give us the following data, employee addresses, employment history, and current salaries. d) Don't Know
Use colons when you have finished the sentence and are adding information after the colon that explains a word or idea in the sentence. Do not use a semicolon for a colon.
5. Which sentence is written correctly? a) Come to the meeting with your notes about the upcoming convention, the marketing plans for next year and the Tooldie journal ad. b) Come to the meeting with your notes about the upcoming convention, the marketing plans for next year, and the Tooldie journal ad. c) Come to the meeting with, your notes about the upcoming convention, the marketing plans for next year and the Tooldie journal ad. d) Don't Know
b
b
While the practice was to leave out the comma before "and" in a series, business writers now put it in because it makes the list clearer.
6. Which sentence(s) is/are correct? (Check more than one box if two or more are correct.) a) The company has four real issues that include: increasing market share, locating a source for more labor, decreasing operating expenses, and locating a suitable CEO. b) The company has four real issues that include increasing market share, locating a source for more labor, decreasing operating expenses, and locating a suitable CEO. c) The company has four real issues: increasing market share, locating a source for more labor, decreasing operating expenses, and locating a suitable CEO. d) The company has four real issues, increasing market share, locating a source for more labor, decreasing operating expenses, and locating a suitable CEO. e) Don't Know
none
c
Use a colon only when the sentence is complete and you are adding information. Don't use "include" because the reader wonders what you're not including and why.
7. Which of the following is correct? a) The jury is at odds over the verdict. b) The jury are at odds over the verdict. c) Don't Know
none
b
A collective noun is a single word that stands for a group of people, like "family," "committee," or "jury." Use the plural verb for a collective noun when the members act as individuals, as in "Our family live in different parts of the country." Use a singular verb when the group acts as a unit, as in "Our family is named 'Johnson.'"
8. Which sentence(s) is/are correct? Mark all that are correct. a) Every manager in a business today is held responsible for his or her employees' activities. b) Every manager in a business today is held responsible for their employees' activities. c) Every manager in a business today is held responsible for his employees' activities. d) Don't Know
none
a
Do not use plurals such as "they" and "their" to stand for one person. That is acceptable in spoken English, but not in written English. Do not use the masculine pronouns to stand for both males and females; it is sexist.
9. Mark the following sentence(s) that is/are correct. a) Layton Enterprises is able to provide complete tool services, and provides the services in a timely fashion. b) Layton Enterprises is able to provide complete tool services, and the company provides the services in a timely fashion. c) Layton Enterprises is able to provide complete tool services and provides the services in a timely fashion. d) Layton Enterprises is able to provide complete tool services and it provides the services in a timely fashion. e) Don't Know
c
bc
Put a comma before "and" when the "and" joins two complete sentences. Do not put a comma if the clause after the "and" has no subject.
10. Which of the following sentences is correct? a) He asked, "Where is the loading dock?" b) This product would sell better if it weren't named 'Flysoup.' c) Both are correct. d) Don't Know
none
a
Use single quotation marks only when you are quoting within a quotation. Otherwise, always use double quotation marks.
11. Which of the following sentence(s) is/are correct? a) I would like to see us increase production - without decreasing quality - until we match demand. b) I would like to see us increase production -- without decreasing quality -- until we match demand. c) I would like to see us increase production, without decreasing quality, until we match demand. d) I would like to see us increase production--without decreasing quality--until we match demand. e) Don't Know
d
cd
Do not use a hyphen (short line -) for a dash. The dash is a line about twice the length of a hyphen. In Word, if you type two hyphens in a row, the "autocorrect" function will change them to a dash. You may also insert a dash in Word by clicking on "Insert," "Symbol," and "Special Characters." If your word processor will not permit you to type the longer line, use two hyphens in a row to stand for a dash. Normally, avoid dashes because most business writers don't use them correctly. If you use a dash, do not put blank spaces before and after the dash.
12. Which sentence(s) is/are correct? a) Printing will have to move its label to the top of the box. b) Printing will have to move it's label to the top of the box. c) The softwares manuals weren't included with the product. d) Don't Know
a
a
Use apostrophes to show possession. However, do not use an apostrophe with possessive pronouns such as "its" and "his." "It's" is a contraction for "it is."
13. Check the sentence(s) that is/are correct. a) The shipment included 13 fewer cartons than we had ordered and was four days late. b) The shipment included 13 fewer cartons than we had ordered
none
ac
and was 4 days late. c) The shipment included thirteen fewer cartons than we had ordered and was four days late. d) Don't Know
Spell out numbers from one through nine unless they are used in calculations, graphs, or explanations containing other numbers that are not spelled out. You may spell out numbers from ten through ninety-nine or use numerals. Use numerals for numbers larger than ninety-nine. Do not start a sentence with a numeral.
14. Check the sentence(s) that is/are correct. a) After two months, we chose the shrink wrap method over using cardboard boxes. b) After two months, we chose the shrink-wrap method over using cardboard boxes. c) The problem was that the long, fat end of the attachment didn't match the short, narrow hole. d) The problem was that the long fat end of the attachment didn't match the short narrow hole. e) The problem was that the long-fat end of the attachment didn't match the short-narrow hole. f) Don't Know
d
bc
Put a hyphen between two words that combine to modify a third word, unless the first word ends in "ly." If the two words modify the third word, but don't work in combination, and could appear in any order, put a comma between the words, not a hyphen. For example, you could have either a "long, fat end" or a "fat, long end." However, you have to have "shrink-wrap method," not "wrap, shrink method."
15. Mark any of the following that is/are acceptable in business writing today. a) We try to keep the software with the boxes they came in. b) The trucker decided to cautiously move the boxes to the other side to redistribute the load. c) The text matched the document for which we were searching. d) Don't Know
b
abc
Business writers are now putting prepositions at the ends of sentences and splitting infinitives. However, many would still say that (a) and (b) are incorrect. To avoid a problem, you might simply change them to satisfy the critics, but you wouldn't be wrong if you wrote them as they are.
16. Mark the following sentence(s) that is/are correct. a) We can not allocate resources to this project and you can not require us to do so. b) We cannot allocate resources to this project and you cannot require us to do so. c) We cannot allocate resources to this project and you shouldn't ask us to do so. d) Don't Know
none
c
You must spell "cannot" without the space. Don't use "cannot" or "can" instead of "should." The person can ask you to allocate the resources, but shouldn't.
17. Mark the sentences that is/are correct. a) I feel badly about missing the meeting. b) You performed very good in the presentation. c) I did not do well on the examination because I was up all night studying for it. d) I also performed badly because I was drinking martinis while I was studying. e) Don't Know
b
cd
"Feel" is a linking verb. That means what follows it modifies the subject of the sentence, not the verb. An "ly" word that modifies is an adverb; it modifies the verb. As a result, if you write "I feel badly," the "badly" refers to the verb, "feel." It means your sense of touch is bad. You want to describe something about the subject, "I," so don't put the "ly" on "bad."
18. Mark the following sentence(s) that is/are correct. a) Freida located the data, however it was useless. b) We concluded, therefore, that we would have to start over. c) However, all wasn't lost because we did have the original records. d) All are correct. e) Don't Know
a
bc
You must not join two sentences with "however." Put a semicolon or period at the end of the first sentence and begin the next sentence with "however" and a comma. Make sure the two clauses are complete sentences, however.
19. Which of the following sentence(s) is/are correct? a) The company went public on January 6, 1999, and was out of business in July 1999. b) The company went public in January, 1999, and was out of business in July, 1999. c) The company went public on January 6, 1999 and was out of business in July, 1999. d) Don't Know
none
a
Do not put a comma between the month and year when just the two appear together. Put a comma before and after the year when you place the year with the month and continue the text after the year: "We hired her on January 10, 2002, and promoted her in August 2003."
20. Which of the following sentence(s) is/are correct? a) After a long absence he returned to the company. b) Against the back wall, was the panel we had been searching for. c) When the project is finished, we will talk about another. d) Don't Know
c
c
Put a comma after an introductory element to let the reader know the sentence is starting. In this question, "he returned" is the actual sentence; "After a long absence" is an introductory element that comes before the sentence. It needs a comma at "absence, he."
21. Mark the sentence(s) below that is/are correct. a) We will complete the project on time if we receive the software upgrade we need, the patches we requested, and we have a streak of luck. b) The last experience we had taught us that we have to screen vendors more carefully, evaluate performance at milestone dates, and act as soon as we sense something is wrong. c) Whatever can be said for the process, it still takes too long, requires too much money, and I'm not sure it will work anyway. d) Don't Know
c
b
Every item in a list that appears in a sentence form must fit with the stem or beginning. The stem in the last (c) is "it still . . ." When you say each item with those words at the beginning, you have "it still takes too long," "it still requires too much money," and "it still I'm not sure . . ." The last item in the third doesn't fit with its stem words, "it still." To correct the problem, reword the last item so it fits: "it still . .
. may not work anyway." The same is true for the items in the first (a). Hint: The stem is "if we receive." You'll have to rework the last item or make the stem "if we," put "receive" before the second item, and rework the third.
22. Which of the following sentence(s) is/are correct? a) The most damaging result was him leaving. b) We appreciated her finishing the task, but it wasn't necessary. c) John's griping was not tolerable. d) Whatever the problem was, me working at it didn't seem to help. e) Don't Know
none
bc
When you use a gerund (a verb form used as a noun that ends in "ing"), you must use the possessive form before it.
23. Which of the following is/are correct expression(s) for money? a) The cost was $49.00 but the company gave us a bulk discount. b) We found about 4,000 of the staples in a box. c) This shipment will contain 3 million rings. d) The salary increase came to only $.75 for most employees. e) Don't Know
c
c
If the dollar amount is in whole dollars, do not put .00 at the end. For approximate numbers, spell out the number (four thousand). For numbers with million and billion, write the numeral for the number and the word "million" or "billion." For dollar amounts less than $1," write the number and cents (75 cents).
24. Which would follow this beginning correctly: To finish this project on time, we will have to a) hire a qualified technician, b) purchase the equipment, c) John has to be assigned to it, d) money. e) Don't Know
c
ab
The items in a list must have the same structure. Since the writer is using verbs (hire, purchase), all items must begin with verbs (hire, purchase, assign, allocate).
25. Which of the following sentence(s) is/are correct? a) Our requirements are, "Do not include resumes and the proposal should be no more than 25 pages long." b) We were worried that if we allowed one proposal that was longer, others would follow. c) We appreciate the vendor's situation, but the vendor (you) agreed to the conditions and you agreed you would deliver. d) Don't Know
c
b
Do not shift mood from imperative ("Do not include") to indicative ("should be"). Do not shift from indirect address ("the vendor") to direct address ("you").
26. Which of the following sentences uses "which" and "that" correctly? a) This is the company which recommended the software that we can examine when you are ready. b) This is the company that recommended the software, which we can examine when you are ready. c) This is the company that recommended the software that we can examine when you are ready. d) Don't Know
a
b
Use "which" preceded by a comma when the information that follows the "which" could be taken out of the sentence; it is just extra information. Use "that" with no comma when the information that follows "that" is critical to understanding the word(s) that preceded it.
