HESI A2
HESI A2 Grammar Practice Exam Questions
Question 1 of 5
What punctuation is needed in the following sentence to make it correct? Because of a major accident on the freeway, the emergency room was overcrowded.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct sentence should be: 'Because of a major accident on the freeway, the emergency room was overcrowded.' A comma is needed after 'freeway' to separate the introductory dependent clause from the independent clause that follows. Choice A (Period) is incorrect as it would create two separate sentences. Choice C (Exclamation point) is incorrect as there is no exclamation in the sentence. Choice D (Semicolon) is incorrect as it is used to separate closely related independent clauses.
Question 2 of 5
Which word is used incorrectly in the following sentence? The boys leapt up happy to assist their favorite teacher.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The word 'their' is used incorrectly in the sentence. The correct word should be 'they're,' which is a contraction for 'they are.' The sentence should say: The boys leapt up, happy to assist their favorite teacher. Choice A, 'leapt,' is correctly used as the past tense of 'leap.' Choice B, 'happy,' is also correctly used as an adjective to describe the boys' emotional state. Choice C, 'assist,' is appropriately used as a verb to show the boys' willingness to help.
Question 3 of 5
What word is best to substitute for the underlined words in the following sentence? Mr. Menotti's wife collected Mr. Menotti's belongings for the ride home.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The word 'his' is the possessive form of the pronoun 'Mr. Menotti,' indicating that the belongings belong to him. Using 'her,' 'him,' or 'he' would not be grammatically correct in this context as they do not reflect the possession by Mr. Menotti. 'Her' would imply the belongings belong to his wife, 'him' is an objective pronoun, and 'he' is a subject pronoun, neither of which correctly shows possession.
Question 4 of 5
What punctuation is needed in the following sentence to make it correct? In addition to the hospital's regularly scheduled festivities, the custodians celebrate with a party of their own.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct punctuation needed in the sentence is a comma. A comma should be placed after 'festivities' to separate the two independent clauses in the sentence: 'In addition to the hospital's regularly scheduled festivities' and 'the custodians celebrate with a party of their own.' The comma helps in improving the clarity and structure of the sentence by indicating a pause between the clauses. Choice A, 'Period,' is incorrect because a period would create two separate sentences rather than connecting the related clauses. Choice C, 'Apostrophe,' is incorrect as there is no need for an apostrophe in this context. Choice D, 'Semicolon,' is incorrect because a semicolon is used to join closely related independent clauses, which is not the case in the given sentence.
Question 5 of 5
Which word is used incorrectly in the following sentence? Everybody pretends to do so, but few truly understand the essay.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The word 'understand' should be used instead of 'understands' to maintain subject-verb agreement. In this sentence, 'few' is a plural subject, requiring the plural verb 'understand' rather than 'understands.' The corrected sentence reads, 'but few truly understand the essay.' Choice A, 'pretends,' is used correctly in the sentence. Choice B, 'truly,' is also used appropriately. Choice D, 'essay,' is also correctly used in the sentence.