Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: 'Period'. The sentence 'Take this fast-acting cough medicine after your next meal.' is a complete sentence and requires a period at the end to indicate a full stop. A comma (Choice B) is not suitable here as it would create a comma splice. A colon (Choice C) is not needed as there is no introductory clause or list following it. A hyphen (Choice D) is used to join compound words or for other specific purposes, not to end a sentence.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The correct form to use in this sentence is the present participle 'taking.' The sentence should read, 'Before taking this medicine, consume a modest meal.' It is important to use the present participle form when talking about an action that occurs before another action. Choice A 'having taken' is incorrect as it suggests a completed action before consuming a meal. Choice C 'took' is in the past tense, not suitable for indicating an action that should happen before another. Choice D 'will take' is in the future tense, which does not fit the context of the sentence.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: In this sentence, the subject 'board of education' is singular, so the verb should also be singular to match. 'Plans' is the correct form of the verb to use with a singular subject. The correct sentence should be: 'The board of education plans to hold a special meeting.' Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because they do not agree in number with the singular subject 'board of education.' 'Plan' is plural, 'planning' is a gerund form, and 'do plan' is not the correct verb form for the subject-verb agreement in this sentence.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: In the given sentence, a semicolon is needed after 'early' to join the two independent clauses 'I finished the project early' and 'however, I really should edit my work.' This punctuation mark helps to connect the related ideas in the sentence while maintaining the separation between the clauses. The other choices are incorrect because an apostrophe is used to show possession or to indicate missing letters; a colon is used to introduce a list, explanation, or quotation; and a comma alone would not provide the necessary separation between the two independent clauses in this context.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The correct preposition to use in this sentence is 'for.' The sentence should read: 'We had been working for nine hours.' This preposition is used to indicate the duration of time something has been happening. Choice A ('since') is incorrect because it is used to indicate a specific point in time when an action started. Choice B ('near') is incorrect as it does not convey the intended meaning of the sentence. Choice D ('in') is incorrect as it does not appropriately indicate the duration of time the action has been taking place.