Correct Answer: C

Rationale: In the sentence, 'The nursing staff appreciate occasional thank-you cards,' the pronoun 'them' is the best word to substitute for 'nursing staff.' The word 'them' is a pronoun that refers to a group of people or things, which matches the plural form of 'nursing staff.' Therefore, 'them' is the correct choice in this context. Choice A, 'They,' could also refer to the nursing staff, but 'them' is more precise in this case. Choice B, 'It,' is singular and does not match the plural 'nursing staff.' Choice D, 'Us,' refers to the speaker and others, which is not appropriate in this context.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The correct pronoun to use in this sentence is 'themselves' because it refers to the plural noun 'People.' 'Oneself' is singular and does not match the plural subject. 'Themself' is not a standard pronoun in English and is considered non-standard usage. 'Theirselves' is not a proper word in standard English grammar and is grammatically incorrect. Therefore, 'themselves' is the only grammatically correct option in this context.

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: C

Rationale: In the sentence, 'The children and their parents handed water in tiny cups to the runners,' the phrase 'to the runners' is misplaced. Placing it at the end of the sentence can create a clearer and more direct connection between the action of handing water in tiny cups and the recipients, the runners. Rearranging the sentence in this way enhances its clarity and coherence. Choice A ('and their parents') is correctly positioned as it connects 'the children' with 'their parents.' Choice B ('handed water in tiny cups') is the main action being performed and is appropriately placed. Choice D ('in tiny cups') appropriately describes how the water was handed. Therefore, the correct answer is C.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: In this sentence, 'to throw' is the correct form to use after the verb 'started' to indicate the action that the children began doing. The infinitive form 'to throw' is needed after the verb 'started' to show the purpose or action that is about to happen. When an action follows another action that has already started, the infinitive form is typically used to express the purpose or intention behind the subsequent action, making 'to throw' the most appropriate choice. Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because 'throw' is not the correct form to follow 'started' as it needs an infinitive form, 'threw' is the past tense which is not suitable in this context, and 'threwing' is an incorrect form of the verb that does not exist in standard English.