What word is best to substitute for the underlined words in the following sentence? You can hear the nurses' laughter all the way down the hallway.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The phrase 'the nurses' laughter' indicates possession by the nurses, a plural subject. Therefore, the appropriate possessive pronoun to use in this context is 'their,' which correctly reflects possession by multiple nurses. Choice A ('his') is singular and refers to a male subject, not suitable for a group of nurses. Choice B ('hers') is singular and refers to a female subject, not suitable for a group of nurses. Choice C ('them') is a pronoun used for a group of people, but it doesn't indicate possession as required in the sentence.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The phrase 'had rarely' is not used correctly in the sentence. The correct form should be 'rarely eaten' instead of 'had rarely' to convey the past tense of the children's eating habits before their hospitalization. 'Had rarely' is incorrect because it does not match the structure needed to describe the children's eating habits in the past. Choices A, B, and D are grammatically sound and fit appropriately in the sentence.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The correct form in this sentence is 'inputting,' as it is the gerund form of the verb 'input.' The gerund form is used to show that Kalinda spends part of her day engaging in the ongoing action of inputting data from the lab. Choice A ('inputs') is incorrect as it is the third-person singular form of the verb, which does not fit here. Choice B ('input') is incorrect as it is the base form of the verb and does not convey the ongoing action required in this context. Choice C ('having input') is incorrect as it suggests a completed action rather than an ongoing one.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The word 'although' is the best fit in the sentence because it indicates a contrast between the fact that the emergency room was not busy last night and the head nurse's decision not to let anyone end her shift early. 'Although' sets up a contrast by acknowledging the first part of the sentence while introducing the surprising or unexpected information that follows. Choices A, B, and C do not provide the appropriate contrast needed in this context. 'Because' implies causation, 'Provided that' implies a condition for something to happen, and 'As if' implies a comparison rather than a contrast.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The word 'therapist' in the sentence is used correctly. However, the word 'councilor' is misspelled and should be 'counselor' to refer to a mental health professional providing therapy services. The correct term should have an 's' after 'counselor,' making it 'counselor' instead of 'councilor.' Therefore, the word 'councilor' is the one not used correctly in the sentence.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is 'A - spoke to the patient's parents.' In this sentence, the past tense 'spoke' should be used to match the past tense 'had,' indicating an action that already took place. Choices B, C, and D are incorrect because they use present or future tenses, which do not match the past tense 'had' in the sentence.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The word 'our' is the best substitute for the underlined words 'the doctor's and my' in the sentence. Using 'our' indicates joint possession, making the sentence more concise and natural. Choice A, 'his', is singular possessive and does not reflect the joint ownership implied by the sentence. Choice B, 'their', is plural possessive and does not align with the singular subjects 'the doctor and I'. Choice D, 'mine', is possessive for the first person singular pronoun and does not convey the shared ownership of the notes by both individuals.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The correct word to use in this sentence is 'taking' to show the continuous aspect of the action. The sentence should read: 'Having taking one pill at bedtime, the patient was able to sleep for eight hours.' 'Taking' is the present participle form of the verb 'take,' which is appropriate in this context to indicate the ongoing action of taking a pill at bedtime. Choice A, 'took,' is incorrect as it is the simple past tense, not suitable for this sentence's structure. Choice B, 'take,' is the base form of the verb, which does not fit the sentence's requirement for a participle. Choice D, 'taken,' is the past participle form, which is also unsuitable for showing the ongoing action required in this context.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is 'C: herself.' In this sentence, 'herself' is the reflexive pronoun that correctly refers back to Mary Ann. It shows that Mary Ann is giving credit to herself for studying hard and passing the test. The use of 'oneself' (choice A) would be incorrect here as it is too general and does not specify Mary Ann. Choices B and D ('itself' and 'themselves') are also incorrect because they do not match the singular subject 'Mary Ann.' Therefore, 'herself' is the only option that fits both grammatically and contextually in this sentence.