Which of the following words fits best in the following sentence? ___________ the emergency room was not busy last night, the head nurse still did not let anyone end her shift early.

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 'boys'' should be spelled as 'boys' in this context. The correct possessive form of the plural noun 'boys' does not require an apostrophe before the final S, which indicates possession. In this sentence, the intent is to show that the pranks belong to the four boys collectively, so the correct possessive form is 'boys' without the additional apostrophe.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: In the given sentence, the word 'once' is used incorrectly. The original sentence implies that the professor was an intern in the hospital at a specific time in the past, not just once. The word 'formerly' would imply that the professor used to be an intern but is no longer. Therefore, 'once' is the incorrect word choice in this context. The other options ('professor,' 'intern,' 'hospital') are all used correctly in the sentence.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct word to use in this sentence is 'volunteered' as it indicates an action that Cathy did in the past. The sentence suggests that Cathy was engaging in volunteering at the hospital for the first time, so the past tense form 'volunteered' is the most appropriate choice. Choice B ('volunteering') is incorrect because it is the present participle form and does not fit the past tense context of the sentence. Choice C ('was volunteered') is passive voice and implies that someone else made Cathy volunteer, which is not the intended meaning. Choice D ('volunteer') is incorrect as it is the base form of the verb and does not match the past tense requirement of the sentence.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The word 'her' is the best substitute for the underlined words 'the nurse' in the sentence. This substitution avoids redundancy and provides clarity by referring back to the nurse as a third-person singular pronoun, maintaining coherence and avoiding ambiguity. 'He' (choice B) and 'his' (choice C) are incorrect as they do not align with the gender of the nurse in the sentence. 'It' (choice D) is also incorrect as it does not refer appropriately to a person.

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 phrase 'in the auditorium' is misplaced in the sentence because it suggests that the dangers of drugs and alcohol were in the auditorium, which is not the intended meaning. It would make more sense for this phrase to come immediately after 'he informed us' to indicate where the presentation took place. Choices A, B, and C are all correctly placed within the sentence, providing necessary information about the context and topic of the presentation.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: In this sentence, we are looking for a pronoun that refers to more than one person. The children and 'them' performed a skit for the elderly patients. 'Them' is the correct pronoun to use in this context to indicate a group of people, which is the plural form of the pronoun. Choice A, 'he,' is singular and would not match the plural subject. Choice B, 'me,' is an object pronoun and does not fit the subject position. Choice D, 'her,' is singular and does not agree with the plural subject 'children and them.' Therefore, the correct answer is 'C: them.'

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.