Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The word 'stealthy' is used incorrectly in the sentence. The correct adverb form of the word should be 'stealthily' to modify the verb 'moving.' Therefore, it should be 'Moving stealthily, the sneaky little boy reached for the cookie jar on the topmost shelf.' Choices B, C, and D are all used appropriately in the sentence. 'Sneaky' describes the boy, 'reached' is the action verb, and 'topmost' correctly describes the location of the cookie jar.

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.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The word 'infer' is used incorrectly in the sentence. 'Infer' means to deduce or conclude something based on evidence and reasoning, while in the sentence, the speaker is actually asking if the grimace suggests that the person hated the performance. The correct word that should be used in this context is 'imply' or 'suggest.' 'Grimace' (choice A), 'loathed' (choice C), and 'performance' (choice D) are all used appropriately in the sentence.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The sentence starts with 'Before I had finished supper,' indicating that the action of James texting you on your cell phone had occurred before the completion of another past action (finishing supper). The past perfect tense 'had texted' is used to express an action that happened before another action in the past, making the sentence grammatically correct. Choice A is incorrect because it uses the present continuous tense, which is not suitable for indicating an action that occurred before finishing supper. Choice C is incorrect as it uses the simple present tense, which does not convey the sequence of events correctly. Choice D is incorrect as it presents the present continuous tense, which is not appropriate for the context of 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.