Which word is used incorrectly in the following sentence? The boys leapt up happy to assist their favorite teacher.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The word 'their' is used incorrectly in the sentence. The correct word should be 'they're,' which is a contraction for 'they are.' The sentence should say: The boys leapt up, happy to assist their favorite teacher. Choice A, 'leapt,' is correctly used as the past tense of 'leap.' Choice B, 'happy,' is also correctly used as an adjective to describe the boys' emotional state. Choice C, 'assist,' is appropriately used as a verb to show the boys' willingness to help.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: In the sentence 'One out of four doctors,' the subject is 'One,' which is singular. Therefore, the verb that follows should also be singular. The correct verb form in this case is 'subscribes,' not 'subscribe' or any other form. This subject-verb agreement rule ensures that the sentence is grammatically correct. Choice A 'subscribe' is incorrect as it is in the plural form and does not agree with the singular subject. Choice C 'subscribing' is in the gerund form and does not function as the main verb of the sentence. Choice D 'are subscribed' is in the passive voice and does not match the active voice required in this 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: B

Rationale: The correct sentence should be: 'Because of a major accident on the freeway, the emergency room was overcrowded.' A comma is needed after 'freeway' to separate the introductory dependent clause from the independent clause that follows. Choice A (Period) is incorrect as it would create two separate sentences. Choice C (Exclamation point) is incorrect as there is no exclamation in the sentence. Choice D (Semicolon) is incorrect as it is used to separate closely related independent clauses.

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: 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 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.

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: 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.