Writing Skills Pretest

Before you start your study of grammar and writing skills, you may want to get an idea of how much you already know and how much you need to learn. If that's the case, take the pretest that follows.

1. Which version of the sentence is correctly capitalized?

		a. Last Thursday, my Mother, my Aunt Sarah, and I went to the museum to see an exhibit of African art. b. Last Thursday, my mother, my Aunt Sarah, and I went to the museum to see an exhibit of African art. c. Last Thursday, my mother, my aunt Sarah, and I went to the Museum to see an exhibit of African art. d. Last thursday, my mother, my aunt Sarah, and I went to the museum to see an exhibit of African Art.

		2. Which of the underlined words in the following sentence should be capitalized?

		The governor gave a speech at the fourth of July picnic, which was held at my cousin's farm five miles east of town.

		a. governor b. fourth c. cousin's d. east

		3. Which of the underlined words in the following sentence should be capitalized?

		''Last semester, I wrote my history report on the Korean war," my sister told me.

		a. semester b. history c. war d. sister

		4. Which version uses periods correctly?

		a. Dr Harrison will speak at a hotel in Chicago, Ill, on Thurs at 3:00 P.M. b. Dr. Harrison will speak at a hotel in Chicago, Ill, on Thurs at 3:00 PM. c. Dr Harrison will speak at a hotel in Chicago, Ill, on Thurs. at 3:00 P.M. d. Dr. Harrison will speak at a hotel in Chicago, Ill., on Thurs. at 3:00 P.M.

		5. Which version uses punctuation correctly?

		a. Watch out. The road is icy? b. Watch out! The road is icy. c. Watch out? The road is icy! d. Watch out, the road is icy?

		6. Which one is a sentence fragment, that is, NOT a complete sentence?

		a. Hearing the thunder, the lifeguard ordered us out of the water. b. Turn off the lights. c. Sunday afternoon spent reading and playing computer games. d. I was surprised to see that my neighbor had written a letter to the editor.

		7. Three of the following sentences are faulty. They are either run-ons or comma splices. Which one is NOT a faulty sentence?

		a. The newspapers are supposed to be delivered by 7:00, but I am usually finished before 6:45. b. I called the delivery service this morning, they told me the shipment would arrive on time. c. Look in the closet you should find it there. d. I was the first to sign the petition Harry was second.