Language Proficiency 1

Question 1

which is correct?
- sister-in-laws
- sisters-in-law

Answer 1

sisters-in-law

Question 2

• He is a pronoun used as the ____ of a sentence.
• Him is a pronoun used as the ____ of a sentence.

Answer 2

• subject
• object

Question 3

• i is used as the ____ of a sentence
• me is used as the ____ of a sentence

Answer 3

• subject
• object

Question 4

• me is used as the ____ of a sentence
• myself is used as the ____ of a sentence

Answer 4

• object
• reflexive pronoun

reflexive pronouns are used when the object and subject are the same. e.g. I bought it for myself.

Question 5

• who refers to the ____ of a sentence
• whom refers to the ____ of a sentence

Answer 5

• subject
• object

who is used when referring to a person performing the action of the verb in the sentence (applies to he, she, or they), while whom is used when the person in question is receiving the action (applies to him, her, or them).

Question 6

which is correct?
- 60 day
- 60-day

Answer 6

60-day
a compound adjective is an adjective that is made up of individual words. they are hyphenated when they come before the noun they modify.

e.g. high-quality, two-year-old, happy-go-lucky, well-known, seven-year etc.

Question 7

• beside is a preposition meaning ____
• besides is a preposition meaning ____

Answer 7

• next to
• in addition to; adverb: furthermore

Question 8

“despite” is always written on its own, while “in spite of” must always be complete. true or false?

Answer 8

true

Question 9

• anymore means ____
• any more means ____

Answer 9

• any longer
• something additional/further

Question 10

• especially means ____
• specially means ____

Answer 10

• particularly/above all/out of all/specifies something
• in a special manner

Question 11

• in behalf of means ____
• on behalf of means ____

Answer 11

• in order to help; “for the benefit of” or “in the interest of”
• representing something/someone; “in place of” or “as the agent of”

Question 12

• send in means ____
• send up means ____
• send for means ____
• send down means ____

Answer 12

• send to a recipient/to cause to come
• to put in prison
• to request to come
• to dismiss from university

Question 13

• better is used when ____
• best is used when ____

Answer 13

• there are 2 choices (comparative -er)
• there are 3 or more choices (superlative -est)

Question 14

which is correct?
a. having read the book, the film will be a hit.
b. aware of the risk, the job was abandoned.
c. crossing the road, I noticed the sun had started to set.

Answer 14

the correct answer is c.

a modifier modifies the meaning of another element in the structure. it gives information about another word. it can be a word, a phrase, or a clause. modifiers must always have a word it modifies.

ex. after writing, she went for a walk.

Question 15

• emigrate means to ____
• immigrate means to ____

Answer 15

• leave a country
• move in a country

Question 16

is the repeating of consonant sounds right next to each other, which creates a memorable or melodic effect.

Example: She sells seashells by the seashore.

Answer 16

Alliteration

Question 17

is a literary technique that places opposite things or ideas next to one another in order to draw out their contrast.

Example: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . .” —Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

Answer 17

Antithesis

Question 18

is when a character addresses someone or something that isn’t present or cannot respond. The character might speak to someone deceased, an inanimate object, or a concept.

Example: “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” —William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Answer 18

Apostrophe

Question 19

is the use of a purposely wordy description. You can think of it as talking in circles.

Example: In the Harry Potter series, most characters don’t say Lord Voldemort’s name; instead, they use this circumlocution: “He Who Must Not Be Named.”

Answer 19

Circumlocution

Question 20

is a clever and memorable statement. You will find epigrams in speeches, poetry, and at the front of a book.

Example: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” —Eleanor Roosevelt

Answer 20

Epigram

Question 21

is a way to say something in an understated manner, often to avoid difficult topics—like money, death, or sex. A mild word/phrase used to replace one that is thought to be too harsh.

Example: Rather than telling a friend that a relative died, you might say they “kicked the bucket,” “passed away,” or are “no longer with us.”

Answer 21

Euphemism

Question 22

is a deliberate exaggeration that adds emphasis, urgency, or excitement to a statement.

Example: If I don’t eat soon, I’m going to die of hunger.

Answer 22

Hyperbole

Question 23

is a situation that subverts a reader’s expectations. A contradiction of expectation between what is said and what is meant between what might be expected and what actually occurs. It is a statement which conveys the opposite meaning of what is being said.

Example: One of the characters in your story is a hypochondriac, always convinced that they have an exotic and uncurable disease. An ironic ending for that character would be if they died of a common cold.

Answer 23

Irony

Question 24

It uses a double negative to create a positive.

Example: You’re not wrong.

Answer 24

Litotes

Question 25

is the direct comparison of dissimilar things to create more vivid imagery or understanding.

Example: He was an onion; to understand him, she had to peel back the layers.

Answer 25

Metaphor

Question 26

is a literary device in which a word or object is substituted by a closely related word or object. It gives a writer more variability with descriptions. It is when one word or phrase is used in place of another with which it is closely associated.

Examples:
- The press is here.
- The pen is mightier than the sword.
- The White House declared that…

Answer 26

Metonymy

Question 27

is a word that sounds like what it means.

Example: When a character is exasperated, they might exclaim, “Sheesh!” That’s both a word to show exasperation and a sound that happens when you sigh loudly.

Answer 27

Onomatopoeia

Question 28

is a phrase that uses two contradictory words to create a new meaning.

Example: That strawberry cake was awfully good.

Answer 28

Oxymoron

Question 29

is a statement that appears to contradict itself but contains some truth, theme, or humor.

Example: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” —George Orwell, Animal Farm

Answer 29

Paradox

Question 30

is assigning human attributes to nonhuman things.

Example: The floorboards groaned under the weight of each step.

Answer 30

Personification

Question 31

is the use of more words than necessary to convey meaning. A writer might use it for humor or emphasis, or they might not realize they’re using extra words at all.

Example: The burning fire warmed the whole house.

Answer 31

Pleonasm

Question 32

is a form of wordplay that purposely substitutes words that sound similar but have different meanings.

Example: “‘Mine is a long and a sad tale!’ said the Mouse, turning to Alice and sighing. ‘It is a long tail, certainly,’ said Alice, looking down with wonder at the Mouse’s tail; ‘but why do you call it sad?’” —Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Answer 32

Pun

Question 33

compares two dissimilar things using “like” or “as.” The goal of simile is to give the reader a more vivid understanding of something.

Example: It was the first real day of summer, and by the time she came back indoors, she was as red as a tomato.

Answer 33

Simile

Question 34

is when a smaller unit is used to signify a larger unit or vice versa. When a part of something is used to refer to the whole.

Examples:
- Check out my new wheels!
- I have four mouths to feed at home.

Answer 34

Synecdoche

Question 35

is the intentional downplaying of a situation. This can create a humorous or deadpan effect in writing.

Example: “I have to have this operation. It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain.” —J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

Answer 35

Understatement