HiSET: Language Arts - Writing : Verb, pronoun, and modifier forms
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Example Questions
Example Question #11 : Verb, Pronoun, And Modifier Forms
Harrison had math test last Wednesday. He studied really well and thought that he did really good. When he walked into school today, Harrison’s teacher looked at him strangely. Harrison started to sweat, because he assumed the teacher’s expression meant he did poorly on the test. Harrison began to wonder wear he went wrong. The teacher walks around the room and handed out the graded assessments. Then the teacher, who had been walking around the room, paused in front of Harrison’s desk, and Harrison thought that he must of performed worst on the test than the rest of the class had. Then, to Harrison’s surprise, the teacher smiled, exclaiming that Harrison had scored one hundred percent.
What is the best way to correct the bolded and underlined portion of the passage?
he did really good (no change)
he did really well
he performed very good
he did very good
he went really well
he did really well
The answer choice "he did really good" is incorrect in that it makes no change to the original statement in the passage. There is, however, a problem with this statement. The word "good" is an adjective. Adjectives modify nouns. In this statement, however, the word "good" is used to modify the verb "did". A word that modifies a verb is called an adverb, and the adverb version of the word "good" is "well". So, the answer choices using the word "good" as an adverb are incorrect. The answer choice "he went very well" is also incorrect because the word "did" and "went" are not synonyms. Harrison "did" well on the test. The test "went well". The statement "he went well" (referring to Harrison with the pronoun, but the test with the verb) does not make sense.
Example Question #12 : Verb, Pronoun, And Modifier Forms
Harrison had math test last Wednesday. He studied really well and thought that he did really good. When he walked into school today, Harrison’s teacher looked at him strangely. Harrison started to sweat, because he assumed the teacher’s expression meant he did poorly on the test. Harrison began to wonder wear he went wrong. The teacher walks around the room and handed out the graded assessments. Then the teacher, who had been walking around the room, paused in front of Harrison’s desk, and Harrison thought that he must of performed worst on the test than the rest of the class had. Then, to Harrison’s surprise, the teacher smiled, exclaiming that Harrison had scored one hundred percent.
What is the best way to revise the bolded and underlined portion of the text?
performed worst on the test than the rest of the class had (no change)
performed the worst on the test than the rest of the class had
performed worst on the test than the rest of the class did
performed worse on the test
performed worse on the test than the rest of the class had
performed worse on the test than the rest of the class had
The error in the original passage is the usage of the word "worst". The word "worst" is a superlative adjective, meaning that it implies that Harrison is of the lowest standard. As such, this word requires no standard of comparison, because it implies finality in regards to every set of people. The proper word to fit into the bolded sentence is "worse". The word "worse" is a comparative adjective, so it makes sense to include the phrase "than the rest of the class had" as a basis of comparison. The word "worse" requires a standard of comparison, which is why the answer choice "performed worse on the test" is also incorrect.
Example Question #13 : Verb, Pronoun, And Modifier Forms
The media center is a very helpful place on campus if a person is in need of information. Newcomers to the library, who do not know to whom they should address their questions regarding the center, should simply approach the information desk. There are over one thousand books here, and anyone with a library card can access it. The media center can have a very positive effect on any student's grade. (no error)
Choose the answer choice containing a grammatical error.
(no error)
effect
who do not know to whom
address
can access it
can access it
In the sentence "There are over one thousand books here, and anyone with a library card can access it," the subject of discussion is the collection of one thousand books. The implication of the sentence is that a student with a library card can access the books. When a noun is replaced by a placeholder pronoun, such as "it" or "they" the placeholder must agree with the original noun. The word "it" does not agree with the phrase "one thousand books" because while "it" is singular, "one thousand books" is plural. The correct sentence would have been "There are over one thousand books here, and anyone with a library card can access them."
Example Question #51 : Hi Set High School Equivalency Test: Writing
Jimmy is annoyed at the video game that he was playing. For one thing, there was not nearly enough interesting characters suspenseful moments or exciting escapes in the game to satisfy him. For another, it was incredibly hard while playing the game to control the cars. It always wanted to veer to the left when he tried to steer to the right. But the ending of the game was worst. By the time he got to the end, the hero had decided to stop chasing rogue spies and therefore marry his girlfriend, a surprise attack resulted in her being kidnapped, and the hero must go on a final mission to save her before the game can be completed. That would of been fine, except it involved tracking the enemy using a helicopter, and Jimmy much to his chagrin never mastered flying the helicopter.
Choose the option that best corrects the bolded and underlined section of the text.
The game
Jimmy
They
(no change)
They
The previous sentence makes it clear that it is the cars that Jimmy cannot control. "Cars" is a plural noun, so the pronoun should be changed to the plural "they."
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