ATI TEAS - English and Language Usage Free Sample Questions

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teas-section-2-sentence-correction Sample Questions

  1. Question 1

    A nursing student is writing a report on patient care and needs to list three key observations: improved mobility, stable vital signs, and reduced pain. Which sentence correctly uses commas to separate the items in the series?

    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: B

    This sentence correctly uses the serial (or Oxford) comma before the conjunction 'and' in a list of three or more items. In academic, technical, and medical writing, using the serial comma is standard practice because it prevents ambiguity and improves clarity. The other options either omit this crucial comma or place commas incorrectly.

  2. Question 2

    A group of researchers is analyzing data from a clinical trial. The lead researcher writes a summary sentence. Which of the following sentences demonstrates correct subject-verb agreement?

    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: D

    The subject of the sentence is 'committee,' which is a singular noun. The phrase 'along with the hospital administrators' is a parenthetical phrase that does not affect the number of the subject. Therefore, the singular verb 'has approved' is correct. In the other options: A's subject is 'collection' (singular), requiring 'is'. B's verb should agree with the closer subject 'assistants' (plural), requiring 'are'. C's subject is 'Each' (singular), requiring 'receives'.

  3. Question 3

    Multiple answers

    A medical writer is editing a draft for a new healthcare brochure. The goal is to eliminate all sentence structure errors. Which TWO of the following sentences contain structural errors such as fragments, comma splices, or misplaced modifiers? (Select TWO)

    Answer and explanation

    Correct answers: B, C

    This sentence is a comma splice, where two independent clauses are incorrectly joined by only a comma. It should be corrected with a semicolon, a period, or a coordinating conjunction.

    This sentence contains a misplaced modifier. The introductory phrase 'Covered in sterile dressing' incorrectly modifies 'the nurse' when it should modify 'the patient's wound.' The sentence implies the nurse is covered in the dressing.

  4. Question 4

    In a peer review session, a nursing student is giving feedback on a classmate's paper. The student points out a sentence with an ambiguous pronoun reference. Which sentence has the most ambiguous pronoun?

    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: A

    This sentence contains an ambiguous pronoun reference. The pronoun 'she' could refer to either the 'charge nurse' or the 'new intern,' making the meaning unclear. To correct it, one would need to specify the person, for example: 'The charge nurse told the new intern, "You will be responsible..."'

  5. Question 5

    True or False: In the sentence, "The patient was diagnosed with parkinson's disease," the term "parkinson's disease" is correctly capitalized.

    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: B

    The statement is false. Diseases named after a person (eponyms) are capitalized. The correct capitalization is 'Parkinson's disease,' with a capital 'P' because it is derived from the proper noun (Dr. James Parkinson). The version in the sentence, 'parkinson's disease,' is incorrectly capitalized.

  6. Question 6

    A hospital administrator is drafting an internal memo. Which of the following sentences correctly uses a semicolon?

    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: A

    A semicolon is used correctly here to join two closely related independent clauses. The second clause begins with a conjunctive adverb ('therefore'), which is a common and correct use case for a semicolon. The other options misuse the semicolon where a colon, a comma, or no punctuation would be appropriate.

  7. Question 7

    While editing a patient's discharge summary, a nurse notices an inconsistency in verb tense. Which sentence contains an illogical shift in verb tense?

    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: D

    This sentence contains an illogical tense shift. The first two verbs in the series, 'collects' and 'places,' are in the simple present tense, which is often used to describe a routine process. However, the final verb, 'delivered,' shifts to the simple past tense. For consistency and parallel structure, the final verb should also be in the present tense: 'delivers.'

  8. Question 8

    Case Scenario: A clinical research coordinator is finalizing a report for an institutional review board (IRB). The report summarizes the first quarter of a new drug trial. The coordinator is not a native English speaker and has asked a colleague to proofread a key paragraph for grammatical and structural errors.

    Draft Paragraph: "The study, which began on January 1st, have enrolled fifty-two participants to date. Each of the subjects were given a comprehensive orientation, they also signed an informed consent form. The primary side effect reported by participants are mild nausea; however, this symptom usually subsides within 24 hours. Having completed the initial screening process the research team is now preparing for the next phase of data collection."

    Which of the following revisions provides the most accurate and grammatically sound correction of the entire paragraph?

    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: A

    This option correctly identifies and fixes all errors in the original paragraph: (1) Subject-verb agreement is corrected ('study... has enrolled', 'Each... was', 'side effect... is'). (2) The comma splice is fixed by adding the conjunction 'and'. (3) A necessary comma is added after the introductory phrase 'Having completed the initial screening process'. This revision results in a grammatically correct and professional paragraph.

  9. Question 9

    A health educator is creating a presentation slide about hospital policies. Which sentence uses the words 'its' and 'it's' correctly?

    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: B

    This sentence uses both words correctly. 'Its' is a possessive pronoun indicating that the commitment belongs to the hospital. 'It's' is a contraction of 'it is.' The first clause requires the possessive, and the second requires the contraction. The other options confuse these two common homophones.

  10. Question 10

    A patient is describing their symptoms to a nurse. The nurse needs to document the description accurately. Which sentence uses adjectives and adverbs correctly?

    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: C

    This sentence is correct. 'Felt' is a linking verb that describes a state of being, so it must be followed by the adjective 'bad.' The verb 'breathing' is an action, so it must be modified by the adverb 'slowly.' The other options incorrectly pair adjectives with action verbs or adverbs with linking verbs.

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