English Grammar and U.S. History Practice Quiz (36 questions)

Explanation

An affirmative statement takes a negative tag that repeats its auxiliary and subject pronoun. An affirmative tag would be used after a negative statement, not after this affirmative one.

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A negative statement takes an affirmative tag, and the tag repeats the auxiliary and subject pronoun from the statement. “Hasn’t she?” keeps the negative polarity rather than reversing it.

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The present simple can present a fact neutrally, without foregrounding an observer’s viewpoint. The present continuous in the second sentence presents the opening as a particular observed or temporary situation.

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The present simple expresses general truths and characteristics, as in a statement about what oak trees do. The present continuous describes a particular process happening in the oak tree now.

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The present simple, reinforced by “every Saturday,” describes a repeated action or habit. The present continuous in the second sentence refers to an action in progress at the moment.

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The present continuous is formed with be plus a verb ending in -ing and presents an action from an observer’s viewpoint, usually linked to the moment of speaking. A base verb in the present simple is associated with reporting a bare fact.

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The present continuous commonly focuses on an action in progress at the present moment, often as a temporary activity. A habitual action would normally be expressed with the present simple rather than this form.

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Verbs expressing possession, such as “own,” are among the types listed as poorly compatible with be plus verb-ing. “Run” describes a physical activity, which can naturally be presented as in progress.

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With a verb other than be, an auxiliary comes before the subject and the main verb stays in its base form. Inverting the main verb and subject is the pattern for be, not for work.

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For be, form the question by placing be before the subject. Adding do before be follows the pattern for other verbs and is not the correct construction here.

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A wh-question begins with an interrogative word and asks for unknown information, such as a place. A yes-no question instead seeks confirmation and begins directly with an auxiliary.

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A present-simple question with a verb other than be uses does before the subject, followed by the base verb walk. The past auxiliary did would not match the present-simple time, and the main verb does not take an -s after the auxiliary.

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How old is an interrogative expression used to ask about age. How many asks about a number of countable items, not a person’s age.

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How much can be used to ask about price, so it fits a question about the coat’s cost. How many is used with plural countable nouns, rather than with a price.

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The ending is pronounced [ɪd] after a base ending in [t] or [d], as in “waited.” After other sounds, it is pronounced [t] or [d], rather than adding a syllable to every regular verb.

Explanation

In a simple-past question, “did” carries the past tense and the main verb stays in its base form. “Did they visited” incorrectly marks the past on both “did” and the main verb.

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The background action takes the past continuous after “while,” and the interrupting event takes the simple past after “when.” The alternative with “when” and two continuous actions does not express this background-and-interruption pattern.

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The past continuous uses “was” or “were” followed by an -ing verb, and “sit” doubles its final consonant to form “sitting.” “Siting” omits the required consonant doubling.

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“Who” is used for a person serving as the subject of the relative clause. “Which” is used for an inanimate antecedent, not the artist.

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An object relative pronoun can be omitted, as in “The book I borrowed.” In “The book fell from the shelf,” the relative pronoun would be the subject of the clause and cannot be omitted under this rule.

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An object pronoun follows the main verb, so “him” correctly follows “praised.” “He” is a subject pronoun and does not serve as the verb’s object in this sentence.

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“Mine” is a possessive pronoun and stands without a noun after it. “My” is a possessive adjective and needs a noun or gerund to follow it.

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Apples are countable, so they can take a plural form and a number; information is uncountable and does not take a direct number or plural ending. The choice using “two information” treats an uncountable noun as countable.

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Many modifies countable plural nouns such as chairs, while much modifies uncountable nouns such as furniture. Using many with furniture is a plausible error, but furniture is uncountable in this usage.

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Some can be used in questions that make an offer, because the speaker anticipates that something may be wanted. Any is commonly used to ask whether something exists, rather than to make this kind of offer.

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Every takes a singular noun and a singular verb form, as in “Every student has.” The option with “have” incorrectly pairs every with a plural verb.

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The article follows the initial sound: engineer begins with a vowel sound, while European begins with a consonant-like “y” sound. Choosing an before European is a common spelling-based mistake because the word begins with the letter e.

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The is appropriate because the context identifies which keys are meant, and it can precede plural nouns. “A keys” is incorrect because a is an indefinite article used with singular nouns.

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Jamestown was founded in 1607, making it the first permanent English settlement in North America. The year 1620 is associated with the Pilgrims’ arrival at Plymouth, not Jamestown’s founding.

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John Smith required the settlers to work in order to receive food, and Jamestown later endured starvation before eventually thriving. Growing corn was taught to the Pilgrims by Native Americans, not established as Smith’s rule.

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The Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620 after crossing the Atlantic for 66 days aboard the Mayflower. The 1607 date refers to the founding of Jamestown.

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The American War of Independence took place from 1775 to 1783. The period from 1776 to 1789 instead spans the Declaration-era founding and Washington’s becoming president.

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Increased taxes on tea are identified as the main trigger, and the Boston Tea Party involved Americans throwing tea into Boston Harbour. The protest was not described as burning ships or taking place in another harbor.

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George Washington became the first U.S. president in 1789. The year 1783 marks the end of the American War of Independence, not the start of his presidency.

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The thirteen colonies joined in a union called the United States of America, with each state retaining its own government under a common president. The states did not each have their own president.

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The United States bought Louisiana from France for 15 million dollars, while Russia sold Alaska to the United States for $7,200,000. The alternative reverses the prices associated with the two acquisitions.