READING AND WRITING

FINAL EXAMINATION

PART I – Choose the appropriate capitalization or punctuation mark.

1. The red sea is found in the Middle East.
a. Red sea b. red Sea c. Red Sea
2. When will you return to our city....
a. ? question mark b. ! exclamation mark c. . full stop
3. Wow....You really obtained a gold medal in the Olympics.
a. ? question mark b. ! exclamation mark c. . full stop
4. They offered the children bananas....apples...pears and plums.
a. , a comma b. ; semi-colon c. - a hyphen
5. The rich man was a self...made man.
a. No punctuation mark b. - a dash c.- a hyphen
6. ...I haven't seen Carol today,...said Tom
a. () brackets b. " " speech marks c. , commas
7. The children were told to bring the following items... a pen, a pencil, a ruler and an exercise book.
a. , a comma b. ; a semi-colon c. : a colon
8. Jack...the carpenter...made a cupboard.
a. , comma b. ; semi-colon c. () brackets
9. Jim lives in Australia...his brother lives in England.
a. - a hyphen b. ; semi-colon c. : colon
10. I found Claire..s jacket on the chair.
a. - a hyphen b. , a comma c. ' an apostrophe
PART II - For each of the following, choose the sentence that ends with the correct punctuation mark.
11. –
a. Phil b. Phil, c. Phil.
12. –
a. A,D, b. A.D. c. AD
13. –
a. U,S,A, b. U;S;A; c. U.S.A.
14. –
a. Dear Madam; b. Dear Madam! c. Dear Madam:
15. –
a. etc. b. etc, d. etc:

PART III - Choose the sentence with correct capitalization and punctuation.
16.
A: When it rains, i don't like to ride my bike to school.
B: When it rains; I don't like to ride my bike to school.
C: When it rains, I don't like to ride my bike to school.
D: When it rains I dont like to ride my bike to school.
17.
A: I was wondering if Katie could come over after school friday.
B: I was wondering if Katie could come over after school Friday.
C: I was wondering if Katie could come over after school Friday?
D: I was wondering if katie could come over after school Friday.

18.
A: Ms. Davidson is organizing a ski trip for February, 15 2010.
B: Ms. davidson is organizing a ski trip for February 15, 2010.
C: Ms Davidson is organizing a ski trip for February 15, 2010.
D: Ms. Davidson is organizing a ski trip for February 15, 2010.
19.
A: My aunt mary lives in San Jose, California. C: My Aunt Mary lives in San Jose California.
B: My Aunt Mary lives in San Jose, California. D: My Aunt Mary lives in san jose, california.
20.
A: When is your family going camping. C: when is your family going camping?
B: When is your family going camping! D: When is your family going camping?
21. .
A: What are you hoping to get for Christmas this year?
B: What are you hoping to get for Christmas this year.
C: What are you hoping to get for christmas this year?
D: what are you hoping to get for Christmas this year?
22.
A: Matts brothers favorite song is, The Wheels on the Bus.
B: matt's brother's favorite song is, The Wheels on the Bus.
C: Matt's brother's favorite song is, the wheels on the bus.
D: Matt's brother's favorite song is, The Wheels on the Bus.
23.
A: We're going to the movie theater on Fifth St? C: We're going to the movie theater on Fifth St.
B: Were going to the movie theater on Fifth St. D: We're going to the movie theater on fifth st.
24.
A: Alexs little brother goes to Larkspur School. C: Alex's little brother goes to larkspur school.
B: Alex's little brother goes to Larkspur School. D: Alex's little brother goes to Larkspur School?
25.
A: when do I get to go to New York? C: When do I get to go to new york?
B: When do I get to go to New York? D: When do i get to go to New York.
26.
A: Carlos is moving to Tacoma, Washington next month.
B: Carlos is moving to Tacoma Washington next month.
C: carlos is moving to Tacoma, Washington next month.
D: Carlos, is moving to Tacoma, Washington next month.
27.
A: Mr. Swindburnson gave us homework in math social studies and science today.
B: Mr. Swindburnson gave us homework in math social studies, and science today.
C: Mr. swindburnson gave us homework in math, social studies, and science today.
D: Mr. Swindburnson gave us homework in math, social studies, and science today.
28.
A: After the assembly Marcus, Alex, and Jason went to the cafeteria.
B: After the assembly, Marcus Alex and Jason went to the cafeteria.
C: After the assembly, Marcus, Alex, and Jason went to the cafeteria.
D: After the assembly, marcus, alex, and jason went to the cafeteria.
29.
A: Ms. Moffitt can we go out for recess, or is it raining again?
B: Ms. Moffitt, can we go out for recess, or is it raining again?
C: ms. moffitt, can we go out for recess, or is it raining again?
D: Ms. Moffitt, can we go out for recess or is it raining again.

30.
A: Miranda is going to go to the playground, but first she has to do her homework.
B: Miranda is going to go to the playground but first she has to do her homework.
 C: miranda is going to go to the playground, but first she has to do her homework.
D: Miranda is going to go to the Playground, but first she has to do her homework.

PART IV - Choose the sentence in which capital letters are used correctly

41. –
31. – a. Subject: Election of officers
a. The Aquino government. b. Subject: election of officers
b. The aquino government. c. SUBJECT: Election of officers
c. The Aquino Government. 42. –
32. – a. respectfully yours
a. The administration denies that b. Respectfully Yours
b. the Administration denies that c. Respectfully yours
c. The Administration denies that 43. –
33. – a. J.C. Palabay Enterprises, inc.
a. American And United States Congress b. J.c. Palabay enterprises, Inc.
b. American and United States congress c. J.C. Palabay Enterprises, Inc.
c. American and United States Congress 44. –
34. – a. Liberal party
a. The Congress b. liberal Party
b. The congress c. Liberal Party
c. the congress 45. –
35. – a. The Supreme court
a. Jesus Christ is the Emmanuel b. The supreme court
b. Jesus christ is the Emmanuel c. The Supreme Court
c. Jesus Christ is the emmanuel 46. – Titles of Persons
36. – a. president George Bush
a. God, the Almighty sees the universe b. President George bush
b. God, the almighty sees the universe c. President George Bush
c. god, the Almighty sees the universe 47. – Titles of Persons
37. – a. Mr. John D. Ang, general manager
a. Oscar award b. Mr. John D. Ang, General manager
b. Oscar Award c. Mr. John D. Ang, General Manager
c. oscar Award 48. –Time Periods, Zones and Divisions
38. – a. easter Sunday
a. The noble Prize winners b. Easter sunday
b. The Noble Prize winners c. Easter Sunday
c. The Noble prize winners 49. –
39. – a. The spaceship went to the Moon, then to
a. Makati Park square Venus.
b. Makati Park Square b. The spaceship went to the moon, then to
c. Makati park Square venus.
40. – c. The spaceship went to the moon, then to
a. TO: All teachers Venus.
b. TO: All Teachers 50. –
c. To: All teachers a. The Sun is bigger than the moon.
b. The Sun is bigger than the Moon.
c. The sun is bigger than the moon.
 PART V - Rewrite the following abbreviation/phrases/sentences to correct the capitalization.
51. the opposition varies from on administration to another.
52. the church calls for uniting and reconciliation.
53. malacañang palace denied.
54. philippine air force and contract with the air force.
55. we have to follow the code of the company.
56. the personnel department ranks the position of the employees.
57. pay twenty thousand pesos to
58. conservation of mars law.
59. she was treated with lamisil.
60. their love story happened in summer.
61. miss summer won in the beauty contest.
62. the budget faced the accusations.
63. the fourth of july is marked the fil-american day.
64. dr. joffry ang is at the er.
65. the seminar is on Saturday, ocotber 4, 4015.
66. san Brendan college, inc.
67. the honorable gaudencio rosales
68. great! we can’t lose now.
69. phd
70. (a plural abbreviations like): cpas

PART VI
1. In order to make your writing precise, an appropriate _________ is necessary
a. capitalization b. organization c. punctuation mark
2. Anticipating the _______ which material will be presented helps you put the facts into perspective.
a. Plan b. order c. signal
3. Although key signal words helps in identifying the particular type of pattern, a ________ paragraph can
be a mixture of different pattern.
a. Single b. mixed c. combination
4. A well-written paragraph is __________.
a. Coherent b. effective c. detailed
5. A paragraph uses a particular ________ that helps connect words, phrases or paragraph.
a. Language b. connector c. transition word
6. There are ________ in writing that make the paragraph more effective and understandable.
a. Rules b. practices c. mechanics
7. The first letter of the ________ word in an outline heading is capitalized.
a. first b. second c. succeeding
8. The word ________ and government are capitalized when referring to a particular government power.
a. administration b. legislative c. political
9. _________ guidelines will help writers to write with clarity, consistently and accuracy.
a. capitalization b. punctuation c. abbreviation
10. _________ is a verbal ending in –ing and used as modifier.
a. gerund b. participle c. infinite

A. Not to mention B. Otherwise C. Unless

D. In other words E. Since F. Furthermore
 G. However H. Because of I. Hence
J. At the same time K. Too L. again

11. the candidate should seek for the sympathy of the common people ________ he will lose in the election.
12. The woman has all the qualities of a beauty queen ________ her impact on the audience when she walks
and moves her face with her fierce-looking eyes.
13. The dean’s lister continues to get excellent grades, ________ he also excels in extra-curricular activities.
14. The student will be dropped from the subject ________ she does something to improve standing and
attendance in the class.
15. Dieting is good for health, ________ when it is done inappropriately; it may lead to a serious illness.
16. I read from an article that in China, bottles of clean air are already sold ________ their serious problem in
air.
17. In crossing the street, we should use the pedestrian lanes, ________ we should be careful and vigilant.
18. The man has been alert and careful dealing with people __________ __ he came to the city.
19. He has been very careful with all his decisions, ________ he will always b e a failure.
20. The student works as a student assistant, ________ serves as an officer in an organization.

Punctuation Quiz #21: Capitalization

By Mark Nichol - 1 minute read
background image 141

Correct the capitalization in the following sentences.

1. Next sunday will be our fifth Anniversary.

2. My best school subjects are History, french, math, and Physics.

3. Sallie bought new curtains for her French windows.

4. When we visit Rome, we hope to obtain an audience with the pope.

5. London and paris were already centers of culture in the middle ages.

Answers and Explanations

1.
Original: Next sunday will be our fifth Anniversary.
Correct : Next Sunday will be our fifth anniversary.

In English, days of the week are capitalized. Common nouns, like “anniversary” are not.

2.
Original: My best school subjects are History, french, math, and Physics.
Correct : My best school subjects are history, French, math, and physics.

Languages are capitalized, but other school subjects are not.

3.
Original: Sallie bought new curtains for her French windows.
Correct : Sallie bought new curtains for her french windows.

Although capitalized in other contexts, “french” is not capitalized here because “french windows” refers to a
certain type of window. The same usage would apply to “russian dressing” and “danish pastry.”

4.
Original: When we visit Rome, we hope to obtain an audience with the pope.
Correct : When we visit Rome, we hope to obtain an audience with the Pope.

The word “pope” is capitalized here because it refers to a person who bears the title.

5.
Original: London and paris were already centers of culture in the middle ages.
Correct : London and Paris were already centers of culture in the Middle Ages.

Names of cities are capitalized, as are distinctive historical periods.

Sentence 1: “Today’s choices for pets go beyond the question of whether to get a cat or a dog?”
1. What correction should be made to this sentence?
Change the question mark to a period.
Change “Today’s” to “Todays.”
Change question to questions.
Change whether to weather.
No correction is necessary.
Sentence 2: “Margaret Chase Smith (who served in both houses of Congress) was the first woman nominated
by a major party, the Republicans.”
2. What correction should be made to this sentence?
Place commas before and after the parentheses.
Do not capitalize Republicans.
Change woman to women.
Change nominated to nomminated.
No correction is necessary.
Sentence 3: “Many businesses in the United States regularly hire ‘temps’, or temporary workers.”
3. What correction should be made to this sentence?
Remove the quotation marks from temps.
Place the comma inside the quotation marks.
Change the spelling of temporary to temperary.
Remove the comma after temps.
Do not capitalize United States.
Identify the appropriate error in the sentences 4 through 6.
4. Graduation from High School is considered by many a momentous occasion.
Capitalization
Punctuation
Spelling
Grammar
5. The patient’s mind was lucid during the evaluation?
Capitalization
Punctuation
Spelling
Grammar
6. David was known for belching; and telling inappropriate jokes in public.
Capitalization
Punctuation
Spelling
Grammar
Identify the sentence that contains an error in usage, punctuation, or grammar. If there are no errors, choose
answer choice D.
7. Which of the following sentences contains an error?
Joni designed the grocery stores sign, but Evan painted it.
The “figure-ground phenomenon” is a term used to describe the way we perceive some objects to be in the
foreground and others to be in the background.
The Latin professor called his students “quidnuncs” when they asked too many questions about the course;
the term is Latin for “what now?”
No mistake
8. Which of the following sentences contains an error?
The term “algebra” comes from the title of a book written in the ninth century that explains how to balance
equations.
Atomic clocks keep time by measuring the vibrations of Atoms and molecules.
The chemical formula for the caffeine molecule contains calcium, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.
No mistake
9. Which of the following sentences contains an error?
The narwhal is a member of the dolphin family, easily recognized by its long, spiraling tusk, it is often
compared to the mythical unicorn.
The ocean is saltier in regions where the temperature is higher due to a higher rate of evaporation.
The garter snake is often called a “gardener snake” or a “guarder snake” because of the similar sounds of the
words.
No mistake
Questions 10-11 pertain to the underlined sections of the following excerpt:
The Supreme Court ruling of the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case said that segregating
students by race was unconstitutional. In other words, it ruled that segregation was illegal. (10) Chief justice
Earl Warren (11) “said that when black students are segregated, it causes harm.” He advocated a mixture of
black and white students in schools around the country. Warren said that learning for both racial groups
would improve when there were both black and white students in the same school.
10. How should this portion of the text be written?
Chief justice
The chief justice
The chief Justice
Chief Justice
11. How should this portion of the text be written?
“said that when black students are segregated, it causes harm.”
said that when black students are segregated, it causes harm.
said “that when black students are segregated, it causes harm.”
said that “when black students are segregated,” it causes harm.

Answers and Explanations

1. A: Answer A is correct. The sentence is declarative, rather than interrogative, despite the implied question
that is asked. It therefore requires a period as the end mark. Choice B is not correct; the apostrophe is
necessary to indicate that it is possessive. Choice C, likewise, is incorrect; it does not solve the problem, and it
creates a problem of agreement. Option D is not correct; it offers a false homonym choice, which is not the
problem and only compounds the error. Choice E is incorrect as well; the sentence as written contains an
error to be remedied.

2. E: Option E is the correct response. This question tests students’ knowledge of the use of parentheses,
which set off unnecessary information without using commas. The sentence is correct as written. Using
commas with the parentheses would be redundant and incorrect, making choice A wrong. Answer B is also
wrong; Republicans is the proper name of a particular political party and requires capitalization. Choice C,
likewise, is incorrect; the sentence requires a singular noun to refer to Margaret Chase Smith. Answer D is
wrong; the word is correctly spelled as it is written in the text.

3. B: Answer B is correct. Commas belong inside the terms in quotation marks. Option A is incorrect; the word
is being distinguished as a slang or insider term and thus requires quotation marks. Choice C is also wrong:
the word temporary is correctly spelled as written. Option D is incorrect. The comma is required because it
introduces an appositive phrase that defines the term before the comma. Choice E, likewise, is not correct.
The United States is the name of a particular country; as such, it is a proper noun and thus requires
capitalization.

4. A: The term high school is not a proper noun when used alone. So although Amory High School (a proper
noun) would be capitalized, high school would not. It is therefore incorrect to capitalize it.

5. B: The sentence in this example is a declarative statement, not a question. Therefore, it is incorrect to end
it with a question mark. The sentence is, in this instance, improperly punctuated (option B).

6. B: Semicolons are most commonly used between two independent clauses or to separate items in a series
that contain internal punctuation. In this instance, it is inappropriately used between an independent clause
and a dependent clause joined by a conjunction. Therefore, the use of a semicolon as punctuation in this
sentence is incorrect.

7. A: Joni designed the grocery stores sign, but Evan painted it.
Error: Apostrophe
Because the sign belongs to the grocery store, an apostrophe should be used to indicate possession. The
sentence should read: Joni designed the grocery store’s sign, but Evan painted it.

8. B: Atomic clocks keep time by measuring the vibrations of Atoms and molecules.
Error: Capitalization
The word “Atoms” should not be capitalized because it is not a proper noun.

9. A: The narwhal is a member of the dolphin family, easily recognized by its long, spiraling tusk, it is often
compared to the mythical unicorn.
Error: Comma splice
There are two complete thoughts here, joined together with a comma. The second complete thought begins
with the words “it is often…” To correct this sentence, replace the comma after “tusk” with a period or
semicolon.

10. D: The words “Chief Justice” refer to Earl Warren’s title and immediately precede his name. Both parts of
the title should be capitalized.

11. B: The words mentioned here are not presented as a quote, so quotation marks should not be used. ?