ATI TEAS Practice Test English and Language Usage: Questions & Answers: Updated Guide

Which of the following nouns represents the correct plural form of the word syllabus?
A. Syllabus
B. Syllaba
C. Syllabi
D. Syllabis
(Ans- C. The word syllabi is the correct plural form of syllabus.
- The other answer choices reflect incorrect plural forms. Specifically, syllabus does not change the form at all, and the Latin root of syllabus would require some change.
- At the same time, syllaba - while an accurate plural for some words with Latin roots - is incorrect in this case.
- And syllabis is a double form of the plural, so it cannot be correct.

Which of the following words functions as an adjective in the sentence below?
The welsh kingdom of Gwynedd existed as an independent state from the early 5th century, when the Romans left Britain, until the late 13th century, when the king of England took control of Wales.
A. independent
B. century
C. king
D. control
(Ans- A. The word independent is an adjective that modifies the word state, describing what kind of state the kingdom of Gwynedd was. The words century, king, and control are all nouns in this context.




Bi, re, and un are:
A. Suffixes, appearing at the beginning of base words to change their meaning
B. Suffixes, appearing at the end of base words to enhance their meaning
C. Prefixes, appearing at the beginning of base words to emphasize their meaning
D. prefixes, appearing at the beginning of base words to change their meaning
(Ans- D. prefixes, appearing at the beginning of base words to change their meanings.
- Suffixes appear at the end of words.
- Prefixes are attached to the beginning of words to change their meanings.
- Un+happy, bi+monthly, and re+examine are prefixes that, by definition, change the meanings of the words to which they are attached.

Which of the following sentences shows the correct use of quotation marks?
A. Grady asked Abe, 'Did you known that an earthquake and a tsunami hit Messina, Italy, in 1908?'
B. Grady asked Abe, "Did you known that an earthquake and a tsunami hit Messina, Italy, in 1908"?
C. Grady asked Abe, "Did you known that an earthquake and a tsunami hit Messina, Italy, in 1908?"
D. Grady asked Abe, " 'Did you known that an earthquake and a tsunami hit Messina, Italy, in 1908'?"
(Ans- C. Answer choice C. is correct, because the quotation is a standard quotation (requiring double quotes) as well as a question.
- Additionally, the question mark belongs inside the quotation marks.
- Answer choice A. correctly places the question mark inside the quotation marks, but the sue of single quotes is incorrect for standard quotations.
- Answer choice B is incorrect, because it places the question mark outside the quotation marks.
- Answer choice D uses the layered quotes, which are unnecessary in this case, since the sentence presents only one quotation instead of more than one.

Since, whether, and accordingly are examples of which type pf single words?
A. common, or basic, single words
B. compare/contrast words
C. cause-effect words