Grammar and Usage Challenge

1. John ________ much younger if he shaved his beard.

• would appear

• would feel

• would look

• would seem

2. I believe that in a few months’ time, the situation ___________ significantly.

• will stabilize

• will decrease

• will remain the same

• will change

3. The rare comet can ___________ in the night sky under clear conditions.

• appear

• twinkle

• fade

• disappear

4. Emma .............................. in this department for over a decade. She’s planning a career change soon.

• has been working

• worked

• is working

• has worked

5. Mike asked me if I had enjoyed the concert last night.

• Mike asked: "Did you enjoy the concert last night?"

• Mike asked: "Have you enjoyed the concert last night?"

• Mike asked: "Were you enjoying the concert last night?"

• Mike asked: "Would you enjoy the concert last night?"

6. NOTICE: Library users must leave the reading room promptly when the bell rings.

• Visitors must leave the reading room as soon as the bell rings.

• Readers can return to the library after the bell stops ringing.

• Stay in the reading room until someone comes to lock it.

• The library bell signals the opening of the reading room.

7. CAFÉ: Final 10 minutes before closing must be used to clear tables and return trays.

• You have time after closing to put your tray away.

• Tables may be cleared after closing hours.

• All trays must be returned in the final 10 minutes before the café closes.

• The café now includes extra time for customers to return trays.

8. Hi Alex, I’m so glad we were able to talk last weekend. I wanted to check if you still need help preparing for the presentation next week. Let me know if you’d like to meet up to practice!
What is the purpose of this message?

• Complimenting Alex on their preparation

• Thanking Alex for their help

• Asking Alex about a meeting last weekend

• Offering Alex assistance with a presentation

In a sense, the term “stagefright” is a misnomer – fright being a shock for which one is unprepared. For professional performers, the overwhelming anxiety strikes as they prepare to do the very thing they’ve been trained to do. According to one British medical study, musicians’ stress levels before a performance are comparable to “those of accident survivors.” When Sir Laurence Olivier was in his sixties, he contemplated leaving the stage because of stagefright. It “is always lurking,” he wrote in Confessions of an Actor. “You either confront it or give up.” The Canadian violinist Sarah Chang, who struggled with severe stagefright, eventually stopped performing live in favor of studio recordings. “To me, the ideal artist-audience interaction is purely virtual,” she said.

9. 9. According to the passage, what would be a more appropriate name for stagefright?

• unexpected panic

• controlled fear

• pre-performance anxiety

• situational disorder

10. In context, which of the following best describes the use of “overwhelming” in the passage?

• anxiety so severe it feels unmanageable

• unjustified panic

• stress that fades quickly after beginning the performance

• nervousness that enhances focus