English Language Skills Assessment

Which of the following sentences contains an example of catachresis?

• The early bird catches the worm.

• He literally exploded with anger.

• She sings like an angel.

• Time flies when you're having fun.

Identify the sentence that demonstrates zeugma.

• She is both intelligent and beautiful.

• He lost his wallet and his temper.

• The rain fell softly on the roof.

• Birds sang their sweet melodies.

Which literary device involves the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases?

• Hyperbole

• Understatement

• Antithesis

• Paradox

"The wind whispered secrets through the trees." This sentence is an example of:

• Metaphor

• Simile

• Personification

• Alliteration

What is the semantic relationship between the words "purchase" and "buy"?

• Antonymy

• Hyponymy

• Synonymy

• Meronymy

Which of the following sentences exhibits a dangling modifier?

• Having finished dinner, the dishes were washed.

• She quickly ate her dinner.

• The cat sat on the mat.

• He spoke clearly and concisely.

Identify the sentence that uses a pluperfect verb tense correctly.

• I have seen that movie.

• She will go to the store later.

• They had already eaten when we arrived.

• He is reading a book now.

What is the function of the italicized clause in the sentence: "The book that I borrowed from the library is very interesting."

• Adverbial clause

• Nominal clause

• Adjectival clause

• Main clause

Which of the following words has a schwa sound as its initial phoneme in standard British English (RP)?

• Apple

• Orange

• Table

• Chair

What is the difference between a prescriptive and a descriptive approach to grammar?

• Prescriptive grammar describes how people actually use language; descriptive grammar dictates how they should use it.

• Prescriptive grammar focuses on spoken language; descriptive grammar focuses on written language.

• Prescriptive grammar dictates rules of language usage; descriptive grammar describes how language is actually used.

• There is no significant difference between the two approaches.