Free TEAS 7 English & Language Usage Practice Test 3 — 30 Questions With Full Explanations

Question 1. Conventions of Standard English medium

Which option correctly punctuates the appositive in this sentence? "My brother a paramedic works nights."

• A. My brother a paramedic, works nights.
• B. My brother, a paramedic, works nights. (correct)
• C. My brother a paramedic works, nights.
• D. My brother, a paramedic works nights.

Explanation: An appositive is a noun phrase that renames the noun beside it, and it is set off from the rest of the sentence with commas on both sides. Option B correctly frames a paramedic between two commas. Option A marks only the second side, option C drops the commas and shifts one into the predicate, and option D marks only the first side.

Question 2. Conventions of Standard English easy

Which sentence correctly punctuates the list in this sentence? "The clinic ordered gloves masks and gowns."

• A. The clinic ordered gloves, masks, and gowns. (correct)
• B. The clinic ordered gloves masks, and gowns.
• C. The clinic ordered, gloves masks and gowns.
• D. The clinic ordered gloves masks and gowns.

Explanation: A list of three items needs a comma after each item except the last. Option A separates gloves, masks, and gowns correctly. Option B leaves gloves and masks fused, option C places a comma between the verb and its direct object, and option D drops every comma so the list runs together.

Question 3. Conventions of Standard English hard

Which option uses the colon correctly to introduce a list? "The pantry held three staples rice, beans, and oil."

• A. The pantry held three staples; rice, beans, and oil.
• B. The pantry held three staples, rice, beans, and oil.
• C. The pantry held three staples rice, beans, and oil.
• D. The pantry held three staples: rice, beans, and oil. (correct)

Explanation: A colon after an independent clause properly introduces the list that follows it, so option D is correct. Option A uses a semicolon, which joins clauses rather than introducing a list, option B uses only a comma and fuses the clause to the list, and option C drops the punctuation that signals the list is coming.

Question 4. Conventions of Standard English easy

Which sentence uses the apostrophe correctly in a contraction?

• A. Do'nt forget to label the samples.
• B. The lab isnt open on Sundays.
• C. The lab isn't open on Sundays. (correct)
• D. The lab is'nt open on Sundays.

Explanation: In a contraction the apostrophe stands exactly where letters were removed, so is not becomes isn't. Option C places the apostrophe correctly. Option A writes do'nt instead of don't and puts the apostrophe in the wrong spot, option B drops it entirely, and option D tucks it after the verb instead of where the o was removed.

Question 5. Conventions of Standard English medium

Which sentence shows correct agreement between a subject and its verb?

• A. Every one of the engineers have a copy of the manual.
• B. Neither of the proposals meet the deadline requirements.
• C. Each of the invoices was checked twice before payment. (correct)
• D. Both of the printers was out of ink.

Explanation: Indefinite pronouns like each, every one, and neither take singular verbs in formal English. Option C matches the singular each with was. Option A matches every one with have, option B matches neither with meet, and option D matches the plural both with was, so the other three break the agreement.

Question 6. Conventions of Standard English medium

In which sentence does the pronoun clearly agree with its antecedent?

• A. The nurse and the therapist submitted her report to the supervisor.
• B. The nurse and the therapist submitted their reports to the supervisor. (correct)
• C. The nurse and the therapist submitted its report to the supervisor.
• D. The nurse and the therapist submitted they reports to the supervisor.

Explanation: Two subjects joined by and form a plural antecedent, so the pronoun must be plural. Option B uses their to match the two people. Option A uses the singular her for two people, option C uses its, which is reserved for things rather than people, and option D uses the subject form they where a possessive is needed.

Question 7. Conventions of Standard English medium

In which sentence do the verbs stay in a single tense?

• A. The chef marinated the chicken, seasons it, and baked it for an hour.
• B. The chef marinated the chicken, seasoned it, and baked it for an hour. (correct)
• C. The chef marinates the chicken, seasoned it, and bakes it for an hour.
• D. The chef will marinate the chicken, seasons it, and will bake it for an hour.

Explanation: Verbs in a series should stay in the same time frame unless the meaning requires a shift. Option B holds all three verbs in the past tense. Option A drifts to present with seasons, option C drifts to past with seasoned, and option D mixes future and present forms instead of keeping all three the same.

Question 8. Conventions of Standard English easy

Which choice is a complete sentence rather than a fragment?

• A. The generator hummed quietly in the basement. (correct)
• B. The intern who finished charting and left the office.
• C. After the storm passed through the night.
• D. To improve the response time of the whole unit.

Explanation: Option A has a subject and a predicate and can stand alone, so it is a complete sentence. Option B leaves the subject intern without a main verb, option C starts with after and never delivers a main clause, and option D is an infinitive phrase with no subject or finite verb.

Question 9. Conventions of Standard English medium

Which option corrects the comma splice in this sentence? "The walls were freshly painted, the smell lingered for days."

• A. The walls were freshly painted the smell lingered for days.
• B. The walls, were freshly painted the smell lingered for days.
• C. The walls were freshly painted, so, the smell lingered for days.
• D. The walls were freshly painted; the smell lingered for days. (correct)

Explanation: A comma splice joins two independent clauses with only a comma, and the semicolon in option D repairs it by joining the two clauses cleanly. Option A fuses the sentences with no punctuation, option B inserts a comma between the subject and its verb, and option C adds a stray comma after the conjunction so.

Question 10. Conventions of Standard English hard

Which sentence keeps the items in its list parallel?

• A. The grant proposal requires a budget, a timeline, and explaining the staffing plan.
• B. The grant proposal requires a budget, a timeline, and a staffing plan. (correct)
• C. The grant proposal requires a budget, a timeline, and to explain the staffing plan.
• D. The grant proposal requires budgeting, a timeline, and a staffing plan.

Explanation: Items in a series that play the same role must share the same grammatical form. Option B keeps all three items as nouns, so the list is parallel. Option A switches the third item to a gerund, option C switches it to an infinitive, and option D starts with the gerund budgeting before returning to plain nouns.

Question 11. Conventions of Standard English easy

Which sentence follows the rules of capitalization?

• A. We fly to Denver, colorado, on the last friday of March.
• B. We fly to denver, Colorado, on the last Friday of March.
• C. We fly to Denver, Colorado, on the last Friday of March. (correct)
• D. We fly to Denver, Colorado, on the last Friday of march.

Explanation: Proper nouns, cities and states, and the names of days and months all take capital letters. Option C capitalizes Denver, Colorado, Friday, and March. Option A lowercases the state and the day, option B lowercases the city, and option D lowercases the month.

Question 12. Knowledge of Language easy

Which sentence is appropriate for a formal document?

• A. The board members were kinda split on the budget question.
• B. The board members disagreed about the budget. (correct)
• C. The board members were so not on the same page, honestly.
• D. The board members had a bit of a tiff over the budget.

Explanation: Formal writing uses neutral, direct language instead of casual hedges, slang, and friendly idioms. Option B states the disagreement plainly. Option A uses the hedge kinda, option C uses slang and a filler interjection, and option D leans on the casual idiom had a bit of a tiff.

Question 13. Knowledge of Language medium

Which revision removes wordiness from this sentence? "In the event of a fire, the building occupants should exit at once."

• A. If fire breaks out, occupants should exit the building at once. (correct)
• B. In the event that a fire happens, the building occupants should exit at once.
• C. Should a fire event occur, the building occupants should exit at once.
• D. Fire breaking out, occupants exit at once.

Explanation: The phrase in the event of is a wordy stand-in for if. Option A replaces it with the single word and trims other filler without losing meaning. Option B keeps the inflated opener, option C turns the noun event into deadwood alongside fire, and option D drops the connector and leaves a broken construction.

Question 14. Knowledge of Language medium

Which sentence avoids repeating an idea that is already stated?

• A. The two brothers both agreed with each other on the plan.
• B. The two brothers both agreed together on the plan.
• C. The two brothers mutually agreed with one another on the plan.
• D. The two brothers agreed on the plan. (correct)

Explanation: Redundancy repeats information the words already carry. Option D is clean because agreed already implies both parties and needs no extra qualifiers. Option A repeats the idea with both and each other, option B repeats it with both and together, and option C repeats it with mutually and one another.

Question 15. Knowledge of Language medium

Combine these two sentences: "The scanner broke. The team printed the pages by hand." Which option combines them best?

• A. The scanner broke, the team printed the pages by hand.
• B. The scanner broke because the team printed the pages by hand.
• C. The scanner broke and the team printing the pages by hand.
• D. Because the scanner broke, the team printed the pages by hand. (correct)

Explanation: The best combination subordinates the cause with because, making the reason for the hand printing clear. Option D puts the cause first and the main clause after the comma. Option A splices two independent clauses, option B reverses the logic by blaming the scanner on the printing, and option C leaves a broken verb form.

Question 16. Knowledge of Language hard

Which sentence uses the active voice?

• A. The results were reviewed by the entire committee.
• B. The committee reviewed the results on Tuesday. (correct)
• C. The results, which were reviewed by the committee, were released.
• D. A review of the results was conducted by the committee.

Explanation: Active voice puts the actor in the subject position performing the verb, and option B does exactly that: the committee reviewed. Options A, C, and D are passive because the results or a review occupies the subject position and the doer trails behind a by phrase.

Question 17. Knowledge of Language hard

Which option avoids the unclear pronoun reference in this sentence? "The supervisor told the intern that she needed to redo the forms."

• A. The supervisor told the intern to redo the forms. (correct)
• B. The supervisor told the intern that they needed to redo the forms.
• C. The supervisor told the intern, and she needed to redo the forms.
• D. The supervisor told the intern that she would be expected to redo the forms.

Explanation: Option A removes the pronoun entirely and uses an infinitive, so there is no doubt about who must redo the forms, and it is the clear choice. Option B's they could name either person, option C keeps the unexplained she, and option D repeats the same ambiguity while adding yet another verb phrase.

Question 18. Knowledge of Language hard

Which sentence places the modifier "covered in chocolate sauce" correctly?

• A. The waiter served dessert to the couple that was covered in chocolate sauce.
• B. Covered in chocolate sauce, the waiter served dessert to the couple.
• C. The waiter, covered in chocolate sauce, served dessert to the couple.
• D. The waiter served the dessert, covered in chocolate sauce, to the couple. (correct)

Explanation: A modifier belongs next to the word it describes, so covered in chocolate sauce must touch the dessert. Option D places it directly after dessert. Option A leaves the clause dangling after couple, suggesting the diners were sauced, and options B and C attach the phrase to the waiter instead of the food.

Question 19. Knowledge of Language hard

Which option fixes the dangling modifier in this sentence? "Driving through the tunnel, the radio signal faded."

• A. Driving through the tunnel, the driver heard the radio signal fade. (correct)
• B. While driving through the tunnel, the radio signal faded.
• C. Driving through the tunnel, fading was the radio signal.
• D. The radio signal faded, driving through the tunnel.

Explanation: A dangling modifier has no named performer, and the original never says who was driving. Option A gives the driver to the participial phrase, so the sentence makes sense. Option B keeps the same dangling structure, option C inverts the sentence without adding an actor, and option D simply moves the dangling phrase to the end.

Question 20. Knowledge of Language medium

Which sentence avoids the double negative?

• A. The technician could not find none of the spare cables.
• B. The office has no spare cables left. (correct)
• C. The office hasn't got no spare cables left.
• D. There aren't no spare cables in the cabinet.

Explanation: Two negatives in one clause cancel each other and confuse the meaning. Option B uses the single negative no, so the statement is clear. Option A pairs not with none, option C pairs hasn't with no, and option D pairs aren't with no, and each of those double negatives sends the meaning in two directions at once.

Question 21. Knowledge of Language medium

Which sentence uses the more precise word choice?

• A. The committee looked at the proposal and decided to accept it.
• B. The committee reviewed the proposal and decided to accept it. (correct)
• C. The committee saw the proposal and decided to accept it.
• D. The committee went over the proposal and decided to accept it.

Explanation: Option B chooses reviewed, which names the careful examination the committee actually performed. Looked at and saw are generic verbs that understate the scrutiny, and went over slides into casual register, so the other options are less precise for a formal context.

Question 22. Vocabulary Acquisition medium

The root mal- means bad or wrong. Which word's meaning depends on that root?

• A. memory
• B. melody
• C. manual
• D. malfunction (correct)

Explanation: The root mal- means bad or wrong, and a malfunction is a failure to work properly, so it is the word built on that root. Memory builds on the root for mindful or remembering, melody on the Greek word for song, and manual on the root for hand, so the distractors carry different meanings.

Question 23. Vocabulary Acquisition medium

The root dict- relates to speaking or saying. Which word contains that root?

• A. prevent
• B. portrait
• C. predict (correct)
• D. process

Explanation: The root dict- means say or speak, and predict literally means to say beforehand, that is, to foretell. Prevent comes from a Latin root meaning to come before, portrait from a root meaning to draw or portray, and process from a root meaning to go forward, so none of the distractors carries the speaking meaning.

Question 24. Vocabulary Acquisition medium

The root bio- means life. Which word names the study of life?

• A. geography
• B. biology (correct)
• C. history
• D. chemistry

Explanation: The root bio- means life, and biology names the study of life, so option B is built directly on that root. Geography begins with geo, which means earth, history derives from a Greek word for inquiry, and chemistry comes from an unrelated root, so none of the distractors carries the life meaning.

Question 25. Vocabulary Acquisition hard

What does the root graph- mean in the word seismograph?

• A. writing or recording (correct)
• B. sound
• C. distance
• D. heat

Explanation: In seismograph, the root graph- carries the meaning writing or recording, because the instrument records seismic waves on paper or a screen. Sound is the meaning of the root phon-, distance of metr-, and heat of therm-, so the other options name different roots.

Question 26. Vocabulary Acquisition easy

What does the word unbroken mean?

• A. broken again
• B. broken before
• C. not broken (correct)
• D. broken wrongly

Explanation: The prefix un- negates the base word, so unbroken means not broken. Broken again would use re-, broken before would use pre-, and broken wrongly would use mis-, so the other options attach the meanings of different prefixes.

Question 27. Vocabulary Acquisition medium

Which word means to fill again because of its prefix?

• A. prefill
• B. overfill
• C. underfill
• D. refill (correct)

Explanation: The prefix re- means again, so refill means to fill again. Prefill means to fill beforehand, built on pre-, overfill means to fill too much, built on over-, and underfill means to fill below capacity, built on under-, so the other options carry different prefix meanings.

Question 28. Vocabulary Acquisition medium

The prefix inter- means between or among. Which word's meaning depends on that prefix?

• A. intrastate
• B. interstate (correct)
• C. reintroduce
• D. unify

Explanation: The prefix inter- means between, and interstate describes movement or connection between states. Intrastate is the near-twin built on intra-, which means within and reverses the meaning, reintroduce uses re-, meaning again, and unify uses uni-, meaning one, so the other options rest on different prefixes.

Question 29. Vocabulary Acquisition hard

Which word is a noun formed from the verb inform with the suffix -tion?

• A. information (correct)
• B. informative
• C. informed
• D. informer

Explanation: The suffix -tion converts verbs into abstract nouns, so inform becomes information, which names the thing conveyed. Informative is an adjective formed with -ive, informed is the past form of the verb, and informer is a noun built with -er that names the person who informs rather than the message itself.

Question 30. Vocabulary Acquisition hard

Which word is a noun formed by adding the suffix -ment to a verb?

• A. enjoyable
• B. enjoying
• C. enjoyment (correct)
• D. enjoyer

Explanation: The suffix -ment turns verbs into nouns that name a state or result, so enjoy becomes enjoyment. Enjoyable is an adjective formed with -able, enjoying is a present participle or gerund made with -ing, and enjoyer is a noun built with -er to name the person who enjoys.