Free TEAS 7 English & Language Usage Practice Test 5 — 30 Questions With Full Explanations

Question 1. Conventions of Standard English medium

Which option correctly fixes the run-on sentence? The kettle whistled the water boiled over the stove.

• A. The kettle whistled, and the water boiled over the stove. (correct)
• B. The kettle whistled, the water boiled over the stove.
• C. The kettle whistled the water, boiled over the stove.
• D. The kettle whistled and the water, boiled over the stove.

Explanation: The original sentence fuses two complete statements with no punctuation, so it needs a real join. The keyed option adds a comma before and, which correctly connects the two independent clauses. The comma-only version is a comma splice, and the two options that split the water from its verb leave the second clause broken.

Question 2. Conventions of Standard English medium

Which option punctuates the dialogue correctly? The aide asked are any beds free this evening

• A. The aide asked, "are any beds free this evening?"
• B. The aide asked, "Are any beds free this evening?" (correct)
• C. The aide asked "Are any beds free this evening."
• D. The aide asked, Are any beds free this evening?

Explanation: A direct quotation needs a comma before the opening quotation mark, and the quoted sentence keeps its own capital letter and end mark. The keyed option supplies all three. The version that starts the quote lowercase, the option that drops the comma, and the option that leaves the spoken words unquoted each break one of those rules.

Question 3. Conventions of Standard English easy

Which sentence punctuates the two adjectives correctly? The hikers crossed the cold muddy stream.

• A. The hikers crossed the cold muddy, stream.
• B. The hikers crossed, the cold muddy stream.
• C. The hikers crossed the cold, muddy stream. (correct)
• D. The hikers crossed the cold muddy stream.

Explanation: Two adjectives that equally modify the stream belong together with a comma between them, and cold and muddy pass the and test. The keyed option inserts that comma. Fusing the modifiers without a comma, moving the comma after muddy, and planting a comma after crossed each misplace the mark or leave it out entirely.

Question 4. Conventions of Standard English hard

Choose the verb that correctly completes the sentence: Neither the supervisor nor the assistants ___ the new scheduling software.

• A. knows
• B. known
• C. knowing
• D. know (correct)

Explanation: In a neither...nor construction the verb agrees with the nearer subject, and assistants is plural, so know is the right form. Knows matches only a singular subject, known is a participle that needs a helping verb, and knowing cannot serve as the main verb, which settles the choice.

Question 5. Conventions of Standard English medium

Choose the verb that correctly completes the sentence: Everybody in the chorus ___ the national anthem before the game.

• A. sings (correct)
• B. sing
• C. sung
• D. singing

Explanation: Everybody is an indefinite pronoun that counts as singular, so the singular verb sings is correct. Sing would fit a plural subject such as the singers, sung is a past participle that requires a helping verb like has, and singing cannot stand alone as the sentence's main verb.

Question 6. Conventions of Standard English medium

Which pronoun correctly completes the sentence? The jury reached ___ verdict after three hours.

• A. their
• B. its (correct)
• C. it's
• D. theirs

Explanation: The jury acts as one unit here, so the singular possessive its is the pronoun that agrees with the singular collective noun. Their treats the jury as several separate people, it's is the contraction of it is rather than a possessive, and theirs is a stand-alone possessive that cannot modify verdict directly.

Question 7. Conventions of Standard English hard

Choose the verb phrase that correctly completes the sentence: By the time the guests arrived, the caterer ___ the tables.

• A. sets
• B. has set
• C. had set (correct)
• D. will set

Explanation: The guests arrived at a past time, and the table setting happened before that, so the past perfect had set marks the earlier action correctly. Sets is present tense, will set is future, and has set is the present perfect, which cannot pair with the past-time phrase by the time the guests arrived.

Question 8. Conventions of Standard English medium

Which option revises the fragment into a complete sentence? Although the ferry was running late.

• A. Although the ferry was running late, the passengers on the dock.
• B. The ferry was running late, although.
• C. Although the ferry running late, passengers waited patiently.
• D. Although the ferry was running late, passengers waited patiently on the dock. (correct)

Explanation: A fragment that opens with although needs a main clause to finish it, and the keyed revision adds the complete clause passengers waited patiently on the dock. The version that trails off with the passengers on the dock remains a fragment, the although-alone version leaves the subordinator dangling, and the option that drops was breaks the verb.

Question 9. Conventions of Standard English easy

Which sentence capitalizes the book title correctly? Maya borrowed a novel called the long road home from the library.

• A. Maya borrowed a novel called The Long Road Home from the library. (correct)
• B. Maya borrowed a novel called the long road home from the library.
• C. Maya borrowed a novel called The long road home from the library.
• D. Maya borrowed a novel called The Long road home from the library.

Explanation: A book title is a proper noun, so the principal words The, Long, Road, and Home all take capitals. The keyed option capitalizes all four. The all-lowercase version treats the title like an ordinary phrase, and the two partial versions capitalize only some of the title words, mixing proper and common treatment.

Question 10. Conventions of Standard English medium

Choose the verb that correctly completes the sentence: After dinner, the children ___ on the rug and watched the movie.

• A. lain
• B. lay (correct)
• C. laid
• D. lie

Explanation: Lie, meaning to recline, takes no object, and its past tense is lay, so the children lay on the rug. Laid is the past tense of lay, meaning to put something down, which needs an object, lie is the present tense, and lain is a past participle that requires a helping verb such as had.

Question 11. Conventions of Standard English hard

Which option punctuates the nonessential clause correctly? Dr. Osei who joined the clinic in May will lead the training.

• A. Dr. Osei who joined the clinic in May, will lead the training.
• B. Dr. Osei, who joined the clinic in May will lead the training.
• C. Dr. Osei, who joined the clinic in May, will lead the training. (correct)
• D. Dr. Osei who, joined the clinic in May, will lead the training.

Explanation: The clause who joined the clinic in May adds extra information, so it must be set off with commas on both sides, which the keyed option does. Marking only one side separates the doctor from the rest of the sentence, and the option that splits who from joined breaks the clause itself.

Question 12. Knowledge of Language easy

Which sentence is appropriate for a formal email requesting a letter of recommendation from a former professor?

• A. Hey, can you hook me up with a letter?
• B. Could you fire off a letter for me real quick?
• C. I need you to write me that letter thing, thanks!
• D. I am writing to respectfully request a letter of recommendation. (correct)

Explanation: A formal email to a professor calls for a direct, neutral statement of the request, and the writing-to-request option meets that standard. The other three lean on slang and casual speech such as hook me up, fire off, and that letter thing, along with the informal greeting hey, so none of them fits the register.

Question 13. Knowledge of Language medium

Which choice best combines the two sentences? Sentence one: The sun set over the lake. Sentence two: The campers gathered around the fire.

• A. As the sun set over the lake, the campers gathered around the fire. (correct)
• B. The sun set over the lake, the campers gathered around the fire.
• C. The sun set over the lake and the campers gathering around the fire.
• D. The sun set over the lake the campers gathered around the fire.

Explanation: The as version turns the setting sun into the time frame for the gathering, producing one smooth sentence with a clear order of events. The comma version splices two complete sentences, the and version leaves its second clause without a working verb, and the unpunctuated version fuses the two sentences into a run-on.

Question 14. Knowledge of Language medium

Which choice best combines the two sentences? Sentence one: The snow melted. Sentence two: The path became muddy.

• A. The snow melted, the path became muddy.
• B. After the snow melted, the path became muddy. (correct)
• C. The snow melted and the path becoming muddy.
• D. The snow melted after the path became muddy.

Explanation: The after version subordinates the melting to the muddying, so the cause and effect line up in the correct order. The comma version splices two complete sentences, the and version breaks the second clause with becoming, and the reversed after version claims the path turned muddy before the snow melted.

Question 15. Knowledge of Language hard

Which sentence clearly states that the technician examined nothing besides the chart? The technician checked the chart.

• A. The technician only checked the chart.
• B. Only the technician checked the chart.
• C. The technician checked only the chart. (correct)
• D. The technician checked the chart only when asked.

Explanation: The limiter only belongs directly in front of the word it narrows, so checked only the chart means the chart was the sole thing examined. The only-checked version can mean he did nothing beyond checking, the only-the-technician version claims he alone worked, and the only-when-asked version adds a condition the sentence never states.

Question 16. Knowledge of Language medium

Which revision most clearly states the point of this sentence? There are several factors that determine the price of the ticket.

• A. There are several factors that determine the price of the ticket, which is important.
• B. The price of the ticket is determined by several factors, it should be noted.
• C. There are factors, several of them, that determine the price of the ticket.
• D. Several factors determine the price of the ticket. (correct)

Explanation: The there are opener pads the sentence and pushes the real subject, factors, into the middle, so the keyed revision lets the subject drive the verb directly. The version that tacks on which is important adds an empty claim, the it-should-be-noted version trails into a comment, and the several-of-them option just shuffles the same wordiness.

Question 17. Knowledge of Language medium

A formal report contains this sentence: The auditor reviewed the claims submitted by the clinic. Which sentence could follow it while keeping the same formal tone?

• A. The auditor found several discrepancies in the claims. (correct)
• B. And yeah, the claims were a total mess.
• C. So basically, the numbers didn't add up at all.
• D. The claims were, like, all over the place.

Explanation: A formal report keeps a neutral, precise voice from sentence to sentence, and the found-several-discrepancies option continues the auditor's sentence without slang or filler. The three casual options break that voice with yeah, basically, like, and chatty phrasing, so each would pull the report out of its intended register.

Question 18. Knowledge of Language hard

Which choice best combines the two sentences? Sentence one: The road was icy. Sentence two: The buses ran on schedule.

• A. The road was icy, the buses ran on schedule.
• B. Although the road was icy, the buses ran on schedule. (correct)
• C. The road was icy and the buses running on schedule.
• D. The road was icy the buses ran on schedule.

Explanation: The although version frames the icy road as a difficulty the buses still overcame, which matches the relationship of the two original sentences. The comma version splices two complete statements, the and version breaks the second clause with running, and the version with no punctuation fuses the sentences into a run-on.

Question 19. Knowledge of Language medium

Which revision replaces the vague word in this sentence? The manual lists the stuff you need for setup.

• A. The manual lists the things you need for setup.
• B. The manual lists the gear you need for setup.
• C. The manual lists the equipment you need for setup. (correct)
• D. The manual lists the bits and pieces you need for setup.

Explanation: Stuff is too vague for a manual, and equipment names the exact class of items in a neutral, precise way. Things stays just as vague as the original, gear leans casual, and bits and pieces is a folksy phrase that undercuts clarity, so none of the other options improves the revision.

Question 20. Knowledge of Language hard

Which revision most clearly states who is responsible? The neighbors said it was the city's duty to repair the sidewalk.

• A. The neighbors said the city had a duty repairing the sidewalk.
• B. It was said by the neighbors that the sidewalk was the city's duty.
• C. The neighbors said the sidewalk was a duty of the city to repair.
• D. The neighbors said that repairing the sidewalk was the city's duty. (correct)

Explanation: The original leaves it floating without a clear meaning, and the keyed revision names the action, repairing the sidewalk, as the thing the city owes. The had-a-duty-repairing version bends the verb pattern, the passive it-was-said version hides the neighbors, and the a-duty-of-the-city phrasing tangles the word order.

Question 21. Knowledge of Language easy

Which sentence is the most formal in tone?

• A. The patient's condition improved steadily overnight. (correct)
• B. The patient got way better overnight.
• C. The patient did a total turnaround overnight.
• D. The patient's condition, like, got so much better.

Explanation: The improved-steadily sentence names the change with a neutral verb and a precise adverb, so it holds a formal clinical tone. Got way better leans on casual intensifiers, did a total turnaround reaches for a showy idiom, and the version with like and so much slips into spoken register.

Question 22. Vocabulary Acquisition medium

Read the sentence. The lecturer was so loquacious that the talk ran forty minutes past the bell. What does loquacious mean as used in the sentence?

• A. quiet and reserved
• B. very talkative (correct)
• C. easily confused
• D. quick to anger

Explanation: The clue is that the talk ran forty minutes past the bell, which points to a speaker who goes on at great length, the meaning of loquacious. Quiet and reserved is the opposite of that behavior, and easily confused and quick to anger describe states the sentence never hints at.

Question 23. Vocabulary Acquisition medium

Read the sentence. The trail was arduous, with loose gravel on every slope and a steep climb at each switchback. What does arduous mean as used in the sentence?

• A. flat and smooth
• B. short and direct
• C. difficult and tiring (correct)
• D. well maintained

Explanation: Loose gravel on every slope and a steep climb at each switchback describe ground that wears the hiker down, which is exactly what arduous means. Flat and smooth is the opposite of steep and rough, short and direct does not fit a long, winding trail, and well maintained is a condition the sentence never mentions.

Question 24. Vocabulary Acquisition hard

Which word is closest in meaning to comprise as used in the sentence? The library's collection comprises more than 80,000 volumes.

• A. lacks
• B. excludes
• C. describes
• D. contains (correct)

Explanation: A collection that numbers more than 80,000 volumes is made up of those volumes, so comprise means contains or includes. Lacks and excludes point the opposite way, and describes would suggest the collection only writes about the volumes rather than holding them.

Question 25. Vocabulary Acquisition hard

Read the sentence. The new findings corroborate the earlier study, and both experiments point to the same conclusion. What does corroborate mean as used in the sentence?

• A. confirm (correct)
• B. contradict
• C. question
• D. replace

Explanation: Because both experiments point to the same conclusion, the new findings support the earlier study, and that is what corroborate means. Contradict and question are opposites of supporting, and replace would mean the new study takes the old one's place, a claim the sentence never makes.

Question 26. Vocabulary Acquisition easy

The prefix sub- means under or below. Based on that prefix, what does subzero most likely mean?

• A. above zero
• B. below zero (correct)
• C. at zero
• D. near zero

Explanation: The prefix sub- means under or below, so subzero describes a temperature that sits below zero. Above zero is the direct opposite, at zero loses the below idea entirely, and near zero would come from a different prefix, so only the below-zero reading follows the meaning of sub-.

Question 27. Vocabulary Acquisition easy

The root aud- means hear. Which word's meaning best reflects that root?

• A. aquarium
• B. aviation
• C. auditorium (correct)
• D. avenue

Explanation: The root aud- means hear, and an auditorium is a hall where an audience gathers to hear a performance, so it is the word built on the hearing root. Aquarium names a place for aquatic life, aviation relates to flight, and avenue means a road, none of which grows out of aud-.

Question 28. Vocabulary Acquisition medium

What does the suffix -less do to the word fear in fearless?

• A. It forms a noun that names the feeling of fear.
• B. It forms a verb meaning to fear again.
• C. It forms an adverb meaning in a fearful way.
• D. It forms an adjective meaning without fear. (correct)

Explanation: The suffix -less means without, and it turns the noun fear into the adjective fearless, meaning without fear. A noun naming the feeling would use a suffix like -ness, a verb meaning to fear again would carry re-, and an adverb of manner would end in -ly, so the other options name the wrong jobs.

Question 29. Vocabulary Acquisition medium

Which word is the best antonym of hostile?

• A. friendly (correct)
• B. angry
• C. aggressive
• D. bitter

Explanation: Hostile means unfriendly or openly opposed, so its clearest opposite is friendly. Angry, aggressive, and bitter describe states a hostile person might show, which makes them companions of the word rather than antonyms, so they cannot be the answer.

Question 30. Vocabulary Acquisition hard

Which word is closest in meaning to implement as used in the sentence? The board voted to implement the new policy at the start of the year.

• A. repeal
• B. put into effect (correct)
• C. delay
• D. discuss

Explanation: A board that votes on a policy at the start of the year intends to carry it out, which is what implement means. Repeal means to cancel the policy, delay pushes it off, and discuss only talks about the plan, so none of those matches the board's decision to begin it.