Free TEAS 7 English & Language Usage Practice Test 6 — 30 Questions With Full Explanations

Question 1. Conventions of Standard English easy

Which option punctuates the introductory phrase correctly? From the top of the ridge the whole valley stretched to the horizon.

• A. From the top of the ridge the whole, valley stretched to the horizon.
• B. From the top of the ridge, the whole valley stretched to the horizon. (correct)
• C. From, the top of the ridge the whole valley stretched to the horizon.
• D. From the top of the ridge; the whole valley stretched to the horizon.

Explanation: An introductory prepositional phrase that opens a sentence should be set off from the main clause with a comma, and the keyed option places that comma correctly after ridge. The semicolon version wrongly joins an introductory phrase to the main clause, and the two options that split the whole valley apart or isolate from break the phrase into pieces.

Question 2. Conventions of Standard English medium

Which verb correctly completes the following sentence? Among the ruins of the old fort ___ a single marble column.

• A. stands (correct)
• B. stand
• C. standing
• D. have stood

Explanation: The sentence is inverted, so the subject comes after the verb, and the true subject, the singular noun column, controls the choice, making the singular verb stands correct. Stand would need a plural subject, standing cannot serve as the main verb, and have stood is a plural perfect form that agrees with neither the singular subject nor the present time of the sentence.

Question 3. Conventions of Standard English medium

Select the pronoun that correctly completes the sentence: Either Maya or Lena will bring ___ program notes to the rehearsal.

• A. their
• B. its
• C. her (correct)
• D. theirs

Explanation: With either...or, the pronoun should agree with the nearer of the two subjects, and Lena is singular and feminine, so her is the matching possessive. Their treats both people as plural, its is reserved for things rather than people, and theirs is a stand-alone possessive that cannot sit directly before program notes as a modifier.

Question 4. Conventions of Standard English hard

Select the verb form that correctly completes the sentence: If the train ___ on time tomorrow, we will reach the cabin before dark.

• A. will depart
• B. departed
• C. departing
• D. departs (correct)

Explanation: A conditional sentence about the future uses the simple present in the if clause and the will form in the main clause, so departs is correct here. Will depart repeats the future marker inside the condition, departed shifts the time backward, and departing leaves the clause without a working verb, so the other forms break the conditional pattern.

Question 5. Conventions of Standard English medium

Which option repairs the run-on sentence below? The lighthouse beam swept the harbor the foghorn sounded every thirty seconds.

• A. The lighthouse beam swept the harbor, and the foghorn sounded every thirty seconds. (correct)
• B. The lighthouse beam swept the harbor the foghorn, sounded every thirty seconds.
• C. The lighthouse beam swept, the harbor the foghorn sounded every thirty seconds.
• D. The lighthouse beam swept the harbor and the foghorn, sounded every thirty seconds.

Explanation: The original fuses two complete statements with no punctuation, so it needs a proper join, and the keyed option adds a comma before and, which correctly links the two independent clauses. The three remaining options each split a subject from its verb with a comma, leaving the second clause broken instead of repaired.

Question 6. Conventions of Standard English hard

Which option correctly punctuates the title in this sentence? The magazine published her poem titled autumn rain.

• A. The magazine published her poem titled autumn rain.
• B. The magazine published her poem titled "Autumn Rain." (correct)
• C. The magazine published her poem titled "autumn rain."
• D. The magazine published her poem titled Autumn Rain.

Explanation: Titles of short works such as poems are set inside quotation marks, and the principal words of the title take capitals, so Autumn Rain in quotation marks is the correct form. Leaving the title bare treats it like an ordinary phrase, lowercasing autumn breaks the title's capitalization, and a title with no quotation marks would suit a long work rather than a poem.

Question 7. Conventions of Standard English easy

Which sentence uses capital letters correctly? We drove west on route 66 toward the mojave desert.

• A. We drove west on Route 66 toward the mojave desert.
• B. We drove West on Route 66 toward the Mojave Desert.
• C. We drove west on route 66 toward the Mojave Desert.
• D. We drove west on Route 66 toward the Mojave Desert. (correct)

Explanation: Route 66 and the Mojave Desert are proper names and take capitals, while west is a direction here and stays lowercase, which the keyed option shows. Capitalizing the direction West is wrong in this sentence, and the options that lowercase the route number or the desert name each drop a capital from a proper noun.

Question 8. Conventions of Standard English hard

Which verb correctly completes the following sentence? None of the coffee ___ left in the thermos by noon.

• A. was (correct)
• B. were
• C. have been
• D. be

Explanation: With a singular mass noun such as coffee, none is treated as singular, so the singular verb was is correct. Were and have been are plural forms that would require a plural noun such as cookies, and be needs a helping verb or an infinitive frame, so only the singular past form completes the sentence grammatically.

Question 9. Conventions of Standard English medium

Which pronoun fits correctly in this sentence? The first climber to reach the summit was ___.

• A. her
• B. itself
• C. she (correct)
• D. hers

Explanation: A pronoun that follows a linking verb and renames the subject takes the subject form, so the first climber was she is correct in formal English. Her is the object form, itself cannot refer to a person in this slot, and hers is possessive and would have to stand alone, so the other options misuse the pronoun's case.

Question 10. Conventions of Standard English medium

Since the storm, the crew ___ the dock twice. Which verb phrase completes the sentence correctly?

• A. rebuilds
• B. has rebuilt (correct)
• C. rebuilt
• D. will rebuild

Explanation: The phrase since the storm spans from a past point up to the present, which is the job of the present perfect, so has rebuilt is correct. Rebuilds is simple present and rebuilt is simple past, neither of which reaches up to now, and will rebuild points to the future, so the other forms miss the time frame the sentence sets.

Question 11. Conventions of Standard English medium

The words "When the harvest moon rose" stand alone as a fragment. Which option below makes them a complete sentence?

• A. When the harvest moon rose, the tide pools under the pier.
• B. The harvest moon rose, when.
• C. When the harvest moon rising, the tide pools glowed silver.
• D. When the harvest moon rose, the tide pools glowed silver under the pier. (correct)

Explanation: A fragment that opens with when needs a main clause to complete the idea, and the keyed revision supplies the full clause the tide pools glowed silver under the pier. The option that ends with the tide pools under the pier stays a fragment, the when-alone version leaves the connector dangling, and the rising version breaks the verb form.

Question 12. Knowledge of Language medium

Which choice best combines the two sentences? Sentence one: The corn maze opened in late September. Sentence two: The farm stands along the road followed a week later.

• A. The corn maze opened in late September, the farm stands along the road followed a week later.
• B. The corn maze opened in late September and the farm stands along the road following a week later.
• C. After the corn maze opened in late September, the farm stands along the road followed a week later. (correct)
• D. The corn maze opened in late September the farm stands along the road followed a week later.

Explanation: The two sentences share a clear time order, so the after version subordinates the earlier opening to the later farm stands and makes one smooth sentence. The comma version splices two complete statements, the and version leaves the second clause without a working verb, and the unpunctuated version fuses the sentences into a run-on.

Question 13. Knowledge of Language medium

A customer is writing to a bookstore to ask about a delayed order. Which sentence fits the formal register of that email?

• A. I am writing to inquire about the delivery date of my recent order. (correct)
• B. Hey, where's my books at?
• C. Can you get on that order of mine, like, ASAP?
• D. Yo, my package is totally MIA, fix it please.

Explanation: An email to a business calls for formal register, and the inquire sentence states the request directly with neutral, precise wording. The other three lean on casual greetings, slang such as ASAP and MIA, and chatty phrasing, each of which undercuts the professional tone a customer service email should keep.

Question 14. Knowledge of Language easy

The greenhouse grows several kinds of herbs every spring. ___, basil, oregano, and thyme. Which transition best fits the blank?

• A. Therefore
• B. For instance (correct)
• C. Meanwhile
• D. Otherwise

Explanation: The second sentence names specific examples of the herbs the greenhouse grows, so the blank needs an example marker, and for instance fits. Therefore would claim the list is a result of the growing, meanwhile would suggest the herbs appear at the same time as the growing, and otherwise would introduce a warning rather than examples.

Question 15. Knowledge of Language hard

Which of the following sentences is passive rather than active?

• A. The mural was painted by students from the high school. (correct)
• B. Students from the high school painted the mural last spring.
• C. The students painted the mural and added a border of tiles.
• D. By May, the students had nearly finished the mural.

Explanation: Passive voice places the receiver of the action in the subject position and trails the doer behind a by phrase, which the mural sentence does. The other three put the students, the actors, in the subject position performing the verbs painted, added, and had finished, so they are all active constructions.

Question 16. Knowledge of Language medium

Which revision is the most concise? Original sentence: In the near future, the station will begin its big renovation work on the platforms.

• A. In the near future, the station will begin its big renovation work on the platforms.
• B. The station, in the near future, will begin its big renovation work on the platforms.
• C. The station will soon begin renovating the platforms. (correct)
• D. The station will begin its renovation work on the platforms in the near future.

Explanation: Concision trims filler without dropping facts, and the keyed revision replaces in the near future with soon, drops the vague adjective big, and tightens renovation work into renovating. The other three keep the padded opener in the near future, the wordy noun phrase renovation work, or both, so none of them buys meaning for fewer words.

Question 17. Knowledge of Language hard

Which sentence correctly expresses a condition that is not real?

• A. If the band was ready, the parade could start on time.
• B. If the road was less crowded, we would have arrived sooner.
• C. If she was taller, she could reach the top shelf.
• D. If the band were ready, the parade could start on time. (correct)

Explanation: The subjunctive mood uses were for every subject in a hypothetical if clause, so if the band were is correct. The three options that use was in the same kind of condition are nonstandard in formal English, since a wish or condition contrary to fact calls for were regardless of whether the subject is singular or plural.

Question 18. Knowledge of Language medium

Which sentence uses the correct idiom? The board objected ___ the proposed fee increase.

• A. against
• B. to (correct)
• C. on
• D. at

Explanation: The verb object takes the fixed preposition to, so the board objected to the increase is the only idiomatic choice. Object against is a common slip but not a standard expression, and on and at do not form acceptable prepositional partners for object, so the other options fail the same idiom rule.

Question 19. Knowledge of Language medium

Choose the word with the most positive connotation: The toddler was ___ in asking for one more bedtime story.

• A. stubborn
• B. pesky
• C. persistent (correct)
• D. demanding

Explanation: Persistent carries the positive shade of steady determination, which suits a child who keeps asking without irritation. Stubborn implies an unreasonable refusal to bend, pesky suggests annoying behavior, and demanding leans toward entitlement, so each of the other words colors the scene negatively.

Question 20. Knowledge of Language hard

Which revision best clarifies this sentence? The farmer sells eggs at the market that come from free-range hens.

• A. The farmer sells eggs that come from free-range hens at the market.
• B. At the market, the farmer sells eggs that come from free-range hens. (correct)
• C. The farmer sells eggs from free-range hens at the market that come from them.
• D. The farmer sells the eggs at the market, they come from free-range hens.

Explanation: The original trails the clause that come from free-range hens after the market, so the hens appear to live there, and the keyed revision opens with the place phrase and sets the that clause directly against eggs, its true target. The option that moves at the market to the end keeps the same muddle, the them version adds a vague pronoun, and the comma-splice version joins two complete sentences with only a comma.

Question 21. Knowledge of Language easy

Which revision replaces the vague word nice with a more precise word? The tour guide gave a nice explanation of the castle ruins.

• A. The tour guide gave a good explanation of the castle ruins.
• B. The tour guide gave a decent explanation of the castle ruins.
• C. The tour guide gave an okay explanation of the castle ruins.
• D. The tour guide gave a thorough explanation of the castle ruins. (correct)

Explanation: Nice is too vague to carry real meaning, and thorough names the quality of the explanation with specific information, so it is the precise replacement. Good and decent are nearly as vague as nice, and okay is casual and still empty, so none of the other options sharpens the sentence.

Question 22. Vocabulary Acquisition medium

Read the sentence. The mayor tried to be conciliatory, offering the protesters a meeting and withdrawing the disputed sign. What does conciliatory mean as used in the sentence?

• A. hostile
• B. peacemaking (correct)
• C. indecisive
• D. triumphant

Explanation: The mayor's actions, offering a meeting and withdrawing the disputed sign, are moves meant to calm a conflict, which is exactly what conciliatory means. Hostile is the opposite of that gesture, indecisive describes hesitation rather than peacemaking, and triumphant describes winning, none of which the actions support.

Question 23. Vocabulary Acquisition easy

Based on the meaning of the prefix anti-, which means against, what is an antidote most likely to be?

• A. a substance that causes illness
• B. a dose of extra medicine
• C. a remedy that works against a poison (correct)
• D. a warning about a danger

Explanation: The prefix anti- means against, and an antidote is a remedy that works against a poison or venom, so the against meaning fits directly. A substance that causes illness would build on a different prefix, and extra medicine and a warning describe unrelated ideas, so none of the other options carries the meaning of anti-.

Question 24. Vocabulary Acquisition hard

Read the sentence. The evidence was scant, so the detective had little to work with. What does scant mean as used in the sentence?

• A. very little (correct)
• B. abundant
• C. persuasive
• D. recent

Explanation: The second half of the sentence, the detective had little to work with, spells out the meaning, so scant means very little or barely enough. Abundant is the direct opposite, persuasive describes how convincing evidence is rather than how much exists, and recent names timing, so none of those matches the support the clue provides.

Question 25. Vocabulary Acquisition medium

The Latin root script- means written. Which word below most directly involves writing?

• A. tremor
• B. vision
• C. capture
• D. inscription (correct)

Explanation: The root scrib- or script- means write, and an inscription is words written or carved onto a surface, so it is built directly on that root. Tremor comes from a root meaning to shake, vision from a root meaning to see, and capture from a root meaning to take, so the distractors carry different root meanings.

Question 26. Vocabulary Acquisition easy

The cat lingered on the warm porch because it was reluctant to leave. Which choice is closest in meaning to reluctant?

• A. eager
• B. unwilling (correct)
• C. sleepy
• D. playful

Explanation: Reluctant describes holding back from an action, and the cat that lingers on the warm porch is unwilling to leave, so unwilling is the closest match. Eager is the opposite, and sleepy and playful describe states the sentence never mentions, so none of them fits the cat's hesitation.

Question 27. Vocabulary Acquisition medium

If the prefix trans- means across, which choice gives the correct meaning of transcontinental?

• A. within a single continent
• B. under the ocean
• C. crossing a continent (correct)
• D. surrounding a continent

Explanation: The prefix trans- means across, so transcontinental describes something that crosses a continent, such as a railway or a long flight. Staying within one continent would require a prefix like intra-, and moving under or around the continent are ideas the prefix does not carry, so only the across reading fits the word.

Question 28. Vocabulary Acquisition hard

Read the sentence. The critic panned the film, calling the plot contrived and the dialogue wooden. What does contrived mean as used in the sentence?

• A. forced and artificial (correct)
• B. natural and easy
• C. original and clever
• D. slow and boring

Explanation: The critic is criticizing the film, and a plot paired with wooden dialogue is one that feels manufactured, so contrived means forced and artificial. Natural and easy and original and clever describe praise rather than blame, and slow and boring describes pacing rather than the plot's construction, so the clues point only to the artificial reading.

Question 29. Vocabulary Acquisition medium

In the word botanist, the suffix -ist changes the noun botany into what kind of word?

• A. It forms an adjective meaning full of plants.
• B. It forms a noun naming the study of plants.
• C. It forms a verb meaning to study plants.
• D. It forms a noun naming a person who studies plants. (correct)

Explanation: The suffix -ist names a person who practices or specializes in something, so a botanist is a person who studies plants. The study itself is botany, an adjective of fullness would take a suffix like -ful, and a verb meaning to study would take a verb ending, so the other options assign the -ist suffix the wrong jobs.

Question 30. Vocabulary Acquisition hard

Which word is the best antonym of transparent as used in the sentence? The agency promised transparent reporting of how the funds were spent.

• A. clear
• B. secretive (correct)
• C. detailed
• D. prompt

Explanation: Transparent reporting is open and easy to inspect, so its clearest opposite is secretive, meaning hidden or closed off. Clear repeats the idea rather than opposing it, and detailed and prompt describe qualities a transparent report may have without standing against the word, so only secretive is a true antonym here.