TOEFL EXERCISE ( Skill 1-3) : Choose the letter of the
underline word or group of words that is not correct.
1. Nobody know when the process
of glass-making was invented.
A
B
C D
The
incorrect word is : (A) Know
The reason :
Nobody is singular subject. So, the verb is must be followed by s/es.
The correct
sentence is :
“Nobody knows
when the process of glass-making was invented”.
2. The languages of the world
presents a vast array of structural similarities and differences.
A B
C
D
The
incorrect word is : (A) Presents
The reason :
Because the languages is a plural subject. So, that it does not need to be
followed by s/es in the end of the verb.
The correct
sentence is :
“The
languages of the world present a vast array of structural similarities
and differences”.
3. The rise of multinationals have
resulted in a great deal of legal ambiguity
A
B
because multinationals can operate in so many jurisdictions.
C
D
The
incorrect word is : (A) Have
The reason :
The rise of multinationals is looks like a plural subject, but it can be change
to ‘it’ which is a singular subject that has the auxiliary verb such as : is,
was, does, has.
The correct
sentence is :
“The rise of
multinationals has resulted in a great deal of legal ambiguity because
multinationals can operate in so many jurisdictions”.
4. All of the east-west interstate
highways in the United States has even
A
numbers, while northsouth interstate
highways are odd-numbered.
B
C
D
The
incorrect word is : (A) Has
The reason :
All of the east-west interstate highways is a plural subject. So, it must be
followed by the one of auxiliary verb for the plural subject, have.
The correct
sentence is :
“All
of the east-west interstate highways in the United States have even
numbers, while north-south interstate highways are odd-numbered”.
5. When a massive star in the
large Magellanic Cloud exploded in 1987, a wave of
A
B
neutrinos were
detected on Earth.
C D
The
incorrect word is : (C) Were
The reason :
A wave of neutrinos is singular subject. So, it must follow with was the one o
auxiliary verb for singular subject.
The correct
sentence is :
“When a
massive star in the large Magellanic Cloud exploded in 1987, a wave of
neutrinos was detected on Earth”.
6. Every open space in the targeted
area that has grass and a few bushes are
A
B
C
occupied by the white-crowned sparrow.
D
The
incorrect word is : (C) Are
The reason :
Every open space is singular subject. So, it must be followed by is, not are.
The correct
sentence is :
“Every open
space in the targeted area that has grass and a few bushes is occupied
by the white-crowned sparrow”.
7. Krakatoa is remembered as
the volcano that put so much ash into the air that
A
B
sunsets
around the world was affected for two years afterward.
C
D
The
incorrect word is : (B) Put
The reason :
Krakatoa is singular subject. So, it must be followed by singular verb that
contains s/es in the end of the word.
The correct
sentence is :
“Krakatoa is
remembered as the volcano that puts so much ash into the air that
sunsets around the world was affected for two years afterward”.
8. The term “Yankee” was
originally a nickname for people from New England,
A
but now
anyone from the United States are referred to as a Yankee.
B C D
The
incorrect word is : (B) Are
The reason :
Anyone is singular verb, and from the beginning of this sentence suggests the
singular too.
The correct
sentence is :
“The term
“Yankee” was originally a nickname for people from New England, but now anyone
from the United States is referred to as a Yankee”.
9. A network of small arteries, mostly
sandwiched between the skin and the
A
underlying muscles, supply blood
to the face and scalp.
B
C D
The
incorrect word is : (C) Supply
The reason :
A network of small arteries included in the singular subject. So, the verb must
be followed by s/es.
The correct
sentence is :
“A network
of small arteries, mostly sandwiched between the skin and the underlying
muscles, supplies blood to the face and scalp”.
10. Mesquite is a small
tree in the Southwest who can withstand the severest drought.
A B
C
D
The
incorrect word is : (C) Who
The reason :
Who is pronoun used to refer to people. In this sentence referred to ‘tree’.
So, ‘who’ change to ‘that’ or ‘which’.
The correct
sentence is :
“Mesquite is
a small tree in the Southwest that can withstand the severest drought”.
OR
“Mesquite is
a small tree in the Southwest which can withstand the severest drought”.
