Standard English Conventions

Chief Editor

Mar 17, 2024

Take all 3 MCQs in interactive quiz mode with timer and progress tracking

How do scientists determine what foods were eaten by extinct hominins such as Neanderthals? In the past, researchers were limited to studying the marks found on the fossilized teeth of skeletons, but in 2017 a team led by Laura Weyrich of the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA tried something ________ the DNA found in Neanderthals' fossilized dental plaque. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Difficulty: Medium

new: sequencing

new; sequencing

new, sequencing:

new. Sequencing

Oglala Lakota poet Layli Long Soldier's star quilt poems offer an unusually open-ended reading experience. With _______ eight panels of text stitched together in the shape of a traditional eight-pointed Lakota star quilt, the poems present viewers with a seemingly infinite number of ways to read them. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Difficulty: Medium

their

it's

they're

its

Before the Erie Canal was completed in 1825, transporting goods by wagon between New York City and the Midwest took up to forty-five days and cost one hundred dollars per ton. By linking the Hudson River to Lake ________ canal reduced transport time to nine days and cut costs to six dollars per ton. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Difficulty: Easy

Erie; the

Erie (the

Erie, the

Erie; the