HESI A2 Grammar Practice Exam

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B: Comma. In the sentence "The days seem long, but the nights seem even longer," a comma is needed before the coordinating conjunction "but" to separate the two independent clauses. This comma helps clarify the relationship between the two contrasting ideas. Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because a period would create two short, choppy sentences, a colon is not needed for this context, and an apostrophe is used for possession or contractions, which are not relevant in this sentence.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is C: understand. In the sentence, the verb "understand" should be followed by a direct object, such as "the essay." However, in this sentence, "the essay" is being used as the object of the preposition "to," making it incorrect. This error affects the sentence structure and clarity. A: pretends - Correctly used as the verb in the sentence. B: truly - Correctly used as an adverb modifying "understand." D: essay - Correctly used as the object of the preposition "to." Summary: "Understand" is the incorrect word as it does not have a direct object in the sentence, affecting the sentence structure and clarity. Other choices are used correctly in the sentence.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The correct answer is D: Although. This conjunction is used to introduce a contrast or concession. In this sentence, it sets up a contrast between the fact that the emergency room was not busy and the head nurse still not allowing anyone to end their shift early. It emphasizes the unexpected or contradictory nature of the situation. A: Because indicates causation, which does not fit the context of contrasting information in the sentence. B: Provided that suggests a condition for something to happen, but it does not convey the intended contrast in the sentence. C: As if is used to describe a hypothetical situation or comparison, which is not the case in the sentence. In summary, D is the correct answer because it effectively conveys the contrasting information in the sentence, while the other choices do not fit the context.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: and. In this sentence, the phrase "the windows must be washed" is a continuation of the previous clause "The lounge needs a thorough cleaning." The word "and" is used to connect two related ideas or actions, indicating that both tasks need to be done. The conjunction "or" suggests a choice between cleaning the lounge or washing the windows, which is not the intended meaning. "But" and "yet" would imply a contrast or contradiction between the two tasks, which does not fit the context of the sentence.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The correct answer is D: their. In the sentence, "the nurses' laughter" indicates possession by a plural noun "nurses." Therefore, the possessive pronoun "their" is the most appropriate choice to indicate that the laughter belongs to the nurses collectively. The other choices (A: his, B: hers, C: them) are incorrect because they do not match the plural possessive noun "nurses" in the sentence. "His" and "hers" are singular possessive pronouns, while "them" is a plural objective pronoun.