Grammar HESI A2 Practice Test

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: Period. In the sentence "Take this fast-acting cough medicine after your next meal," a period is needed at the end to indicate the end of a complete thought or sentence. A period is used to separate sentences and is essential for clarity and proper grammar. Explanation for other choices: B: Comma - A comma is not appropriate at the end of a sentence unless it is part of a list or used for a specific grammatical structure. C: Colon - A colon is used to introduce a list or an explanation, neither of which is needed in this sentence. D: Hyphen - A hyphen is used to join words together or to separate syllables, neither of which is necessary in this context.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: appraise. The word "appraise" means to assess the value or quality of something, usually referring to objects or property. In the given sentence, the intended meaning is to inform or notify, which aligns with the word "apprise." Therefore, "appraise" is used incorrectly. The other choices (B, C, D) are all used correctly in the sentence, as they are all relevant and accurately convey their intended meanings within the context provided.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The correct answer is D: Semicolon. A semicolon is needed in this sentence to correctly connect two independent clauses. In this case, "I finished the project early" and "however, I really should edit my work" are both independent clauses that can stand alone as separate sentences. The semicolon is used to join these related clauses without using a conjunction. Explanation: A: Apostrophe is incorrect as it is not needed for possessive form or contraction. B: Colon is incorrect as it is used to introduce a list or explanation, not to join two independent clauses. C: Comma is incorrect because a comma alone is not strong enough to join two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The correct punctuation needed in the sentence is a comma (Choice B). The sentence contains two independent clauses connected by the coordinating conjunction "and," which requires a comma before it. This comma separates the two clauses to clarify the relationship between them. Using a period (Choice A) would create two separate sentences. A colon (Choice C) is used to introduce a list or explanation, which is not relevant here. A semicolon (Choice D) could be used to connect the two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction, but since "and" is present, a comma is the appropriate choice.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is C: never seen. The phrase "never seen" is not grammatically correct in this sentence as it should be "had never seen." The past perfect tense "had never seen" is used to indicate an action that did not occur before a certain point in the past, which fits the context of Javier's trip to Puerto Rico. The other choices, A: Until his trip, B: had never, and D: his ancestral home, are all used correctly in the sentence.