These are original Marlbridge practice questions, not past exam questions. Unless a source is credited, every passage was written by Marlbridge for this page. The rubrics are a suggested Marlbridge rubric to help you check your work; they are not an official scoring guideline. No calculator is needed.
Question 1 (multiple choice · foundation)
In “The council approved the revised plan unanimously,” which words are modifiers?
- (A) “council” and “plan”
- (B) “revised” and “unanimously”
- (C) “The” and “approved” only
- (D) None
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). “Revised” specifies which plan, and “unanimously” qualifies how the council approved it.
- (A) are the subject and object nouns.
- (C) “The” is an article, and “approved” is the main verb.
- (D) is wrong because two modifiers are present.
Question 2 (multiple choice · core)
Why should a modifier be placed closest to the word, phrase or clause it modifies?
- (A) It makes the sentence longer.
- (B) It reduces ambiguity about what is being modified.
- (C) It makes the sentence a question.
- (D) It is only a matter of taste.
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). Readers tend to attach a modifier to the nearest possible target, so distance invites misreading.
- (A) Length is not the point.
- (C) Placement does not turn a statement into a question.
- (D) Placement affects meaning, not only taste.
Question 3 (multiple choice · core)
Which sentence uses a parenthetical element?
- (A) “The mayor opened the library.”
- (B) “The mayor, a former teacher, opened the library.”
- (C) “The mayor who opened the library resigned.”
- (D) “Opening the library took an hour.”
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). “A former teacher” is set off by commas and could be removed without changing the main sentence.
- (A) has no interruption.
- (C) “who opened the library” is an essential clause that identifies which mayor, so it is not set off.
- (D) has no interrupting element.
Question 4 (multiple choice · core)
Which sentence contains a dangling modifier?
- (A) “Walking home, I noticed the stars.”
- (B) “Walking home, the stars were bright.”
- (C) “I noticed the stars while walking home.”
- (D) “As I walked home, the stars were bright.”
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). “Walking home” has no matching subject: the stars were not walking.
- (A) “I” is the walker, so the modifier has a subject.
- (C) The modifier is attached to “I”.
- (D) The clause has its own subject, “I”.
Question 5 (multiple choice · stretch)
Which sentence correctly punctuates a non-essential clause?
- (A) “The books which were damaged in the flood have been replaced.” (meaning all the books were damaged)
- (B) “The books, which were damaged in the flood, have been replaced.”
- (C) “The books which, were damaged in the flood have been replaced.”
- (D) “The books, which were damaged in the flood have been replaced.”
Answer and explanation
Answer: (B). Commas on both sides set the non-essential clause apart, and the meaning is that all the books were damaged and replaced.
- (A) has no commas, which would suggest that only some books were damaged.
- (C) has a misplaced comma inside the clause.
- (D) has only one comma, so the clause is not properly closed.
Question 6 (constructed response · core)
Revise each sentence (written by Marlbridge) so that the modifier is clearly placed, and explain each change in a few words. (6 marks)
- “The nurse gave the child a sweet with a kind smile.”
- “Tired after the long journey, the hotel seemed a welcome sight.”
- “She told the class on Tuesday she would hand back the essays.”
Sample answer and suggested rubric
- “With a kind smile, the nurse gave the child a sweet.” The phrase modifies the nurse’s action, not the sweet.
- “Tired after the long journey, we thought the hotel a welcome sight.” The modifier needs a subject that was tired.
- “On Tuesday she told the class she would hand back the essays.” or “She told the class she would hand back the essays on Tuesday.” The writer must choose which meaning is intended.
| Mark | What earns it |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sentence 1 repaired |
| 1 | Sentence 1 explained |
| 1 | Sentence 2 repaired with a suitable subject |
| 1 | Sentence 2 explained (dangling modifier) |
| 1 | Sentence 3 repaired with one clear meaning |
| 1 | Sentence 3 explained (ambiguity) |
Question 7 (constructed response · core)
Rewrite this sentence three times, adding the parenthetical element “a retired nurse” with commas, dashes and parentheses. Then explain how the effect differs and when each might suit a writer’s purpose. (6 marks)
“Mrs Okoye volunteers at the clinic.” (Written by Marlbridge.)
Sample answer and suggested rubric
- Commas: “Mrs Okoye, a retired nurse, volunteers at the clinic.” (smooth and quiet; suits a straightforward background detail)
- Dashes: “Mrs Okoye—a retired nurse—volunteers at the clinic.” (emphatic; suits a writer who wants the reader to notice her expertise, perhaps to show why she is valuable)
- Parentheses: “Mrs Okoye (a retired nurse) volunteers at the clinic.” (the quietest; suits an optional detail that the writer does not want to stress)
| Mark | What earns it |
|---|---|
| 1 | Correct comma version |
| 1 | Correct dash version |
| 1 | Correct parentheses version |
| 1 | Explains the comma effect |
| 1 | Explains the dash effect (emphasis) |
| 1 | Explains the parentheses effect and links a version to a purpose |
Question 8 (constructed response · stretch)
Abraham Lincoln said at Gettysburg (1863, public domain): “The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.”
Explain how the modifiers and parenthetical elements shape the meaning and tone of the sentence. (6 marks)
Sample answer and suggested rubric
Sample. The main statement is “The brave men… have consecrated it.” The first interruption, “living and dead”, is a parenthetical element that extends the praise to the survivors as well as the fallen, so the dedication includes everyone who fought. “Who struggled here” is a clause that specifies which men Lincoln means, tying them to the place the audience stands on. The final modifier, “far above our poor power to add or detract”, sets the soldiers’ action above the speakers’ own ability, which is a humble acknowledgement that words cannot improve on what has been done. The tone is therefore both generous toward the soldiers and humble about the occasion. The interruptions delay the verb until the second half of the sentence, which builds weight for the final claim.
| Mark | What earns it |
|---|---|
| 1 | Identifies “living and dead” as a parenthetical element |
| 1 | Explains what it adds (includes the survivors) |
| 1 | Identifies “who struggled here” and explains what it specifies |
| 1 | Identifies the final modifier (“far above our poor power”) |
| 1 | Explains its effect on tone (humility) |
| 1 | Notes the effect of the interruptions on the sentence’s rhythm or emphasis |
How did you do? If you missed Questions 1 to 5, reread “Keep modifiers close to what they modify” and “Parenthetical elements”. If you lost marks in 6 to 8, check that you repaired the meaning and explained what each aside adds.