NUMS — Medical & Dental Entry Test

NUMS English — Sentence Correction and Error Identification (Set 4)

Take the NUMS English — Sentence Correction and Error Identification (Set 4): 30 multiple-choice questions (40 minutes) with instant scoring and a full…

What this test covers

30 NUMS English

Sample questions with answers

The first 5 questions of this test, with the correct answer and explanation.

Q1. Identify the part of the sentence that contains an error: Neither of the two surgeons (A) / were available (B) / when the emergency (C) / was brought in. (D)
- A. (D) was brought in.
- B. (C) when the emergency
- C. (A) Neither of the two surgeons
- D. (B) were available ✓
Answer: D. (B) were available
Explanation: 'Neither' is singular, so the verb must be 'was available'.
Q2. Identify the part of the sentence that contains an error: The doctor, along with (A) / his two assistants, (B) / are performing (C) / the surgery now. (D)
- A. (D) the surgery now.
- B. (A) The doctor, along with
- C. (B) his two assistants,
- D. (C) are performing ✓
Answer: D. (C) are performing
Explanation: The subject is 'the doctor'; 'along with his two assistants' does not make it plural, so 'is performing' is needed.
Q3. Identify the part of the sentence that contains an error: The news of the (A) / floods were (B) / broadcast on (C) / every channel yesterday. (D)
- A. (A) The news of the
- B. (D) every channel yesterday.
- C. (B) floods were ✓
- D. (C) broadcast on
Answer: C. (B) floods were
Explanation: 'News' is a singular uncountable noun, so the verb should be 'was'.
Q4. Identify the part of the sentence that contains an error: If she would have (A) / revised the chapter, (B) / she would have (C) / cleared the quiz. (D)
- A. (B) revised the chapter,
- B. (C) she would have
- C. (A) If she would have ✓
- D. (D) cleared the quiz.
Answer: C. (A) If she would have
Explanation: In a third conditional the if-clause takes the past perfect: 'If she had revised the chapter'.
Q5. Identify the part of the sentence that contains an error: I have been (A) / living in this city (B) / since five years (C) / and like it. (D)
- A. (A) I have been
- B. (C) since five years ✓
- C. (D) and like it.
- D. (B) living in this city
Answer: B. (C) since five years
Explanation: 'Since' is used with a point in time; for a period of time, use 'for five years'.

The other 25 questions

Take the timed test (free, no sign-up) to see your score and the answer and explanation for every question.

Q6. Identify the part of the sentence that contains an error: The teacher gave (A) / the students a lot of (B) / informations (C) / about the syllabus. (D)
- A. (B) the students a lot of
- B. (C) informations
- C. (A) The teacher gave
- D. (D) about the syllabus.
Q7. Identify the part of the sentence that contains an error: Many a (A) / student have (B) / failed this (C) / paper before. (D)
- A. (A) Many a
- B. (D) paper before.
- C. (B) student have
- D. (C) failed this
Q8. Identify the part of the sentence that contains an error: He prefers (A) / walking (B) / than (C) / driving to work. (D)
- A. (A) He prefers
- B. (C) than
- C. (B) walking
- D. (D) driving to work.
Q9. Identify the part of the sentence that contains an error: The principal as well as (A) / the teachers (B) / were present (C) / at the function. (D)
- A. (C) were present
- B. (B) the teachers
- C. (A) The principal as well as
- D. (D) at the function.
Q10. Identify the part of the sentence that contains an error: Please lend (A) / me your notes; (B) / I will borrow (C) / them back tomorrow. (D)
- A. (C) I will borrow
- B. (A) Please lend
- C. (D) them back tomorrow.
- D. (B) me your notes;
Q11. Identify the part of the sentence that contains an error: A large number (A) / of the patients (B) / was discharged (C) / yesterday morning. (D)
- A. (C) was discharged
- B. (B) of the patients
- C. (A) A large number
- D. (D) yesterday morning.
Q12. Identify the part of the sentence that contains an error: She has (A) / less friends (B) / than her sister (C) / in the college. (D)
- A. (D) in the college.
- B. (A) She has
- C. (C) than her sister
- D. (B) less friends
Q13. Identify the part of the sentence that contains an error: He is (A) / one of those (B) / doctors who (C) / always arrives late. (D)
- A. (D) always arrives late.
- B. (C) doctors who
- C. (B) one of those
- D. (A) He is
Q14. Identify the part of the sentence that contains an error: She is (A) / an hard-working (B) / student who (C) / respects her teachers. (D)
- A. (A) She is
- B. (B) an hard-working
- C. (D) respects her teachers.
- D. (C) student who
Q15. Identify the part of the sentence that contains an error: By the time we (A) / reached the station, (B) / the train (C) / has already left. (D)
- A. (A) By the time we
- B. (C) the train
- C. (B) reached the station,
- D. (D) has already left.
Q16. Which sentence is free of a dangling modifier?
- A. Walking into the ward, a strong smell of antiseptic hit me.
- B. Walking into the ward, I was hit by a strong smell of antiseptic.
- C. Walking into the ward, the antiseptic smell was strong.
- D. Having walked into the ward, the smell of antiseptic was strong.
Q17. Choose the sentence that is correct and parallel in structure.
- A. The nurse checked the pulse, recorded the temperature and informed the doctor.
- B. The nurse checked the pulse, recorded the temperature and informing the doctor.
- C. The nurse checked the pulse, recording the temperature and informed the doctor.
- D. The nurse checked the pulse, recorded the temperature and to inform the doctor.
Q18. Choose the correctly punctuated sentence about the announcement of results.
- A. The results were announced on Monday; however nobody, had checked them.
- B. The results were announced on Monday however, nobody had checked them.
- C. The results were announced on Monday, however nobody had checked them.
- D. The results were announced on Monday; however, nobody had checked them.
Q19. Choose the grammatically correct sentence about the furniture in some hospital rooms.
- A. The furniture in these rooms is old and needs replacing.
- B. The furnitures in these rooms are old and need replacing.
- C. The furniture in these rooms are old and needs replacing.
- D. Furnitures in these rooms is old and needs replacing.
Q20. Choose the correct sentence about missing a bus.
- A. Unless you hurry, you will miss the bus.
- B. Unless you will hurry, you will miss the bus.
- C. Unless you don't hurry, you will miss the bus.
- D. Unless you hurried, you will miss the bus.
Q21. Choose the sentence with the correct use of its / it's.
- A. The hospital has raised it's fees, and it's likely to raise them again.
- B. The hospital has raised its fees, and it's likely to raise them again.
- C. The hospital has raised it's fees, and its likely to raise them again.
- D. The hospital has raised its fees, and its likely to raise them again.
Q22. Choose the grammatically correct sentence about adjusting a patient's bed.
- A. The nurse raised the head of the bed as the patient began to rise.
- B. The nurse rose the head of the bed as the patient began to raise.
- C. The nurse rose the head of the bed as the patient began to rise.
- D. The nurse raised the head of the bed as the patient began to raise.
Q23. Choose the correct sentence about the effect of a new policy.
- A. The new policy will affect all first-year students.
- B. The new policy will effect all first-year students.
- C. The new policy will affects all first-year students.
- D. The new policy will have affect on all first-year students.
Q24. Choose the best replacement for the capitalised part of the sentence: The results of the survey, which was conducted last month, SHOWS that most students sleep less than six hours.
- A. has showed
- B. show
- C. No improvement
- D. is showing
Q25. Choose the best replacement for the capitalised part of the sentence: She is looking forward TO MEET the new principal.
- A. to have met
- B. for meeting
- C. to meeting
- D. No improvement
Q26. Choose the best replacement for the capitalised part of the sentence: If I WOULD HAVE KNOWN the answer, I would have told you.
- A. would know
- B. knew
- C. No improvement
- D. had known
Q27. Choose the best replacement for the capitalised part of the sentence: The introduction of new rules has made the entry test MORE HARDER.
- A. No improvement
- B. most harder
- C. more hardly
- D. harder
Q28. Choose the correctly spelt word meaning 'careful and diligent in one's work'.
- A. Conscientious
- B. Concientious
- C. Consientious
- D. Conscientous
Q29. Choose the correctly spelt word meaning 'playfully naughty'.
- A. Mischievous
- B. Mischivous
- C. Mischievious
- D. Mischevious
Q30. Choose the correctly spelt word meaning 'a special right or advantage given to certain people'.
- A. Privilege
- B. Previlege
- C. Privelege
- D. Priviledge