JumpStart – Language & Critical Thinking Skills Check

1. Question

If I can learn German, I _____ next year studying in Berlin.

will spend
would spend
would have spent
had spent

2. Question

Which sentence is grammatically correct?

My friend and I are going to the movies.
Me and my friend are going to the movies.
I and my friend are going to the movies.
My friend and me are going to the movies.

3. Question

The client was querulous. Which choice is not synonymous with the italicized word?

Curious
Irritable
Argumentative
Complaining

4. Question

Choose the most correct sentence to use.

Are David and Carlos coming here?
Are David and Carlos comming here?
Is David and Carlos coming here?
Are David & Carlos coming here?

5. Question

Please choose the best rewrite for the following sentence.

If a person wants to succeed in school, then they have to study.

If a person wants to succeed in school, they have to study.
No change. It is correct as it is.
If a person wants to succeed in school, and they have to study.
A person has to study, if they want to succeed in school.

6. Question

What is the correct use of the word “it’s” in a sentence?

Used as a contraction of "it is"
Used as a possessive pronoun
Used to show ownership
Used to describe a person or thing

7. Question

Please choose the best rewrite for the following sentence to make it more clear.

We could watch the stars sitting on the balcony.

Sitting on the balcony, we could watch the stars.
No change. It is correct as it is.
Watching on the balcony, the stars sitting.
The stars we could watch sitting on the balcony.

8. Question

Choose the most correct sentence.

Our homes, shuttered, are well protected from strong winds.
Our homes, shuttered, is well protected from high winds.
Our homes, with shutters on it, are well protected from high winds.
Our home, shuttered, are well protected from fast winds.

9. Question

Bonnie and Clyde were famous criminals known for their daring and ruthlessness. Which choice below is best to replace the italicized word?

Notorious
Busy
Evil
Outrageous

10. Question

“I write you in your capacity as the school board chairperson.” The word “capacity” as used here most nearly means:

Position
Maximum
Volume
Blame

11. Question

“Can I borrow your car for this evening?” “Yes, but Mom’s using it right now. If she _____ it back in time, you’re welcome to borrow it.”

brings
brought
would bring
had brought

12. Question

Please replace the underlined text with the best choice.

Working at my first job taught me to handle customer complaints, answering the telephone, and how to maintain a database.

how to handle customer complaints, answer the telephone, and maintain a database.
to handle customer complaints, answering the telephone, and how to maintain a database.
how to handle customer complaints, answering the telephone, and maintaining a database.
handling customer complaints, answering the telephone, and maintenance of a database.

13. Question

We have rewritten the following sentence for clarity.
Good money managers control their present expenses, and they invest surplus dollars to meet their future needs.
Please choose the most clear sentence below.

Good money managers control their present expenses, because they invest surplus dollars to meet their future needs.
Good money managers, because they control their present expenses, have surplus money to invest to meet their future needs.
Because good money managers control their present expenses, they invest surplus dollars to meet their needs
Because good money managers control their present expenses they invest surplus dollars to meet their needs.

14. Question

Which of the below sentences is not correct?

Have Jack and Diane arrived? Their here?
Have Jack and Diane arrived? They’re here?
Have Jack and Diane arrived? Are they here?
Have Jack and Diane arrived? They are here?

15. Question

A recent study found that students who listen to classical music while studying perform better on exams than those who do not. Based on this information, what can we conclude?

Listening to classical music may improve a student's performance on exams, but other factors should also be considered.
Classical music has a direct effect on a student's intelligence.
All students should listen to classical music while studying.
Students who listen to other types of music while studying will perform poorly on exams.

16. Question

Had I known the contractor was going to take a week to show up, I _____ what I needed and done the work myself. It would have been finished by now.

would have gotten
will get
might get
will have gotten

17. Question

What is the correct use of the word “their” within the following four options?

Used as a possessive pronoun for multiple people or things
Used to indicate a location
Used to describe a person's characteristics
Used to show a comparison between two things

18. Question

We have rewritten the following sentence omitting “you.”
In a large city, you may have massive traffic jams on your daily commute to work.

Please choose the correct sentence.

In a large city, massive traffic jams may be part of the daily commute to work.
In a large city, a person may have massive traffic jams on your daily commute to work.
In a large city, a resident may have massive traffic jams on his daily commute to work.
In a large city, massive traffic jams may be part of the everyday commute on the way to work.

19. Question

Read the following excerpt and answer the question(s) below

Excerpt from NIST Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity

“The development of cybersecurity performance metrics is evolving. Organizations should be thoughtful, creative, and careful about the ways in which they employ measurements to optimize use, while avoiding reliance on artificial indicators of current state and progress in improving cybersecurity risk management. Judging cyber risk requires discipline and should be revisited periodically. Any time measurements are employed as part of the Framework process, organizations are encouraged to clearly identify and know why these measurements are important and how they will contribute to the overall management of cybersecurity risk. They also should be clear about the limitations of measurements that are used.

For example, tracking security measures and business outcomes may provide meaningful insight as to how changes in granular security controls affect the completion of organizational objectives. Verifying achievement of some organizational objectives requires analyzing the data only after that objective was to have been achieved. This type of lagging measure is more absolute. However, it is often more valuable to predict whether a cybersecurity risk may occur, and the impact it might have, using a leading measure.”

In paragraph 2, the author states “This type of lagging measure is more absolute” What does ‘lagging’ mean in this context?

a delayed measurement
an absolute measurement
a creative measurement
an initial measurement

20. Question

Passage:

Tom is a 15-year-old boy who loves playing basketball. He’s been playing since he was 6 and is now the captain of his high school basketball team. Tom is very dedicated to the sport and spends several hours each day practicing. His hard work has paid off, as he’s become one of the best players on his team.

Question:

What is Tom’s favorite sport?

Basketball
Soccer
Baseball
Football