TEAS English: Knowledge of Language — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student is writing a formal clinical report. Which sentence is MOST appropriate for that context?
- The results were kinda surprising to almost everyone involved.
- Wow — the data showed something totally unexpected!
- The findings revealed a statistically significant deviation from the predicted outcome. (Correct answer)
- Nobody really saw these results coming, if we're being honest.
Correct answer: The findings revealed a statistically significant deviation from the predicted outcome.
Formal academic and clinical writing requires precise, objective language free of colloquialisms. Options A, B, and D contain informal expressions ('kinda,' 'Wow,' 'totally,' 'if we're being honest') inappropriate for professional documents.
Question 2: Which revision BEST corrects the dangling modifier in the following sentence? 'The nurse administered the medication after being examined.'
- The nurse administered the medication after the patient was examined. (Correct answer)
- The patient was administered medication by the nurse after being examined.
- After being examined, the medication was administered by the nurse.
- The medication was administered after the nurse examined.
Correct answer: The nurse administered the medication after the patient was examined.
The original sentence implies the nurse was examined, which is illogical. Option A clarifies that the patient was examined by making the patient the explicit subject of that clause.
Question 3: A writer wants to combine two sentences to show a cause-and-effect relationship: 'The TEAS is a challenging exam. Many students study for months.' Which option BEST achieves this?
- The TEAS is a challenging exam, many students study for months.
- Because the TEAS is a challenging exam, many students study for months. (Correct answer)
- The TEAS is a challenging exam and many students study for months.
- Many students study for months, the TEAS is a challenging exam.
Correct answer: Because the TEAS is a challenging exam, many students study for months.
The subordinating conjunction 'because' explicitly establishes the cause-and-effect relationship: the exam's difficulty causes students to study extensively. Option A is a comma splice; option C uses 'and,' which shows addition rather than causation.
Question 4: Which of the following sentences contains a redundancy that should be eliminated?
- She returned back to the clinic for her scheduled follow-up appointment. (Correct answer)
- The medication significantly reduced the patient's fever within six hours.
- He reviewed the chart carefully before beginning the physical examination.
- The nurse documented each symptom accurately and completely.
Correct answer: She returned back to the clinic for her scheduled follow-up appointment.
'Returned back' is redundant because 'return' already means to go back. The word 'back' repeats the meaning already contained in 'returned' and should be removed.
Question 5: Which word BEST completes the blank to maintain a formal, professional tone in a clinical summary? 'Following the intervention, the patient's respiratory function ___ markedly.'
- got way better
- improved (Correct answer)
- bounced back
- picked up
Correct answer: improved
'Improved' is precise, formal, and appropriate for a clinical document. The other options are colloquial idioms ('got way better,' 'bounced back,' 'picked up') that would be inappropriate in a professional medical record.
Question 6: Which revision BEST improves the following sentence by converting it from passive to active voice? 'The experiment was conducted by the researchers, and the data were analyzed by them.'
- The researchers conducted the experiment and analyzed the data. (Correct answer)
- By the researchers, the experiment was conducted and the data were analyzed.
- Conducting the experiment, the data were analyzed by the researchers.
- The experiment and the data were both conducted and analyzed.
Correct answer: The researchers conducted the experiment and analyzed the data.
Active voice places the subject (researchers) before the verb (conducted, analyzed), producing a cleaner and more direct sentence. Options B, C, and D remain passive, awkward, or logically unclear.
