Basic UK English Oxford Style Editing Skills MCQ

Choose the editing option that best corrects the underlined part of the following sentence. 

The breakup of the Soviet Union left nuclear weapons in the hands of unstable nascent countries, thus making it imperative for world security that they be destroyed.

Choose the editing option that best corrects the underlined part of the following sentence. 

The CEO is wary about spelling out his strategy, preferring to play his cards close to his chest. 

The following sentence is devoid of punctuation. Which of the given editing options turns it into a coherent, plausible sentence?

At last I met Dr. Sneeth the evil scientist who had caused such trouble for the city

Read the following sentence and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

If any club member dared to suggest that he was not against opening membership to women but only against allowing them early tee times, he would be shouted out of the room.

Read the following passage from a company report and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

As part of the new incentive programme instituted in the second quarter, each sales employee was asked to forecast his own contribution to each period

Read the following passage and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

The intern glanced nervously around the operating room. The moment had arrived—his first solo operation—and he couldn

Read the following sentence and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

If you have a copy of your résumé, and if you have the completed application form, you may go in to see the interviewer now.

Read the following sentence and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

Don't flatter yourself—Susannah had no intention of crying for you regardless of whether you had a banjo on your knee, came from Alabama or were headed to Louisiana

Read the following sentence and identify the type of error contained in the underlined part.

Although Ralph didn't like the name-calling and teasing he endured from the cool kids, he found their pointed silence equally as upsetting.

Read the following stanza from a contemporary poem and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

She ran daintily among the tame, silky hills disappeared and reappeared, galloping on the wind whirlingly penetrated the universe and the nothing.

She smiled at me. I liked her. I latched onto her joy.

Crumbs of history under the Chair of time.

Read the following sentence and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

Nothing is more disgusting to Ruth but seeing toads squashed on the side of the road.

Read the following sentence and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

Henrik, who was desperate to impress Sophie—who happened to be sitting next to him on the divan and pretending not to notice anything untoward—was beside himself with shame and anger because his goat, which he

Read the following sentence and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

Daphne's latest exhibition was roundly panned by the critics, whereas her earlier works had received a lukewarm reception

Read the following sentence and identify the type of error it contains.

Although I'm not a big fan of so-called chick flicks, I have to admit that The Devil Wears Prada is far and away the best film of the genre I've seen

Read the following passage from the manuscript of a novel and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

Along the dusty roadway lay intermittent reminders of the war: a mud-filled crater here, a bullet-riddled tree there—and all around, the silence of expectation, of the calm before the storm.

Read the following sentence from a formal study and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

A recent study by a team of UCLA sociologists confirmed that the average female moviegoer expects to see at least three romantic scenes per film, and that they are seldom disappointed!

Read the following sentence and identify the type of error contained in the underlined portion.

Alistair protested against the rock singer's tour and threatened to burn down any theatre that dared to host his concert.

Read the following sentence and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

Try and imagine a mental picture of someone struggling with the activity of trying to learn what the fingerings and techniques are for how to play the flute.

Choose the editing option that best corrects the underlined part of the following sentence.

The Board of Directors on Monday said that the company could undertake the additional activities without first seeking the consent of the foreign investors.

The following sentence is devoid of punctuation. Which of the given editing options turns it into a coherent, plausible sentence?

The point is Mr. Rosenwell said Andrew whether or not you intend to pay off your debts

Read the following sentence and identify the type of error it contains.    

The differences in the two committees had finally reached an insurmountable level; each wanted to delve in the problem more deeply, but neither wanted to cooperate among the other.

Read the following sentence from a journal article and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

Of the two control groups, a significant number (85) of those in Group A scored higher (74%) than those in group B (66 percent), while both had similar standard deviations (8.3% and 7.9% respectively).

Read the following sentence and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

Happiness has always and will always be an elusive element in my life, yet I don't let that fact bother me too much

Read the following sentence and identify the type of error it contains.    

We have no doubt that the minister's lofty speech will be accompanied by any clandestine deal for lucrative building contracts and secret talk of future collaborations.

Read the following sentence and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

If we decided to move venues, our production process would not be likely to suffer much, as long as a system of checks keeps production tasks on schedule.

Read the following sentence and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

Our voyage would have been a different and much more boring experience would it not have been for the family of dolphins that followed the ship from Mallorca to Malta.

Read the following passage and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

The news of the avalanche shocked the citizens in our little town, where everyone knew everyone else. Fortunately, however, Sven was the only one of the skiers who were injured in the incident.

Read the following sentence and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

The forthcoming community celebration in Tuscaloosa has many surprises in store for whomever arrives before nine in the morning and manages to find one of the fifteen special golden tickets hidden in the haystack at the entrance.

Read the following passage and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

I was truly shocked—could anyone have suspected such a thing?—to hear the news of his arrest. Correct me if I just leave it at that.

Read the following sentence and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

At this point in the play, we see that Hamlet has still not decided whether to kill Claudius, despite brooding over it for quite some time.

Read the following sentence and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

If you can learn to control your anger just a touch more, you ought to find that people react to you more positively.

Read the following passage and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

The award was received joyously by Mr. Pocklock for his volunteer service. So pleased was he, he began to dance a jig and didn

Read the following passage from a play script and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

HORATIO, preparing to blow his horn. Aw, dang! The pistons are all gummy. Now what?  

JOE. Chill out. (He takes off his shoe.) Here, hit

Read the following passage and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

Outsourcing our accounting and collections tasks has really laid credence to our company. Our customers now perceive us to be bigger than we are and are certainly put hard to ignore their outstanding invoices.

Read the following passage and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

1)Why, Helen wondered, did I ever show my face in Troy?

2)There's been nothing but infighting, death and destruction

3)—not to mention the cost of launching those thousand

4)ships. My choice is clear: I'm moving to Swindon.

Choose the editing option that best corrects the underlined part of the following sentence.

Herbert works hard all week and has plans every weekend for the next year and he still finds time to volunteer at the animal shelter.

Read the following passage and  identify the type of error it contains.    

Harold simply cannot get over the fact that Maude eats up every night of the week. If he had his druthers, he'd tie her over until she realized how wonderful it was to tuck into a nice home-cooked meal

Read the following passage and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

1)Like a miniature solar system, the moths orbited the

2)fire, their firefly companions providing intermittent

3)flashes of starlight. We sat in our lawn chairs,  

4)as silent as empty space, enthralled by the show.

Read the following passage and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

1)If you cut along the crease here', said Haruko, 'then

2)fold the paper into a triangle thusly and then fold it

3)again to form a base, you will have made yourself a

4)chic—and cheap—yacht'. She sat back, clearly satisfied.

5)'And that's the beauty of origami!'

Read the following passage and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

1)I am unable to forgive my neighbour who

2)fails to return a lawnmower he had taken

3)from my garage without my permission. He is  

4)now persona non grata in my home.

Read the following passage and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

1)Greta, who is completely enamoured of her new

2)designer handbag, is even more enamoured of the

3)envious glances she receives from her pals.  

4)Made of buttery leather, Greta

Choose the editing option that best corrects the underlined part of the following sentence.

According to the chief of surgery, the risk of death from this medical procedure is about the same from an airplane crash or from a nuclear reactor meltdown.

Read the following closing paragraph of an Internet-based business-to-consumer sales letter and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

So are you ready to get your head out of the weeds? CLICK HERE to order your Garden Guru Deluxe package and FREE GardenFriend Tool Belt, and join more than 100,000 other hard-working people who now spend their weekends playing instead of pruning! And just to sweeten the pot, I'll take off an additional 30% if you order before 10th of December. You can't beat that with a stick!

Weedlessly Yours, Jay Appleseed President, Garden Guru Inc. P.S. I have your deluxe Package and FREE gift ready to send to you. After you order using your credit card, I'll send you your tracking number and full instructions. Click here to order

Read the following passage and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

1)Brooke went with Carrie, Tom

2)planner, to pick out flowers for Tom's luncheon,

3)but she couldn't find anything she liked; hence, they

4)went home empty-handed.

Choose the editing option that best corrects the underlined part of the following sentence.

If all goes according to plan, three years from now Agatha will marry, give birth to two children and learn how to juggle a hectic career in between.

Read the following passage and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

1)So the guy breaks into our house, steals our stuff and

2)then slips on the ice in the driveway on his way out,

3)breaking his ankles. And guess what? He hit us with a

4)personal injury suite. Isn

5)tragedy of justice you ever heard of?

Read the following passage and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

1)I know that Thomas is eager to move

2)operations to the east; however, it might be a

3)first good step for  him to assess just how many

4)of his current employees are willing to relocate.

Choose the editing option that best corrects the underlined part of the following sentence.

An understanding of the manner in which different types of disciplinary tactics affects student behaviour will help us design better methods for classroom management.

Choose the editing option that best corrects the underlined part of the following sentence.

After a whole morning of experimenting with all these new potions and pills, I'm sorry to say that my migraine is as bad today as yesterday.

Read the following passage and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

1)After the accident, Justine left her teaching

2)job; she has not able to resume her teaching

3)and possibly never will be able  

4)to resume her teaching again.

Read the following passage and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

'Those fake pearls and the upswept hairdo makes her look like a poor man's Grace Kelly', drawled Inga. 'But please don't tell her I said that'.

Read the following passage and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

1)Catherine Bliss, who was one of the richest women

2)in the city in the 1940s, died at the age of 92 in a dingy

3)London hotel suite where she had lived with 3 cats and five

4)parakeets for more than 20 years. Her downfall was attributed to

5)her husband Barry Bliss

Choose the editing option that best corrects the underlined part of the following sentence.

A doctor at the City Clinic in Manchester claims that if women give up smoking and ate a healthy diet, their children would be less likely to develop lung diseases.

Read the following passage and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

1)Even though Sharon spends a good deal of time complaining,

2)bemoaning her fate and wishing that her circumstances

3)are not quite so humble, I'm pretty sure that she is 

4)grateful for everything she has.

Read the following passage and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

1)Knowing she had no right for privacy as long

2)as she stayed in the convent, Marta hid her forbidden

3)diary in the secret compartment she'd discovered

4)besides the confessional in the chapel.

Read the following passage and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

1)If you are concerned about wrinkles and other telltale signs of age,

2)you should know that prolonged sun exposure has at least two damaging effects:

3)not only is the wrinkling of the skin hastened, but it may also result in

4)lowered immunity against infection.

Read the following passage and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

1)Whether Steve is aware of it or not,

2)today is the anniversary of us packing up the

3)house and hightailing it to Canada. If I were

4)you, I wouldn't remind him of it

Choose the editing option that best corrects the underlined part of the following sentence.

It will require diligence and careful planning to rebuild the town's infrastructure and create systems of protection for future hurricanes

Read the following passage and select the option that illustrates the best course of action for an editor to take.

'Have you read Zinn's A People's History of the United States?' asked Jamie.

'Yes', I replied, 'and I must say it's the most eye-opening history book I've read in some time.'

Choose the editing option that best corrects the underlined part of the following sentence.

To maintain a healthy body and mind, one must exercise, eat fruits and vegetables and refrain from cigarettes and drinking alcohol.