HESI A2 Grammar Practice Test

25 practice questions

Choose an answer, then check it under Show answer.

1. Question 1 of 25Easy

   Which word in the following sentence is an adverb? The patient walked slowly toward the examination room.

   1. AA. slowly
   2. BB. examination
   3. CC. patient
   4. DD. walked
   Show answer to question 1

   Answer: A. slowly

   Slowly is an adverb because it modifies the verb walked by describing how the action was performed. Patient is a noun, walked is a verb, and examination is a noun functioning as an adjective.

2. Question 2 of 25Hard

   Which sentence uses comparative or superlative adjectives correctly without modifying an absolute adjective?

   1. AA. The head nurse praised the staff for their more perfect charting.
   2. BB. The charge nurse assigned the more critical patient to the senior nurse.
   3. CC. The oncologist warned that the secondary infection was more fatal.
   4. DD. The hospital network purchased the most optimal monitoring software.
   Show answer to question 2

   Answer: B. The charge nurse assigned the more critical patient to the senior nurse.

   The adjective critical describes a condition that can exist in degrees, making more critical a valid comparative form when choosing between two patients. Words such as fatal, perfect, and optimal are absolute adjectives that represent non-gradable states, meaning they should not be modified by comparative or superlative words such as more or most.

3. Question 3 of 25Easy

   In which of the following sentences is the word "that" used as a demonstrative pronoun?

   1. AA. She selected the antibiotic that the attending physician prescribed.
   2. BB. That is the newest vital signs monitor in the trauma unit.
   3. CC. The patient reported that his severe pain had subsided completely.
   4. DD. The nurse realized that the laboratory results had arrived.
   Show answer to question 3

   Answer: B. That is the newest vital signs monitor in the trauma unit.

   In the sentence beginning with "That is the newest vital signs monitor," the word "that" functions as a demonstrative pronoun standing alone as the subject to point out a specific item. In the other choices, "that" serves either as a conjunction introducing a noun clause or as a relative pronoun introducing an adjective clause.

4. Question 4 of 25Medium

   Which of the following sentences contains an unnecessary preposition?

   1. AA. The physician walked toward the intensive care unit.
   2. BB. The lab technician stored the blood samples in the refrigerator.
   3. CC. Several monitors were placed along the perimeter of the room.
   4. DD. Where did the paramedic find the missing chart at?
   Show answer to question 4

   Answer: D. Where did the paramedic find the missing chart at?

   The word at is an unnecessary ending preposition because the interrogative adverb where already conveys the inquiry regarding location. In the other three sentences, prepositions such as in, toward, and along are necessary to establish spatial relationships for their objects.

5. Question 5 of 25Medium

   Which word correctly completes the sentence? The telemetry unit was ___ quiet after evening visiting hours concluded.

   1. AA. most unusual
   2. BB. unusually
   3. CC. unusual
   4. DD. unusualness
   Show answer to question 5

   Answer: B. unusually

   The word modifying the adjective 'quiet' must be an adverb. 'Unusually' is the adverb form that correctly modifies another descriptive word. 'Unusual' is an adjective and cannot be used to modify another adjective.

6. Question 6 of 25Easy

   Which of the following sentences is an interrogative sentence?

   1. AA. The surgical team completed the procedure ahead of schedule.
   2. BB. Did the attending physician review the morning lab results?
   3. CC. Please record the patient's blood pressure every four hours.
   4. DD. Watch out for that spilled biohazard material on the floor!
   Show answer to question 6

   Answer: B. Did the attending physician review the morning lab results?

   An interrogative sentence asks a direct question and ends with a question mark, as seen in the inquiry about morning lab results. In contrast, the sentence requesting blood pressure readings is an imperative sentence that issues a polite instruction.

7. Question 7 of 25Easy

   Choose the correct word to complete the sentence: The clinic decided to hire _______ assistants to help with the increased patient volume.

   1. AA. additional
   2. BB. addition
   3. CC. adition
   4. DD. additionally
   Show answer to question 7

   Answer: A. additional

   Additional is the adjective needed to describe the noun 'assistants.' Addition is a noun and does not function as a descriptor in this context.

8. Question 8 of 25Medium

   Which sentence correctly uses a comma with a coordinating conjunction?

   1. AA. The patient reported persistent nausea, yet the prescribed antiemetic offered no relief.
   2. BB. The physician examined the surgical incision, but noted no visible signs of infection.
   3. CC. The physical therapist adjusted the crutches and he, helped the patient stand up.
   4. DD. The pediatric nurse administered the vaccine, and documented the lot number in the chart.
   Show answer to question 8

   Answer: A. The patient reported persistent nausea, yet the prescribed antiemetic offered no relief.

   A comma belongs before a coordinating conjunction when it connects two independent clauses, each with its own subject and verb. The sentence contrasting the nausea and the antiemetic contains two independent clauses. The choices containing "administered" and "examined" feature compound predicates sharing a single subject, which should not be separated by a comma.

9. Question 9 of 25Hard

   Which sentence demonstrates correct comma placement with a nonrestrictive clause?

   1. AA. The new pediatric wing that opened in January, contains forty private patient rooms.
   2. BB. The new pediatric wing, which opened in January, contains forty private patient rooms.
   3. CC. The new pediatric wing, that opened in January, contains forty private patient rooms.
   4. DD. The new pediatric wing, which opened in January contains forty, private patient rooms.
   Show answer to question 9

   Answer: B. The new pediatric wing, which opened in January, contains forty private patient rooms.

   Nonrestrictive relative clauses introduced by 'which' provide supplementary information and must be framed by commas on both sides. Restrictive clauses introduced by 'that' define the noun and should not be enclosed by commas, making the options using 'that' with commas grammatically incorrect.

10. Question 10 of 25Easy

    Yesterday, the laboratory technician ___ the blood samples for the patient's complete blood count.

    1. AA. analyzes
    2. BB. analyze
    3. CC. analyzed
    4. DD. analyzing
    Show answer to question 10

    Answer: C. analyzed

    The adverb yesterday indicates that the action occurred in the past, requiring the simple past tense. Analyzing is a present participle and cannot function as the main verb without an auxiliary verb.

11. Question 11 of 25Hard

    The committee ___ decided that the new hospital policy must be implemented immediately.

    1. AA. have
    2. BB. has
    3. CC. were
    4. DD. are
    Show answer to question 11

    Answer: B. has

    A collective noun like 'committee' acts as a single unit in this context, requiring the singular verb 'has'. The plural 'have' would only be used if the members were acting individually.

12. Question 12 of 25Medium

    Select the pronoun that correctly completes the sentence: 'Neither the head physician nor the charge nurses could locate _____ identification badges.'

    1. AA. his or her
    2. BB. its
    3. CC. their
    4. DD. them
    Show answer to question 12

    Answer: C. their

    When two antecedents are joined by the correlative conjunction 'neither... nor,' the pronoun must agree in number with the nearer antecedent. Because 'charge nurses' is plural and closest to the pronoun, 'their' is the correct choice instead of the singular 'his or her.'

13. Question 13 of 25Easy

    Both the phlebotomist and the laboratory technician ___ the unexpected blood panel results.

    1. AA. confirms
    2. BB. is confirming
    3. CC. confirm
    4. DD. has confirmed
    Show answer to question 13

    Answer: C. confirm

    Subjects connected by 'both... and' always refer to two or more entities together and require a plural verb. Therefore, the plural form 'confirm' is correct. The singular option 'confirms' is incorrect because a compound subject linked by 'both... and' cannot take a singular verb.

14. Question 14 of 25Easy

    Identify the sentence that maintains consistent verb tense throughout.

    1. AA. The nurse checked the patient's temperature and then calls the doctor.
    2. BB. The nurse checks the patient's temperature and then called the doctor.
    3. CC. The nurse will check the patient's temperature and then calls the doctor.
    4. DD. The nurse checked the patient's temperature and then called the doctor.
    Show answer to question 14

    Answer: D. The nurse checked the patient's temperature and then called the doctor.

    The sentence uses the simple past tense consistently with both checked and called. Mixing past and present tenses within a single sequence of actions creates a tense consistency error.

15. Question 15 of 25Medium

    The collection of medical records _____ stored in a secure cabinet.

    1. AA. is
    2. BB. have been
    3. CC. are
    4. DD. were
    Show answer to question 15

    Answer: A. is

    The subject of the sentence is the singular collective noun 'collection,' which requires the singular verb 'is.' The phrase 'of medical records' is a prepositional phrase that does not change the number of the subject.

16. Question 16 of 25Medium

    The surgical team _____ the procedure before the surgeon arrived in the operating room.

    1. AA. had started
    2. BB. has started
    3. CC. will start
    4. DD. starts
    Show answer to question 16

    Answer: A. had started

    The past perfect tense is required to show that one action was completed before another action in the past. The option 'has started' is incorrect because it is the present perfect, which cannot be used to describe an action completed before another past event.

17. Question 17 of 25Medium

    Choose the option that correctly completes the sentence: 'All of the blood samples collected during the morning clinic ___ transported immediately to the central laboratory.'

    1. AA. has been
    2. BB. was
    3. CC. is
    4. DD. were
    Show answer to question 17

    Answer: D. were

    The indefinite pronoun 'all' varies in number based on the object of the preposition. Because 'samples' is a plural count noun, the plural verb 'were' is correct, whereas the singular verb 'was' is incorrect.

18. Question 18 of 25Hard

    Which revision best corrects the sentence fragment in the following text? 'The medical team monitored the patient's vitals closely. Hoping to detect any early signs of infection.'

    1. AA. The medical team monitored the patient's vitals closely, hoping to detect any early signs of infection.
    2. BB. The medical team monitored the patient's vitals closely and hoping to detect any early signs of infection.
    3. CC. The medical team monitored the patient's vitals closely; hoping to detect any early signs of infection.
    4. DD. The medical team monitored the patient's vitals closely, they hoped to detect any early signs of infection.
    Show answer to question 18

    Answer: A. The medical team monitored the patient's vitals closely, hoping to detect any early signs of infection.

    Attaching the participial phrase to the preceding independent clause with a comma properly incorporates the modifier into a single, grammatically sound sentence. Replacing the period with a comma followed by 'they hoped' creates an incorrect comma splice, while placing a semicolon before 'hoping' is incorrect because semicolons must separate two independent clauses.

19. Question 19 of 25Hard

    Having examined the x-ray carefully, ___

    1. AA. it was diagnosed as a fracture by the doctor
    2. BB. a diagnosis of fracture was made
    3. CC. the fracture was diagnosed by the doctor
    4. DD. the doctor diagnosed the fracture
    Show answer to question 19

    Answer: D. the doctor diagnosed the fracture

    An introductory participial phrase must be followed by the noun that performs its action. Only the doctor could examine the x-ray, so 'the doctor diagnosed the fracture' correctly places the doctor right after the comma.

    Why the other options are wrong

    • A"It" follows the phrase, so it seems that "it" examined the x-ray, and the clause is also passive.
    • B"A diagnosis" follows the phrase, so the diagnosis appears to have examined the x-ray.
    • C"The fracture" follows the phrase, suggesting that the fracture examined the x-ray.

20. Question 20 of 25Medium

    Identify the adjective in the following sentence: A sudden change in the patient's heart rate was noted.

    1. AA. change
    2. BB. noted
    3. CC. patient's
    4. DD. sudden
    Show answer to question 20

    Answer: D. sudden

    Sudden is an adjective that modifies the noun change. Patient's is a possessive noun, and noted is a verb.

21. Question 21 of 25Hard

    Each of the patients in the intensive care unit ___ a specific dietary plan.

    1. AA. have required
    2. BB. require
    3. CC. requires
    4. DD. requiring
    Show answer to question 21

    Answer: C. requires

    The subject of the sentence is 'Each', which is an indefinite pronoun that is always singular. Therefore, it requires the singular verb form 'requires'.

22. Question 22 of 25Medium

    Which of the following sentences is correctly punctuated?

    1. AA. The patient requested pain medication however; the chart showed an active allergy.
    2. BB. The patient requested pain medication, however the chart showed an active allergy.
    3. CC. The patient requested pain medication, however, the chart showed an active allergy.
    4. DD. The patient requested pain medication; however, the chart showed an active allergy.
    Show answer to question 22

    Answer: D. The patient requested pain medication; however, the chart showed an active allergy.

    When a conjunctive adverb like 'however' connects two independent clauses, it must be preceded by a semicolon and followed by a comma. Using a comma before 'however' when connecting two complete sentences creates a comma splice. Placing the semicolon after 'however' disrupts the natural flow and incorrectly punctuates the second clause.

23. Question 23 of 25Medium

    Which word correctly completes the sentence? The clinic opened a new department dedicated exclusively to __________ health.

    1. AA. womens
    2. BB. womens'
    3. CC. women's
    4. DD. woman's
    Show answer to question 23

    Answer: C. women's

    The noun women is an irregular plural that does not end in an s. Irregular plural nouns form their possessive by adding an apostrophe followed by an s. The form womens' is incorrect because womens is not a valid English word.

24. Question 24 of 25Medium

    Select the correct verb to complete the sentence: "Each of the patients ___ been scheduled for surgery."

    1. AA. were
    2. BB. have
    3. CC. has
    4. DD. are
    Show answer to question 24

    Answer: C. has

    The subject "Each" is singular, so the singular verb "has" is required. "Have" and "are" are plural, and "were" is plural past tense.

    Why the other options are wrong

    • A"Were" is plural past tense, does not agree with singular "each".
    • B"Have" is a plural verb; "each" is always singular.
    • D"Are" is plural present tense, also does not agree with singular "each".

25. Question 25 of 25Hard

    Select the correct pronoun to complete the sentence: 'The doctor requested that ___ perform the assessment immediately.'

    1. AA. himself
    2. BB. he
    3. CC. his
    4. DD. him
    Show answer to question 25

    Answer: B. he

    This sentence uses the subjunctive mood, which requires the base form of the verb and the subjective case 'he' for the subject of the clause. Using 'him' would be an error of case in a subordinate clause.

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