Punctuation Practice Questions Set 1

 

Punctuation Practice Questions (IOE Level)

1.      Choose the correctly punctuated sentence:
a) My friend, who lives in Pokhara is a doctor.
b) My friend who lives in Pokhara, is a doctor.
c) My friend who lives in Pokhara is a doctor.
d) My friend, who lives in Pokhara, is a doctor.

2.      Which sentence correctly uses a semicolon?
a) I like coffee; and my brother likes tea.
b) I like coffee; my brother likes tea.
c) I like coffee: my brother likes tea.
d) I like coffee, my brother likes tea.

3.      Choose the correctly punctuated sentence:
a) She said "I will go home now".
b) She said I will go home now.
c) She said, "I will go home now."
d) She said: I will go home now.

4.      Which sentence uses the apostrophe correctly?
a) Its raining outside.
b) It’s raining outside.
c) Its’ raining outside.
d) It raining’s outside.

5.      Identify the correctly punctuated sentence:
a) He is smart clever and hardworking.
b) He is smart, clever and hardworking.
c) He is smart clever, and hardworking.
d) He is smart, clever, and hardworking.

6.      Choose the correct use of a colon:
a) I bought the following: milk, bread, and eggs.
b) I bought: milk, bread, and eggs.
c) I bought the following milk, bread, and eggs.
d) I bought, the following: milk, bread, and eggs.

7.      Which sentence uses quotation marks correctly?
a) He said, "Let us start the game."
b) He said "Let us start the game".
c) He said: "Let us start the game".
d) He said "Let us start the game,"

8.      Choose the correct punctuation:
a) Oh no! I forgot my homework.
b) Oh no. I forgot my homework!
c) Oh no, I forgot my homework.
d) Oh no: I forgot my homework.

9.      Choose the correct use of parentheses:
a) The festival (Dashain) is celebrated widely in Nepal.
b) The festival Dashain (is celebrated widely in Nepal).
c) The festival Dashain is celebrated widely (in Nepal).
d) The festival (Dashain is celebrated) widely in Nepal.

10. Choose the correctly punctuated sentence:
a) My sister-in-laws car is red.
b) My sister-in-law's car is red.
c) My sisters-in-law's car is red.
d) My sister-in-laws' car is red.

11. Which sentence uses commas correctly?
a) Yes I will attend the meeting.
b) Yes, I will attend the meeting.
c) Yes I, will attend the meeting.
d) Yes will, I attend the meeting.

12. Choose the correct punctuation for a list:
a) I like: apples bananas and grapes.
b) I like apples, bananas and grapes.
c) I like, apples bananas, and grapes.
d) I like apples bananas, and grapes.

13. Which sentence uses the dash correctly?
a) He won the game – with a broken arm.
b) He – won the game with a broken arm.
c) He won – the game with a broken arm.
d) He won the game with – a broken arm.

14. Choose the correct sentence with a hyphen:
a) My mother-in-law is visiting today.
b) My mother in-law is visiting today.
c) My mother in law is visiting today.
d) My-mother-in-law is visiting today.

15. Choose the correct use of question mark:
a) Can you help me.
b) Can you help me!
c) Can you help me?
d) Can you help me,

16. Which sentence uses punctuation correctly?
a) “Do you know the answer,” she asked.
b) “Do you know the answer?” she asked.
c) “Do you know the answer”? she asked.
d) “Do you know the answer”? She asked.

17. Choose the correctly punctuated sentence:
a) She brought paper, pens, notebooks, and folders.
b) She brought paper pens notebooks and folders.
c) She brought, paper, pens, notebooks and folders.
d) She brought paper pens, notebooks, and folders.

18. Which sentence correctly uses ellipsis (…)
a) I wasn’t… ready for the test.
b) I wasn’t ready…for the test.
c) I… wasn’t ready for the test.
d) I wasn’t ready for… the test.

19. Choose the correct sentence with punctuation:
a) Wow, that was amazing!
b) Wow. That was amazing!
c) Wow! That was amazing
d) Wow that was amazing!

20. Which sentence uses both colon and quotation marks correctly?
a) She replied: "I am fine."
b) She replied "I am fine":
c) She: replied, "I am fine."
d) She replied: I am fine.

 Answer with Reasons

1.      d) My friend, who lives in Pokhara, is a doctor.
 Reason: The clause "who lives in Pokhara" is non-essential and should be set off by commas.

2.      b) I like coffee; my brother likes tea.
Reason: A semicolon correctly separates two independent clauses (complete sentences) without a conjunction.

3.      c) She said, "I will go home now."
 Reason: Direct speech is preceded by a comma, and the closing punctuation (period) goes inside the quotation marks.

4.      b) It’s raining outside.
 Reason: "It’s" is a contraction of "it is." The apostrophe is used correctly here.

5.      d) He is smart, clever, and hardworking.
 Reason: The Oxford comma (before "and") is optional but preferred for clarity in lists.

6.      a) I bought the following: milk, bread, and eggs.
 Reason: A colon follows a complete sentence and introduces a list.

7.      a) He said, "Let us start the game."
Reason: Quotation marks correctly enclose the direct speech, and the punctuation is placed inside the quotes.

8.      a) Oh no! I forgot my homework.
 Reason: An exclamation mark expresses strong emotion or surprise and is appropriate here.

9.      a) The festival (Dashain) is celebrated widely in Nepal.
 Reason: Parentheses are used to insert extra information (the name of the festival) within the sentence.

10. b) My sister-in-law's car is red.
Reason: The possessive apostrophe is placed after the singular compound noun.

11. b) Yes, I will attend the meeting.
 Reason: A comma follows introductory words like "Yes."

12. b) I like apples, bananas and grapes.
 Reason: The items in the list are correctly separated by commas. (The Oxford comma is optional here.)

13. a) He won the game – with a broken arm.
 Reason: An em dash (–) emphasizes the added detail dramatically.

14. a) My mother-in-law is visiting today.
 Reason: Hyphens correctly join the words in the compound noun "mother-in-law."

15. c) Can you help me?
Reason: A question mark is used at the end of a direct question.

16. b) “Do you know the answer?” she asked.
 Reason: The question mark goes inside the quotation marks as it is part of the quoted question.

17. a) She brought paper, pens, notebooks, and folders.
Reason: Proper list punctuation with optional Oxford comma for clarity.

18. a) I wasn’t… ready for the test.
Reason: The ellipsis (...) shows a pause or hesitation in the sentence.

19. a) Wow, that was amazing!
Reason: "Wow" is an interjection, so it is followed by a comma and ends with an exclamation mark to show emotion.

20. a) She replied: "I am fine."
Reason: A colon introduces the direct quotation after an independent clause.