Grade 8 ELA Practice Test: Comma Rules and Ellipses
- Comma Rules and Ellipses
- 10 questions
- 12 minutes
These 10 questions practice commas and ellipses. Tip: an ellipsis (...) can show that words were left out of a quotation or that a speaker pauses, but it must never change what the original meant.
Tap an option to mark your answer. You can change your mind, or tap the same option again to leave the question blank. The correct answers and explanations appear when you finish the test.Tap an option to answer; tap it again to leave the question blank.
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Question 1
The article said, "The new bridge ... carried more than ten thousand cars on its first day."
Why is an ellipsis used in this quotation?
Correct answer: A
An ellipsis inside a quotation marks an omission: the writer skipped some words that were not needed for the point being made.
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Question 2
I lifted the lid of the box and ... it was empty.
What does the ellipsis show in this sentence?
Correct answer: C
This is not a quotation, so nothing has been left out. The ellipsis creates a pause, which makes the reader wait for the surprise.
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Question 3
Original: "Bees, which visit thousands of flowers each day, are important pollinators for many crops."
Which shortened quotation uses an ellipsis correctly and keeps the original meaning?
Correct answer: D
Only this version removes words without changing the meaning. The others change "flowers" to "crops," add "not," or rearrange the sentence so the crops seem to visit flowers.
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Question 4
Which sentence correctly uses commas around a nonessential clause?
Correct answer: B
The "which" clause adds extra information about a lake that is already named, so it needs commas on both sides. Clauses that begin with "that" are essential and take no commas.
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Question 5
Exhausted from practice Lena fell asleep on the bus.
Where does the comma belong?
Correct answer: A
"Exhausted from practice" is an introductory phrase describing Lena, so the comma goes at the end of the whole phrase, right before the subject.
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Question 6
Which sentence correctly sets off the interrupting word?
Correct answer: D
A word like "however" that interrupts the middle of a sentence needs a comma before it and after it.
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Question 7
Which sentence is a comma splice?
Correct answer: C
A comma splice joins two independent clauses with only a comma. The other sentences use "because" or ", so" to connect the clauses correctly.
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Question 8
The game was canceled, the field was flooded.
Which revision corrects the comma splice?
Correct answer: B
A semicolon can join two closely related independent clauses. Removing the comma creates a run-on sentence, and the extra commas in the other options are not needed.
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Question 9
Which sentence punctuates the divided quotation correctly?
Correct answer: C
The comma goes inside the first closing quotation mark, and another comma follows "Mia" because the sentence continues. The second part starts with a lowercase letter, so a period after "Mia" is wrong.
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Question 10
Which sentence uses a comma correctly before a contrasting element?
Correct answer: B
A contrasting phrase that begins with "not" is set off with a comma before "not."
Questions you leave blank are not counted as wrong.
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