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HESI A2 Grammar practice questions

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These are original practice items written to the HESI A2 blueprint (4 options, no penalty for wrong answers), not actual exam questions. Try each one before you open the answer.

Practice by topic

Topics come from the tags on our own items, so this list reflects what the bank actually covers in Grammar rather than a generic syllabus.

Grammar - Subject-Verb Agreement 38 in the bank Grammar 66 in the bank Grammar: Commonly Confused Words 38 in the bank

Grammar sample questions

Question 1

Choose the correct verb to complete the sentence:

The nurse, along with the doctors, __________ the patient.

  1. A treat
  2. B have treated
  3. C are treating
  4. D is treating
Show the answer and explanation

Correct answer: D

The subject is 'nurse' (singular). Phrases like 'along with the doctors' do not change the number of the subject. Therefore, the singular verb 'is treating' is correct.

Why the other options are wrong:
A: 'treat' is plural present tense; does not agree with singular subject.
B: 'have treated' is plural present perfect; does not agree with singular subject.
C: 'are treating' is plural; it would agree with a plural subject like 'doctors' but not with 'nurse'.

Question 2

Which sentence is grammatically correct?

  1. A The nurse and the doctors is attending the conference.
  2. B The nurse and the doctors attends the conference.
  3. C The nurse, along with the doctors, is attending the conference.
  4. D The nurse, along with the doctors, are attending the conference.
Show the answer and explanation

Correct answer: C

The subject is "the nurse" (singular), so the verb should be "is". The phrase "along with the doctors" is parenthetical and does not change the number. Option A incorrectly uses "are", option C uses "is" with a plural subject, and option D uses "attends" (singular) with a plural subject.

Why the other options are wrong:
A: The subject 'the nurse and the doctors' is plural, so 'is' is incorrect; the verb should be 'are'.
B: The plural subject requires 'attend' (plural), not 'attends' (singular).
D: The true subject is 'the nurse' (singular), so 'are' is incorrect; the verb should be 'is'.

Question 3

Each of the students must submit ___ lab report by Friday.

  1. A their
  2. B his or her
  3. C they
  4. D its
Show the answer and explanation

Correct answer: B

'Each' is singular, so the pronoun must be singular. 'His or her' is the formally correct singular possessive pronoun for an indefinite antecedent of unknown gender.

Why the other options are wrong:
A: 'Their' is plural; while it is increasingly used as a singular they in informal contexts, traditional grammar exams prefer 'his or her'.
C: 'They' is a subject pronoun, not a possessive, and is plural.
D: 'Its' is used for inanimate objects or animals, not for people.

Question 4

The technician instructed the assistant to ___ the sterile tray on the table before the procedure began.

  1. A lie
  2. B lain
  3. C laid
  4. D lay
Show the answer and explanation

Correct answer: D

"Lay" means to place something and takes a direct object, here "the sterile tray." After "to," the base form is needed: "to lay the sterile tray."

Why the other options are wrong:
A: "Lie" means to recline and cannot take a direct object such as a tray.
B: "Lain" is the past participle of "lie," so it is both the wrong verb and the wrong form.
C: "Laid" is the past tense of "lay," and a past form cannot follow "to."

Question 5

Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence: The nurse needed to _____ the patient's blood pressure before administering the medication.

  1. A excess
  2. B access
  3. C assess
  4. D excesses
Show the answer and explanation

Correct answer: C

The correct word is 'assess', which means to evaluate or measure. The sentence requires a verb meaning to check blood pressure.

Why the other options are wrong:
A: 'Excess' is a noun or adjective meaning too much, not a verb.
B: 'Access' means to obtain or enter, not to evaluate.
D: 'Excesses' is a plural noun, not a verb.

Question 6

Choose the correct sentence:

  1. A The nurse and the doctor was in the room.
  2. B The nurse and the doctor am in the room.
  3. C The nurse and the doctor are in the room.
  4. D The nurse and the doctor is in the room.
Show the answer and explanation

Correct answer: C

The correct subject-verb agreement is 'The nurse and the doctor are in the room.' because the compound subject requires a plural verb.

Why the other options are wrong:
A: 'was' is singular past tense and does not agree with the compound subject.
B: 'am' is first person singular and does not agree with the compound subject.
D: 'is' is singular and does not agree with the compound subject.

Question 7

Which sentence is correct?

  1. A The team of nurses have been preparing for the drill.
  2. B The team of nurses were preparing for the drill.
  3. C The team of nurses is preparing for the drill.
  4. D The team of nurses are preparing for the drill.
Show the answer and explanation

Correct answer: C

In US English, collective nouns like "team" are typically treated as singular. Therefore, the singular verb "is" is correct. Option A uses the plural verb "are". Option C uses the plural auxiliary "have". Option D uses the plural verb "were". All are incorrect because the subject "team" is singular.

Why the other options are wrong:
A: "Team" is singular, so it requires the singular auxiliary "has" instead of "have".
B: "Team" is singular, so it requires the singular verb "was" instead of "were".
D: "Team" is a singular collective noun, so it should take the singular verb "is", not the plural "are".

Question 8

All patients ___ those with allergies to penicillin will receive the standard antibiotic.

  1. A accept
  2. B except
  3. C excerpt
  4. D expect
Show the answer and explanation

Correct answer: B

'Except' means excluding. The sentence indicates that patients with penicillin allergies are excluded from receiving the standard antibiotic.

Why the other options are wrong:
A: 'Accept' means to receive willingly; it does not convey exclusion.
C: 'Excerpt' means a passage taken from a text; it is unrelated.
D: 'Expect' means to anticipate; it does not fit the context of exclusion.

Question 9

The team of nurses on the pediatric floor ___ scheduled to rotate shifts every week.

  1. A is
  2. B were
  3. C are
  4. D have been
Show the answer and explanation

Correct answer: A

The subject is the collective noun "team," which acts as one unit, so it takes the singular verb "is." "Of nurses on the pediatric floor" is a prepositional phrase that does not change the subject.

Why the other options are wrong:
B: "Were" is plural and past tense, so it treats "team" as plural and clashes with the ongoing schedule.
C: "Are" is plural and wrongly agrees with "nurses" instead of "team."
D: "Have been" is plural; the singular form would be "has been."

Question 10

Which option corrects the parallelism error in the following sentence? 'To assess the patient, monitor vital signs, and then documenting findings is crucial.'

  1. A 'Assess the patient, monitor vital signs, and then documenting findings'
  2. B 'Assess the patient, monitoring vital signs, and to document findings'
  3. C 'Assessing the patient, monitoring vital signs, and then documenting findings'
  4. D 'To assess the patient, to monitor vital signs, and to document findings'
Show the answer and explanation

Correct answer: D

Parallel structure requires all items in a series to have the same grammatical form. The original mixes infinitive (to assess), bare infinitive (monitor), and gerund (documenting). Option A uses consistent infinitive form. Option B also uses consistent gerund form but is not listed as an option here (only A is correct among given).

Why the other options are wrong:
A: This mixes an imperative (assess, monitore) with a gerund (documenting), still not parallel.
B: This mixes imperative (assess), gerund (monitoring), and infinitive (to document) – not parallel.
C: Option B is not given; among options A, C, D, only A is fully parallel. (Note: In this set, only A corrects the issue; B is not a choice.)

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