Appositive Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. In the sentence “My cousin Priya designs video games,” which word is the appositive that renames “cousin”?
games
My
designs
Priya
2. Which option correctly uses a colon to introduce an appositive after a complete independent clause?
Place the colon after “exactly”: “She brought exactly: one tool, a wrench.”
Place the colon after the verb: “She brought: exactly one tool, a wrench.”
Separate a linking verb from its complement: “Her only tool was: a wrench.”
Complete the clause before the colon: “She brought exactly one tool: a wrench.”
3. How should the nonessential phrase “a pioneering mathematician” be punctuated in the sentence about Ada Lovelace?
Use paired commas: “Ada Lovelace, a pioneering mathematician, wrote about computing.”
Use only a closing comma after the descriptive phrase.
Place a semicolon before the phrase and a comma after it.
Use only an opening comma before the descriptive phrase.
4. An appositive phrase comes before the name it renames in “An experienced climber, Nia checked the ropes twice.” Which punctuation choice is correct?
Move the comma after the name: “An experienced climber Nia, checked the ropes twice.”
Replace the comma with an unclosed em dash before the name.
Keep the comma between the introductory appositive and “Nia.”
Use a semicolon between the appositive and the name.
5. In “The committee chose a new chair—Luis Ortega—to lead the meetings,” what does “Luis Ortega” do?
It describes how the meetings will be led.
It renames “a new chair” as an appositive.
It serves as the sentence’s main verb.
It identifies the committee as Luis Ortega’s.
6. The speaker has one dog, and its breed is additional information. Which treatment of “a beagle” is correct?
Enclose the breed with paired commas: “My dog, a beagle, loves long walks.”
Open the breed phrase with an em dash and close it with a comma.
Place a comma before the breed phrase but omit the closing comma.
Place a comma after the breed phrase but omit the opening comma.
7. How should em dashes punctuate the nonessential appositive “the approaching storm” in a sentence about one concern?
Open with an em dash but close with a comma after “storm.”
Open with a comma and close with an em dash after “storm.”
Enclose the entire appositive with paired em dashes.
Place both em dashes inside the phrase rather than around it.
8. The name is needed to identify which writer is meant. How should “The writer Toni Morrison won the award” be punctuated?
Insert a comma before the name but not after it.
Insert a comma after the name but not before it.
Leave the writer’s name unpunctuated because it is essential identification.
Introduce the name with an em dash and close it with a comma.
9. In “Our destination, Kyoto, is known for its historic temples,” which word functions as the appositive?
destination
temples
known
Kyoto
10. A tour group has one guide, and his name is extra identifying information. Which edit correctly punctuates the sentence?
Add a comma only after the name: “Our guide Marcus, led us through the museum.”
Set off the name with paired commas: “Our guide, Marcus, led us through the museum.”
Place a comma after the verb: “Our guide Marcus led, us through the museum.”
Add a comma only before the name: “Our guide, Marcus led us through the museum.”
11. What do the commas signal in “My brother, Daniel, works at the library”?
Daniel is supplemental information renaming “my brother.”
Daniel and the brother are two different people.
Daniel is being directly addressed by the speaker.
Daniel is the object of the verb “works.”
12. A student is identifying a novel by its title. How should the title be treated in “The novel Beloved is on the syllabus”?
Enclose “Beloved” with paired commas because every title is supplemental.
Place a comma before “Beloved” but leave its other side open.
Introduce “Beloved” with an em dash and follow it with a comma.
Use no commas around “Beloved” because the title identifies which novel is meant.
13. The phrase “a sophomore from Denver” adds nonessential information about an already identified winner. How should it be punctuated?
Enclose the phrase with paired commas: “The winner, a sophomore from Denver, thanked her coach.”
Use semicolons on both sides of the phrase.
Use only a comma after the phrase, leaving its opening side unmarked.
Use only a comma before the phrase, without a closing comma.
14. A family has one known pair of twins, so their names are additional information. How should “Ava and Mia” be punctuated?
Put a comma only after the names: “The twins Ava and Mia, started school today.”
Set off both names with paired commas: “The twins, Ava and Mia, started school today.”
Put a comma only before the names and omit the closing mark.
Open the names with an em dash but close them with a comma.
15. There is one known new coach, and “Ms. Patel” supplies her name. Which treatment is correct at the end of the question?
Separate the verb from its object with a comma before “our new coach.”
Introduce the final appositive with a comma: “Did you meet our new coach, Ms. Patel?”
Introduce the coach’s name with a semicolon.
Put a comma between the name and the question mark.
16. Readers need the scientist’s name to know which scientist is meant. How should “Marie Curie” be punctuated?
Follow the name with a comma while leaving its opening side unmarked.
Put a comma before the name but not after it.
Use no commas because “Marie Curie” is essential to identifying the scientist.
Enclose the name with paired commas as optional information.