Simple Compound and Complex Sentences Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. How should this sentence be classified: “After Maya packed her bag, she checked the train schedule”?
Simple sentence
Compound sentence
Sentence fragment
Complex sentence
2. How many independent clauses are in “The lights dimmed, and the audience became quiet”?
One
Three
Two
None
3. Which statement correctly defines a simple sentence?
It contains a dependent clause without an independent clause.
It contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.
It contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
It contains one independent clause, though it may have a compound subject or predicate.
4. Nora set an alarm. She did not want to oversleep. Which option combines these ideas into a complex sentence?
Nora set an alarm; she did not want to oversleep.
Nora set an alarm because she did not want to oversleep.
Nora set an alarm, and she did not want to oversleep.
Nora did not want to oversleep, she set an alarm.
5. Which sentence uses subordination to show when Marcus smiled?
Marcus opened and read the letter.
Marcus read the letter, and he smiled.
Marcus smiled when he read the letter.
Reading the letter made Marcus smile.
6. An editor needs a sentence containing one dependent clause and one independent clause. Which draft meets that requirement?
The dog barked loudly at the gate.
The dog barked, and the baby woke up.
Although the dog barked, the baby stayed asleep.
Barking loudly at the gate, the noisy dog.
7. The rain stopped. The field remained muddy. Which option combines these ideas into a correctly punctuated compound sentence?
Despite the stopped rain, the field remained muddy.
The rain stopped, but the field remained muddy.
Although the rain stopped, the field remained muddy.
The rain stopped, the field remained muddy.
8. Which revision changes “The team practiced indoors” from a simple sentence into a complex sentence?
The team practiced indoors and reviewed its plays.
Because the weather worsened, the team practiced indoors.
The weather worsened; the team practiced indoors.
The team practiced indoors, and the coach watched.
9. Lena washed the dishes. Lena dried the dishes. Which revision combines these ideas into a simple sentence?
Lena washed the dishes; she dried them afterward.
Lena washed the dishes, and she dried them.
After Lena washed the dishes, she dried them.
Lena washed and dried the dishes.
10. How should this sentence be classified: “The chef and her assistant chopped vegetables and prepared the sauce”?
Simple sentence, because it has one independent clause with a compound subject and predicate
Complex sentence, because it contains several actions
Compound sentence, because it mentions two people
Fragment, because it does not contain a dependent clause
11. A writer places the dependent clause first in “When the movie ended, we walked to the café.” Which punctuation choice correctly separates it from the main clause?
Place a comma after “ended.”
Place a semicolon after “ended.”
Place a comma after “When.”
Use no punctuation between the clauses.
12. Which option correctly uses “although” to form a complete complex sentence?
Although the road flooded, but the buses continued to run.
Although the road flooded, the buses continued to run.
Although the road flooded.
The road flooded, although.
13. A sentence contains one independent clause, no dependent clauses, and two verbs that share the same subject. What type of sentence is it?
Complex sentence
Compound sentence
Simple sentence
Sentence fragment
14. In the sentence “Because the roads were icy, school opened late,” which group of words is the dependent clause?
Because the roads were icy
School opened late
The roads were icy
School opened
15. Which revision turns “I finished the report, I emailed it to my manager” into one correctly punctuated compound sentence?
Because I finished the report, I emailed it to my manager.
Finishing the report, I emailed it to my manager.
I finished the report, I then emailed it to my manager.
I finished the report; I emailed it to my manager.
16. In “The bell rang, and the students gathered their books,” what makes the sentence compound?
It joins two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction.
It begins with a dependent clause followed by an independent clause.
It has one subject performing two actions.
It includes a modifying phrase before the main clause.