I85PREP
⌘ K
SLLC Entrance study materials
SLLC Entrance study resources

SLLC Entrance practice questions

One question at a time. Build your SLLC Entrance understanding.

First 50 of 200 questions. Each one lists the choices, the correct answer, and an explanation. The checker at the top of this page saves progress in this browser when it is available.

Continue in the practice tool above to load more questions, 50 at a time.

Question 1Language structure and grammar

In the sentence 'The committee has finally reached a decision', which word is the head of the noun phrase that functions as the subject?

  1. committee Correct answer.
  2. reached
  3. finally
  4. decision

Explanation

The subject noun phrase is 'The committee', and its head is the noun 'committee', which determines agreement and can stand alone as the phrase's core. 'Finally' is an adverb, 'reached' is the verb, and 'decision' is the object's head.

Question 2Language structure and grammar

Which option correctly identifies the grammatical function of the underlined element in 'She gave the librarian her card' - namely 'the librarian'?

  1. Adverbial adjunct
  2. Direct object
  3. Subject complement
  4. Indirect object Correct answer.

Explanation

In the double-object pattern 'gave someone something', the recipient precedes the thing given and is the indirect object. The direct object is 'her card', and the clause already has a subject, so a subject complement is impossible.

Question 3Language structure and grammar

Which word class does 'quickly' belong to, as used in 'The train moved quickly through the tunnel'?

  1. Preposition
  2. Adverb Correct answer.
  3. Conjunction
  4. Adjective

Explanation

'Quickly' modifies the verb 'moved', specifying the manner of the action, which is the defining role of an adverb. Adjectives modify nouns, prepositions take complements, and conjunctions join units.

Question 4Language structure and grammar

Which sentence contains a finite verb form?

  1. To postpone the meeting until Friday.
  2. Having postponed the meeting until Friday.
  3. Postponing the meeting until Friday.
  4. They postponed the meeting until Friday. Correct answer.

Explanation

A finite verb carries tense and agrees with its subject; 'postponed' in the first sentence is past tense and pairs with 'they'. The other options contain only non-finite forms (gerund, infinitive, participle) and form fragments, not full clauses.

Question 5Language structure and grammar

In 'The keys are on the table', what is the grammatical function of the prepositional phrase 'on the table'?

  1. Direct object
  2. Locative complement Correct answer.
  3. Appositive
  4. Subject complement

Explanation

The prepositional phrase is required after 'are' to complete the locative meaning and cannot be freely omitted, making it a locative complement. It is not a subject complement because it does not describe the subject's identity or class.

Question 6Language structure and grammar

Which plural form is standard for the noun 'criterion'?

  1. Criterias
  2. Criterium
  3. Criteria Correct answer.
  4. Criterions

Explanation

'Criterion' is a Greek-derived noun whose established plural is 'criteria', following the -on to -a pattern. The other forms are not accepted plurals in standard usage.

Question 7Language structure and grammar

In the sentence 'If I had known, I would have called', which mood or modality is expressed by 'would have called'?

  1. Imperative
  2. Indicative future
  3. Subjunctive present
  4. Counterfactual conditional Correct answer.

Explanation

The combination of a past perfect 'if'-clause with 'would have' plus past participle marks a past counterfactual condition, describing an outcome that did not occur. It is not a command, a present subjunctive, or a future statement.

Question 8Language structure and grammar

Which of the following is a bound morpheme?

  1. the word 'book'
  2. the word 'kind'
  3. the word 'quick'
  4. the -ness in 'kindness' Correct answer.

Explanation

A bound morpheme cannot stand alone as a word; the suffix '-ness' must attach to a base such as 'kind'. Free morphemes like 'kind', 'book', and 'quick' can occur independently.

Question 9Language structure and grammar

In 'The report that she submitted was late', what is the function of the clause 'that she submitted'?

  1. It is an adverbial clause of reason.
  2. It is a relative clause modifying 'report'. Correct answer.
  3. It is a complement clause acting as the object of 'submitted'.
  4. It is a main clause carrying the tense of the sentence.

Explanation

The clause follows the noun 'report' and restricts which report is meant, so it is a restrictive relative clause with 'that' as its object. The main clause is 'The report was late', and no reason relationship is expressed.

Question 10Language structure and grammar

Which sentence uses the past perfect appropriately to signal the order of two past events?

  1. By the time we arrived, the film was already starting.
  2. By the time we arrived, the film had already started. Correct answer.
  3. By the time we arrived, the film already started.
  4. By the time we arrived, the film has already started.

Explanation

The past perfect 'had started' marks the earlier of two past events, with 'arrived' as the later reference point. The simple past in the second option blurs the sequence, the present perfect clashes with a past time frame, and the progressive suggests simultaneity.

Question 11Language structure and grammar

Which option best describes the syntactic role of 'to leave' in 'They decided to leave early'?

  1. It is an adverbial of purpose modifying 'early'.
  2. It is the finite main verb of the sentence.
  3. It is a relative clause modifying 'they'.
  4. It is a non-finite complement of the verb 'decided'. Correct answer.

Explanation

Verbs such as 'decide' select a to-infinitive complement, so 'to leave' completes the verb's meaning as a non-finite complement clause. It carries no tense of its own and does not express purpose or modify a noun.

Question 12Language structure and grammar

In 'Neither the manager nor the employees were informed', why does the verb take the plural form 'were'?

  1. Proximity agreement: the verb agrees with the nearer subject 'employees'. Correct answer.
  2. The verb always takes plural form after 'neither'.
  3. The passive construction requires a plural auxiliary.
  4. 'Manager' is plural in meaning here.

Explanation

With correlative 'neither...nor', prescriptive and common usage applies the proximity principle, so the verb agrees with the nearer conjunct 'employees'. Passive voice does not itself determine number.

Question 13Language structure and grammar

Which sentence contains a dangling modifier?

  1. Walking through the park, I admired the flowers.
  2. Walking through the park, the flowers looked beautiful to me. Correct answer.
  3. While I walked through the park, the flowers looked beautiful.
  4. Having walked through the park, I admired the flowers.

Explanation

A participial modifier must attach to the subject of the main clause; in the first option the implied walker is 'I', but the stated subject is 'the flowers', creating a dangling modifier. The other options supply a compatible subject or an explicit subordinate clause.

Question 14Language structure and grammar

Which option correctly states the voice and transitivity of 'The window was broken by the storm'?

  1. Active voice with an intransitive verb
  2. Active voice with a transitive verb
  3. Passive voice with an intransitive verb
  4. Passive voice with a transitive verb Correct answer.

Explanation

The auxiliary 'was' plus past participle 'broken', together with the agent phrase 'by the storm', marks passive voice, and 'break' is transitive because it takes an object in the active counterpart. Intransitive verbs lack such objects and cannot normally form this passive.

Question 15Language structure and grammar

Which sentence uses a modal verb to express epistemic possibility rather than deontic permission?

  1. The lights are off, so she might be asleep. Correct answer.
  2. You may leave the room when you finish.
  3. You must submit the form by Friday.
  4. Students can use the library after six.

Explanation

Epistemic modality concerns the speaker's assessment of likelihood, as with 'might be asleep' based on evidence. The other options express permission or obligation, which are deontic meanings.

Question 16Language structure and grammar

In 'She asked whether he had finished', what type of subordinate clause is 'whether he had finished'?

  1. A relative clause
  2. An adverbial clause of condition
  3. An interrogative complement clause Correct answer.
  4. A comparative clause

Explanation

'Whether' introduces an embedded yes/no question that serves as the object complement of 'asked'. It does not modify a noun, express a condition, or follow a comparative.

Question 17Language structure and grammar

Which option correctly analyses the morphemes in 'unhappiness'?

  1. un- (prefix) + happiness (suffix)
  2. unhappy (root) + -ness (inflection)
  3. un- (prefix) + happy (root) + -ness (suffix) Correct answer.
  4. un- (infix) + happi- (root) + -ness (suffix)

Explanation

'Unhappiness' consists of the negative prefix 'un-', the adjective root 'happy' (with spelling change), and the noun-forming suffix '-ness'. '-ness' is derivational, not inflectional, and English has no productive infix of this kind.

Question 18Language structure and grammar

In 'The more you practise, the better you become', which construction is being used?

  1. A cleft construction
  2. A passive construction
  3. A correlative comparative construction Correct answer.
  4. An imperative construction

Explanation

The paired 'the more...the better' pattern is a correlative comparative, linking two clauses so that one degree varies with the other. There is no passive auxiliary, cleft 'it'/'what', or command form.

Question 19Language structure and grammar

Which sentence contains a non-restrictive (non-defining) relative clause?

  1. The man who lives in Osaka is a teacher.
  2. Anyone who arrives late must register.
  3. The book that I bought is on the shelf.
  4. My brother, who lives in Osaka, is a teacher. Correct answer.

Explanation

A non-restrictive relative clause is set off by commas and adds extra information about an already identified noun. The other clauses are restrictive because they identify which man, book, or person is meant.

Question 20Language structure and grammar

Which option correctly describes the function of 'there' in 'There are three chairs in the room'?

  1. It is an expletive subject filling the subject position. Correct answer.
  2. It is a locative adverb modifying 'are'.
  3. It is a preposition governing 'three chairs'.
  4. It is a demonstrative pronoun referring to the room.

Explanation

In existential 'there'-constructions, 'there' occupies the subject slot as a dummy or expletive element, and the notional subject is 'three chairs', which controls agreement. 'There' here does not locate anything or refer deictically.

Question 21Language structure and grammar

In 'Only after the meeting did she raise the objection', why is subject-auxiliary inversion triggered?

  1. Inversion marks the passive voice.
  2. The sentence is a direct question.
  3. A negative or restrictive element occupies the initial position. Correct answer.
  4. The verb 'raise' requires inversion in the past tense.

Explanation

Fronting a restrictive adverbial such as 'only after the meeting' triggers inversion of auxiliary and subject in formal English. The clause is declarative, and neither the lexical verb nor passive voice causes inversion.

Question 22Language structure and grammar

Which option best explains why 'It is important that he be informed' uses 'be' rather than 'is'?

  1. The mandative subjunctive uses the base form in the subordinate clause. Correct answer.
  2. The clause is a reported question requiring backshift.
  3. The passive voice requires the base form after 'that'.
  4. 'Important' is a comparative adjective requiring a bare infinitive.

Explanation

Verbs of requirement and adjectives like 'important' can select a mandative subjunctive, which uses the base form 'be' regardless of subject. This is not tense backshift, a comparative pattern, or a passive rule.

Question 23Language structure and grammar

In 'What surprised everyone was his calm reply', which type of construction is the clause 'What surprised everyone'?

  1. A restrictive relative clause modifying 'reply'
  2. An adverbial clause of concession
  3. A direct quotation
  4. A pseudo-cleft subject clause Correct answer.

Explanation

The pattern 'What...was...' is a pseudo-cleft, in which the 'what'-clause is the subject and the focused element follows 'was'. It does not modify 'reply' or express concession.

Question 24Language structure and grammar

Which option correctly identifies the grammatical relation of 'her' in 'I consider her competent'?

  1. It is the indirect object of 'consider'.
  2. It is an adverbial adjunct expressing manner.
  3. It is a possessive determiner modifying 'competent'.
  4. It is the subject of the small clause complement, not the object of 'consider'. Correct answer.

Explanation

Verbs like 'consider' take a small-clause complement in which 'her' is the understood subject of the predicate 'competent'. Although it looks object-like, 'her' is not an indirect object, and 'competent' is an adjective, not a noun for 'her' to modify.

Question 25Language structure and grammar

Which option best accounts for the ambiguity of 'Flying planes can be dangerous'?

  1. 'Dangerous' can be either an adjective or an adverb.
  2. The modal 'can' can express either past or future time.
  3. 'Flying' can be read as a gerund taking 'planes' as object or as a participle modifying 'planes'. Correct answer.
  4. 'Planes' can be either singular or plural.

Explanation

The ambiguity is structural: 'flying planes' may be a gerundial phrase meaning 'to fly planes' or a noun phrase meaning 'planes that are flying'. Tense of 'can' and the word class of 'dangerous' are fixed, and 'planes' is unambiguously plural.

Question 26Language structure and grammar

Which option gives the correct past tense and past participle forms of the verb 'stride'?

  1. strided / strided
  2. strode / stridden Correct answer.
  3. stride / stridden
  4. strode / strode

Explanation

'Stride' is an irregular verb whose past tense is 'strode' and whose past participle is 'stridden', as in 'She strode across the room' and 'He had stridden ahead'. The two forms differ, so a single form cannot serve both slots.

Question 27Language structure and grammar

In the noun phrase 'the professor's carefully revised second draft', which word is the head?

  1. revised
  2. carefully
  3. professor's
  4. draft Correct answer.

Explanation

The head of a noun phrase is the element that determines the phrase's category and can stand alone for it; here 'draft' is the noun being modified, so it is the head. The possessive 'professor's' is a determiner-like modifier, 'carefully' is an adverb, and 'revised' is an attributive participle.

Question 28Language structure and grammar

Which pronoun correctly completes 'Each of the students submitted ____ assignment on time'?

  1. its
  2. their
  3. his or her Correct answer.
  4. they're

Explanation

'Each' is a singular indefinite pronoun, and in formal written English it takes a singular possessive. 'His or her' agrees in number with 'each' and avoids the informal singular 'they'.

Question 29Language structure and grammar

Which sentence uses the comparative form of an adjective correctly?

  1. This route is shortest than the other.
  2. This route is shorter than the other. Correct answer.
  3. This route is more shorter than the other.
  4. This route is more short than the other.

Explanation

Short adjectives form the comparative with the suffix '-er', giving 'shorter than'. Double marking ('more shorter') and using the superlative for a two-item comparison are both non-standard.

Question 30Language structure and grammar

Which option correctly states the grammatical category of 'quickly' in 'She quickly finished the report'?

  1. preposition
  2. adjective
  3. adverb Correct answer.
  4. conjunction

Explanation

'Quickly' modifies the verb 'finished', expressing manner, which is the defining function of an adverb. It carries the '-ly' suffix typical of manner adverbs derived from adjectives.

Question 31Language structure and grammar

In 'The keys are on the table', what is the function of the phrase 'on the table'?

  1. indirect object
  2. adverbial Correct answer.
  3. direct object
  4. subject complement

Explanation

'On the table' is a prepositional phrase telling us where the keys are, so it functions as an adverbial of place. It is not required by the verb 'are' as an object, and it does not rename the subject.

Question 32Language structure and grammar

Which sentence uses a coordinating conjunction to join two independent clauses?

  1. Although she studied hard, she passed the exam.
  2. She studied hard, so she passed the exam. Correct answer.
  3. Studying hard, she passed the exam.
  4. She studied hard because she passed the exam.

Explanation

'So' is a coordinating conjunction (one of the FANBOYS set) linking two clauses that can each stand alone. The resulting sentence is a compound sentence with two independent clauses.

Question 33Language structure and grammar

Which option correctly identifies the tense and aspect of 'They have been waiting since noon'?

  1. present perfect progressive Correct answer.
  2. present progressive
  3. past perfect progressive
  4. future perfect

Explanation

The auxiliary sequence 'have been' plus the '-ing' participle marks the present perfect progressive, which describes an activity begun in the past and continuing up to now. 'Since noon' anchors that duration to the present moment.

Question 34Language structure and grammar

In 'The committee has reached its decision', why does the verb 'has' take a singular form?

  1. Because the sentence is in the passive voice.
  2. Because 'decision' is singular.
  3. Because 'has' is invariable in all persons.
  4. Because 'committee' is a collective noun treated as a single unit. Correct answer.

Explanation

Collective nouns such as 'committee' agree with a singular verb when the group acts as one body, which is the usual convention in American English. The verb form therefore follows the singular conceptualisation of the subject.

Question 35Language structure and grammar

Which sentence places the adverb 'hardly' so that the meaning 'she scarcely spoke' is expressed?

  1. She spoke hardly at the meeting.
  2. She spoke at hardly the meeting.
  3. She hardly spoke at the meeting. Correct answer.
  4. Hardly she spoke at the meeting.

Explanation

The focusing adverb 'hardly' normally precedes the verb it modifies, giving 'hardly spoke'. Placing it before the subject or after the verb produces an ungrammatical or different reading.

Question 36Language structure and grammar

In 'The book on the shelf belongs to my sister', which element is the subject?

  1. on the shelf
  2. my sister
  3. The book Correct answer.
  4. belongs

Explanation

The subject is the noun phrase that the verb agrees with and that the sentence predicates something about. Here the full subject is 'the book on the shelf', whose head is 'book'; the prepositional phrase is part of that subject.

Question 37Language structure and grammar

Which option correctly describes the function of the '-ed' form in 'a broken window'?

  1. past tense verb
  2. passive auxiliary
  3. past participle used attributively Correct answer.
  4. present participle

Explanation

In 'a broken window', the participle modifies the noun directly, so it is a past participle in attributive position. No auxiliary is present, so it does not function as a tense-bearing verb here.

Question 38Language structure and grammar

Which sentence uses a gerund as the subject of the clause?

  1. He enjoys swimming in the lake.
  2. He went swimming in the lake.
  3. Swimming in the lake is his favourite activity. Correct answer.
  4. Swimming in the lake, he caught a cold.

Explanation

A gerund is a verb form ending in '-ing' that functions as a noun. In 'Swimming in the lake is his favourite activity', the gerund phrase occupies the subject slot and governs the singular verb 'is'.

Question 39Language structure and grammar

Which sentence contains a restrictive relative clause?

  1. The team, which won last year, has changed.
  2. My brother, who lives in Osaka, is a doctor.
  3. Students who study regularly tend to pass. Correct answer.
  4. Paris, which I visited in May, was lovely.

Explanation

A restrictive relative clause identifies which members of a set are meant and is not set off by commas. In 'Students who study regularly', the clause narrows 'students' to a specific subset.

Question 40Language structure and grammar

In 'She gave him a book', which grammatical relation does 'him' bear?

  1. object complement
  2. subject complement
  3. indirect object Correct answer.
  4. direct object

Explanation

In a ditransitive pattern, the first object is the recipient and the second is the thing given. 'Him' is the recipient, so it is the indirect object, while 'a book' is the direct object.

Question 41Language structure and grammar

Which sentence uses the subjunctive correctly after a verb of demand?

  1. The board demanded that the policy was reviewed.
  2. The board demanded that the policy is reviewed.
  3. The board demanded that the policy will be reviewed.
  4. The board demanded that the policy be reviewed. Correct answer.

Explanation

Verbs of demand, request, and insistence commonly take a mandative subjunctive in the that-clause, using the base form 'be' regardless of subject. This marks the clause as a requirement rather than a statement of fact.

Question 42Language structure and grammar

Which option correctly explains the difference between 'He stopped to smoke' and 'He stopped smoking'?

  1. The first is passive; the second is active.
  2. The first uses an infinitive of purpose; the second uses a gerund as object. Correct answer.
  3. The first uses a participle; the second uses an infinitive.
  4. The first is past tense; the second is present tense.

Explanation

After 'stop', an infinitive expresses the purpose for which one halts, while a gerund names the activity that is discontinued. The two structures therefore yield opposite meanings rather than a tense contrast.

Question 43Language structure and grammar

In 'It was she who called first', which option best describes the pronoun 'she'?

  1. appositive
  2. object of the verb
  3. direct object of 'was'
  4. subject complement in the nominative case Correct answer.

Explanation

After the linking verb 'was', the pronoun renames the subject and therefore takes nominative case in formal usage. 'It was she' parallels 'It was I', where the complement is in the nominative.

Question 44Language structure and grammar

Which sentence uses 'that' as a demonstrative determiner rather than as a conjunction or relative pronoun?

  1. The book that he wrote sold well.
  2. I know that she left early.
  3. She said that it would rain.
  4. That building is being renovated. Correct answer.

Explanation

A demonstrative determiner precedes a noun and specifies which entity is meant, as in 'that building'. In the other sentences, 'that' introduces a clause and serves a conjunctive or relative function.

Question 45Language structure and grammar

Which sentence uses the passive voice with an indirect object promoted to subject?

  1. She was sent the letter yesterday. Correct answer.
  2. The letter was sent to her yesterday.
  3. The letter was sent yesterday.
  4. Someone sent her the letter yesterday.

Explanation

In the ditransitive passive, either object can become the subject. Promoting the indirect object yields 'She was sent the letter', where 'she' is subject and 'the letter' remains as the retained object.

Question 46Language structure and grammar

In 'The news that he resigned shocked us', how does the that-clause function?

  1. relative clause modifying 'news'
  2. adverbial clause of reason
  3. appositive content clause specifying 'news' Correct answer.
  4. comparative clause

Explanation

Here the clause states the content of the news rather than identifying which news is meant, so it is an appositive or content clause. It can be replaced by 'the news of his resignation', confirming that it specifies content.

Question 47Language structure and grammar

Which option best explains why 'There seems to have been a mistake' contains no subject-verb agreement error?

  1. 'To have been' is the finite verb controlling agreement.
  2. 'Seems' is an impersonal verb with no agreement requirement.
  3. 'Seems' agrees with the postponed notional subject 'a mistake'. Correct answer.
  4. 'There' is the grammatical subject and takes a singular verb by default.

Explanation

In existential constructions, the verb agrees with the notional subject that follows, here the singular 'a mistake'. The expletive 'there' merely fills the subject position and does not itself determine agreement.

Question 48Language structure and grammar

In 'What he wanted was a fair hearing', which option best analyses the first clause?

  1. a free relative clause functioning as subject Correct answer.
  2. a relative clause modifying 'what'
  3. an interrogative main clause
  4. an adverbial clause of condition

Explanation

A free (nominal) relative clause introduced by 'what' contains no expressed antecedent and itself fills a noun-phrase slot, here the subject of 'was'. The whole clause functions as the subject of the main clause.

Question 49Language structure and grammar

Which option best explains the ungrammaticality of 'Who did you say that saw the accident?'

  1. 'That' cannot introduce a clause from which a subject has been extracted. Correct answer.
  2. 'Say' cannot take a clausal complement.
  3. 'Who' must be in the objective case after 'say'.
  4. 'Saw' requires a plural subject.

Explanation

Extraction of a subject across the complementiser 'that' is blocked, so 'who' cannot be moved out of the subject position in that clause. Omitting 'that' yields the acceptable 'Who did you say saw the accident?'.

Question 50Language structure and grammar

Which option best explains why 'the chicken is ready to eat' is ambiguous?

  1. The infinitive 'to eat' can be understood with the chicken as its object or as its subject. Correct answer.
  2. 'Is' can be either a linking verb or an auxiliary.
  3. 'The' can be either definite or indefinite.
  4. 'Ready' can be either an adjective or an adverb.

Explanation

The ambiguity is structural: 'to eat' may be interpreted with 'the chicken' as the thing eaten (object reading) or with the chicken as the eater (subject reading). This is a classic case of null-complement ambiguity in an infinitival clause.