Parent’s Guide to the NWEA MAP English Language Usage Test

Correct Answer (B): "The cat chased the mouse." This sentence makes sense because it follows the proper order: subject (who?) → verb (what happened?) → object (what was affected?).

Why the others are wrong:

(A): "The cat chased the dog the mouse." This sentence is confusing. It sounds like the cat is chasing both the dog and the mouse, but it's unclear.

(C): "Chased the mouse the cat." The words are in the wrong order. It doesn’t start with the subject ("the cat").

(D): "The mouse the cat chased." This is also in the wrong order. It makes it sound like "the mouse" is more important, but it’s not clear.

Correct Answer (D): "Each of the boys brought his own lunch." The word "Each" refers to one boy at a time, so we need a singular pronoun, "his."

Why the others are wrong:

(A): "Each of the boys brought their own lunch." ❌ "Their" is plural, but "Each" is singular.

(B): "Each of the boys brought her own lunch." ❌ We don’t know if all the boys are girls! "His" is a better choice.

(C): "Each of the boys brought they own lunch." ❌ "They" is incorrect grammar. It should be "his."

Correct Answer (D): "Foxes" is correct because words ending in "x" add "es" to become plural.

Why the others are wrong:

(A): "foxs" ❌ You need "es" for words ending in "x."

(C): "foxies" ❌ This changes the spelling of "fox" too much.

(B): "foxen" ❌ This is incorrect; only some words (like "ox" → "oxen") use this.

Why is C correct?
✅ "Before eating, John went to wash his hands."

The phrase "Before eating" is an introductory phrase that tells us when something happened.

When a sentence starts with an introductory phrase, we need a comma after it to separate it from the main part of the sentence.

Without the comma, the sentence might be confusing or harder to read.

Why are the other choices wrong?
❌ A) "Before eating, John, went to wash his hands."

The extra comma after "John" is unnecessary. It breaks up the sentence in a way that doesn't follow punctuation rules.

❌ B) "Before eating John went, to wash his hands."

There should be a comma after "Before eating" because it's an introductory phrase.

The comma after "went" is incorrect because it separates words that should stay together.

❌ D) "Before, eating John went to wash his hands."

The comma after "Before" is incorrect because "Before eating" is a phrase that should stay together.

The correct placement of the comma is after "eating," not before.

Correct Answer (B): "I kindly ask that you let me know a convenient time for us to meet." This is the best answer because it is polite and shows respect for the principal’s schedule while asking for a response.

Why the others are wrong:

(A): "I expect you to reply by the end of the day." ❌ This sounds demanding and not very polite.

(C): "I am sure you will decide quickly." ❌ This assumes the principal will rush the decision, which isn’t respectful.

(D): "I will await your answer indefinitely." ❌ This sounds too passive—the writer should politely ask for a response instead of waiting forever.

Correct Answer (C): "He revised his speech to include stronger, more persuasive evidence." This is the best choice because a formal debate is about convincing others. Adding better evidence makes his argument stronger, which is the goal of a debate.

Why the others are wrong:

(A): "He practiced his speech aloud in front of a small audience." ❌ While practice is helpful, it doesn’t improve the content of his speech.

(B): "He completely rewrote his speech to focus on a different topic." ❌ He didn’t need a new topic—he just needed to make his speech better.

(D): "He decided to reduce his speech length significantly." ❌ Shortening a speech doesn’t necessarily make it better. A strong argument is more important than a short one.