It's Quiz Time!

I caught a snippet on Linda's blog quoting a release from Lighthouse PR, bemoaning the literacy skills of job applicants at the agency. According to the agency, 75 percent of applications contain basic spelling or grammatical errors, while half of email applications were submitted more than once.

This reminds me of when I did some training at a PR agency, where I helped the account execs with writing skills - helping them spot typos, bit of grammar, news release tweaking, that sort of thing. One of the jobs I was asked to take on was revamping the writing test given to potential job applicants to test their literacy.

I put together a 30 minute test which contained 10 questions, along with a proofing exercise that contained 10 errors. To get the job, candidates had to score a minimum of 15 points. After a couple of months, the test had to be scrapped because nobody had passed it.

Here's the multiple choice part of the test. I'll post the proofing section tomorrow. Is it really that difficult?

1. Which of these sentences is incorrect?

a)    The product is both new and unique
b)    The product is really cool and great
c)    The product is completely unique

2. Which of these sentences is written in the active voice?

a)    Acme Inc launched a new product
b)    A new product will be launched today by Widget 4.1
c)    Acme Inc said today that it is set to launch a new product

3. Which sentence is incorrect?

a)    Apostrophes are hard to use
b)    Everything’s in it’s right place
c)    Fred’s book’s in its proper place

4. You fall over and hit your head but remain...

a) conscious
b) conscience
c) contious

5. Which of these headlines is grammatically correct?

a)    Peer Owed £20,000
b)    National Trust Edifices Crumbling
c)    The court did not consider a not guilty verdict

6. Which sentence is definitely not correct?

a)    The company’s records were out of date
b)    The company’s involved had outdated records
c)    The companies’ directors were convicted of fraud

7. Which of these sentences uses a dangling modifier?

a)    After reading the initial proposal, the article remains unconvincing
b)    Relieved of the pressures of your job, your home should be a place where you can relax
c)     The students failed the test because they had not studied properly

8. In which of these sentences do the verb and subject not agree?

a) Clare or Emma are working late in the office
b) One in ten dogs prefers to eat cat food
c) A list of potential husbands was circulated around the office for Clare

9. Which of these sentences is correct? (update: in determining what is correct, I am referring to the Economist/BBC style guides)

a) My password has two R's and three 4's.
b) My password has 2 r's and three 4's
c) My password has two R's and three 4s

10. Which of these sentences is incorrect?

a) In fact, the client's product turned out not to be leading, after all.
b) In fact the client's product turned out not to be leading after all.
c) In fact, the client's product turned out not to be leading, after all.

How did we do? Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?

Comments

[Fred]

Oh dear, I think I may only know 7 of these. Does this mean I can't be a PR?

[Black_Bunny]

Okay, I'm going out on a limb, but my guess is:

c/a/b/a/a/b/b/b/a/a

How did I do, Miss?

[Kim]

Assuming this is open to hacks as well as PRs, I'll have a go:

1. c - you can't qualify "unique". Something is either unique or it isn't.
2. All three are in the active voice, though c cunningly also includes a passive.
3. b is wrong - there shouldn't be an apostrophe in "it's", which is possessive.
4. a conscious
5. Is this a trick question? I would say a is correct, though strictly it should be "A peer is owed..." c would be correct if you put quotes around "not guilty" b may be ungrammatical in ordinary writing, but is fine in headline writing.
6. b is wrong - should be "companies".
7. a has a dangling modifier.
8. a - should be "Clare or Emma is...".
9. All depends what you mean by "correct". The use of apostrophes with letters and numbers is a matter of convention, and that convention has changed over the years. Personally I would write "two Rs and three 4s" so I would say c is nearest.
10. b is wrong - it needs an apostrophe. a and c appear to be the same!

I can understand why no-one got all 10 right.

[Sally]

Kim, well done - an impressive 8 out of 10. I'll post the answers tomorrow. But the good news for now is that yes, you appear to be a successful PR candidate - hurrah!

Black Bunny - perhaps the least said, the better.

[Linda]

I think this is definately a gr8 quiz.
Thanks for the link, that's me on the picture by the way.

[Ren]

ok, here goes...
1c 2a 3b 4a 5c 6b 7a 8b 9c 10a
hopefully not a terrible score...

[thewordsmith]

1.l a) as something that is new is not necessarily unique. c) is wrong as it doesn't need a qualifier - it's either unique or it's not.

2. a)

3. b) has a grocer's apostrophe.

4. a)

5. c) is the only that one that forms a complete sentence, but a) and b) are fine as headlines.

6. b) - grocer's apostrophe again.

7. b) it's not your home that has been relieved of job stress.

8. a) should be is.

9. I'd say none of these is correct but it depends whether the password uses a lower-case r or not. In which case, I'd say r's for clarity's sake. c) comes closest to correct.

10. a). And by the way, there is no difference between b) and c).

[Sally]

Ren - a respectable 7 out of 10.

Wordsmith - I'm going to take half a mark off for one answer which is only partially right, so that's 8.5 out of 10. (admittedly, only according to me, and one of your answers could be argued)

Best so far, at any rate.

[Bueller]

1. C is incorrect because you cannot be somewhat unique.

2. A

3. B

4. A

5. C (double negative)

6. B

7. A

8. B

9. A

10. C

[Gina Davies]

I haven't cheated and i'm sure i'll get quite a few wrong but anyway - here goes nothing!

a,b, b, a, a, a, b, b, a, a

[Dave Lee]

I'm going with:

1. a, 2.c, 3.b, 4.a,5.c (although you'd never use it!), 6.b, 7.b (unless your home leads a stressful life), 8.a, 9.a (I don't know really, but A is the only one with a consistent rule, so I'll go with that), 10.a.

How'd I do?!

[Sally]

Dave

I think we'll just gloss over your results. You didn't do too badly, but 6.5 if I'm being generous. You might get the job, but I'd be keeping a close eye on you during your probationary period...

And just to prove it can be done, a friend of mine has just IM'd me to tell me his answers, and he scored 10 out of 10. AND he's a scientist. (I told him he got one wrong though, just to stop him being too smug)

[Dave Lee]

Jeeeeeeesus!

That's not good. I'll look out for the results tomorrow :-|

[Jono Russell]

1. c)
2. a)
3. b)
4. a)
5. a)
6. b)
7. a)
8. a)
9. I'll go b), but I'm not really sure
10. b)

[tasha]

1 a
2 a
3 b
4 a
5 b
6 b
7 c
8 a
9 a
10 b