Advanced clauses. 45 questions on restrictive vs non-restrictive clauses, reduced clauses, and complex clause structures.
What this test covers
- Restrictive vs Non-restrictive
- Reduced Clauses
- Complex Clause Structures
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All 45 questions with answers
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Q1The students ___ study hard will likely succeed.
Answer: A. who
In this restrictive relative clause, a subject-case relative pronoun is required to modify the human noun 'students.' 'Who' is the standard choice for human subjects. 'Whom' is incorrect because it functions as an object pronoun (e.g., 'the students whom I taught'). 'Whose' shows possession, and 'which' is reserved for non-humans in standard English.
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Q2My car, ___ is ten years old, still runs perfectly.
Answer: D. which
This is a non-restrictive relative clause, which provides extra information and is set off by commas. For non-human nouns like 'my car,' 'which' is the required relative pronoun. 'That' is prohibited in non-restrictive clauses; it can only introduce restrictive (defining) clauses. 'Who' is for humans, and 'where' must be followed by a subject and verb (e.g., 'the garage where it is kept').
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Q3Identify the correct sentence.
Answer: D. The movie that we watched was boring.
The sentence 'The movie that we watched was boring' uses a restrictive relative clause to identify a specific movie. Restrictive clauses are never set off by commas because the information is essential to the sentence's meaning. 'That' is the standard pronoun for these clauses. Using commas with 'that' is always ungrammatical, and the other options fail due to mismatched or unnecessary punctuation.
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Q4The house ___ stands on the hill is haunted.
Answer: B. that
This restrictive relative clause specifies which house is haunted. 'That' functions as the relative pronoun acting as the subject of the verb 'stands.' 'Where' is a relative adverb and would require a separate subject (e.g., 'the hill where the house stands'). 'Who' refers only to people. 'Whose owner' is a possessive structure that would produce the meaning 'the house whose owner stands on the hill,' incorrectly implying it is the owner (not the house) that stands there.
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Q5Which option preserves the non-restrictive meaning and fixes the error: The professor, whom I admire, are brilliant.?
Answer: A. The professor, whom I admire, is brilliant.
A non-restrictive relative clause requires commas to show the information is extra. For a human object of the clause ('I admire him'), 'whom' is the formally correct choice. Crucially, the main verb must agree with the singular subject 'The professor.' 'The professor, whom I admire, is brilliant' maintains the commas and fixes the subject-verb agreement error. 'That' cannot be used in non-restrictive clauses.
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Q6I bought a new laptop, ___ cost me a fortune.
Answer: C. which
The comma marks a non-restrictive clause adding incidental details. In these structures, 'which' is the only correct relative pronoun for objects. 'That' is strictly for restrictive clauses and cannot follow a comma. 'Who' and 'where' are semantically incorrect as they refer to people and locations, respectively.
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Q7The book ___ I borrowed is missing.
Answer: B. that
This is a restrictive relative clause where the pronoun 'that' identifies which book is missing. 'That' functions as the object of 'borrowed.' 'Who' is for people, 'where' is for locations, and 'whose' indicates possession. While 'which' is also possible in restrictive clauses, 'that' is the most standard choice here to distinguish it from parenthetical 'which' clauses.
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Q8Choose the correct sentence that preserves the non-restrictive meaning: My brother, that lives in London, is a chef.
Answer: C. My brother, who lives in London, is a chef.
Non-restrictive clauses provide extra info and must use commas. For a person, the subject pronoun 'who' is required. 'That' is used only for restrictive (defining) clauses and cannot follow a comma. 'Which' is only for non-human referents. Without commas, the sentence would imply the speaker has multiple brothers and is specifying the one in London, which changes the meaning.
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Q9The company ___ employs my sister is expanding rapidly.
Answer: A. that
In this restrictive relative clause, 'that' functions as the subject of 'employs' referring to 'the company.' For entities and collective nouns, 'that' or 'which' is standard. 'Whom' is an object pronoun for people, 'whose' shows possession, and 'where' is a relative adverb. Since the pronoun must act as the grammatical subject, 'that' is the correct choice.
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Q10Paris, ___ is the capital of France, is beautiful.
Answer: A. which
This non-restrictive relative clause provides extra information about a proper noun. For non-human subjects, 'which' is the required pronoun. 'That' cannot be used after a comma in this way. 'Where' is a relative adverb used for locations but it requires its own subject within the clause; here, we need a pronoun to be the subject of 'is,' so 'which' is necessary.
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Q11Choose the correct sentence for a restrictive clause (meaning only some employees).
Answer: B. Employees who work late are tired.
A restrictive (or defining) clause is essential to the sentence, identifying exactly which group we are talking about. These clauses are not set off by commas. 'Employees who work late are tired' correctly identifies only that specific subgroup. Adding commas makes the clause non-restrictive, implying all employees work late and all are tired.
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Q12The cake ___ she baked was delicious.
Answer: B. that
This restrictive relative clause identifies which cake is being discussed. 'That' is the standard relative pronoun for non-human objects in defining clauses. 'Who' refers to people, 'where' to locations, and 'whose' to possession. In informal English, the pronoun could be omitted entirely, but 'that' is the correct explicit option provided.
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Q13My neighbor, ___ is a doctor, is very kind.
Answer: B. who
The commas indicate a non-restrictive relative clause providing extra information about 'my neighbor.' For human subjects, 'who' is the only correct pronoun. 'That' is never used in non-restrictive clauses. 'Which' is for objects/animals, and 'whose' is a possessive determiner that must be followed by a noun (e.g., 'whose car').
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Q14The painting ___ sold for millions is a masterpiece.
Answer: B. that
This is a restrictive relative clause identifying a specific painting. 'That' serves as the relative pronoun and the subject of the verb 'sold.' 'Where' is an adverb of place, 'who' is for humans, and 'whose' indicates possession. In a defining clause referring to an inanimate object, 'that' is the standard subject pronoun.
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Q15Choose the correct sentence.
Answer: A. The car that I bought is blue.
'The car that I bought is blue' is a correct restrictive relative clause. 'The car, that I bought, is blue' is ungrammatical because 'that' cannot start a non-restrictive clause. 'The car, which I bought, are blue' fails because the singular subject 'car' requires the singular verb 'is.' Finally, 'The car, which I bought is blue' is missing the necessary closing comma for a parenthetical clause.
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Q16___ in the library, the student focused on his work.
Answer: C. Sitting
This is an adverbial participial phrase describing a simultaneous state. The present participle 'Sitting' describes what the student was doing while focusing. 'To sit' expresses purpose (He was there in order to sit), which doesn't fit here. 'Sat' is a past participle used for passive meanings. 'Having sat' is a perfect participle, implying the sitting was finished before the focusing began, which is logically unlikely.
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Q17The man ___ to the police is my neighbor.
Answer: D. talking
This is a reduced relative clause. The full form 'The man who is talking' is reduced by removing the relative pronoun and the auxiliary verb, leaving the present participle 'talking.' This participle functions adjectivally. 'Talks' is a finite verb that would need a relative pronoun ('who talks'). 'Talked' would imply a passive meaning (the man was talked to), which is incorrect here.
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Q18___ the report, she left the office.
Answer: B. Having finished
The perfect participle ('having' + past participle) indicates that one action was completed before another began. 'Having finished' clearly shows the report was done before she left. A simple present participle 'Finishing' might imply she left while still finishing. 'To finish' suggests she left in order to finish it later, and 'Finished' would imply she herself was finished, which is passive and incorrect.
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Q19The letter ___ yesterday arrived this morning.
Answer: A. written
This is a reduced relative clause with a passive meaning, shortened from 'The letter which was written yesterday.' When reducing a passive clause, we keep only the past participle 'written.' 'Writing' would imply the letter was doing the writing. 'Wrote' and 'write' are finite verbs that cannot modify a noun without a relative pronoun like 'which.'
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Q20Choose the correct sentence.
Answer: B. Having eaten lunch, we went home.
The perfect participle is formed with 'having' plus the past participle ('eaten'). 'Having eat' is grammatically incorrect. 'Eating lunch, we went home' suggests the two actions happened at the exact same time, which is unlikely. 'Eaten lunch' as a bare past participle is passive and doesn't work for an active subject like 'we.'
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Q21The road ___ to the city is closed.
Answer: D. leading
This is a reduced relative clause. The full form 'The road which leads' is reduced to the present participle 'leading.' We use the present participle for active, ongoing, or state-describing descriptions in these structures. 'Led' is the past participle and would imply a passive meaning. 'Leads' is a finite verb that requires a relative pronoun ('which' or 'that') to function correctly here.
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Q22___ by the noise, the dog barked.
Answer: B. Frightened
The sentence needs an adverbial participial phrase using a passive participle to show cause. 'Frightened' is the past participle, reducing 'Because it was frightened.' 'Frightening' (present participle) would mean the dog was the one making others feel afraid. 'To frighten' and 'Frighten' are not used as modifiers for the subject in this way.
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Q23Choose the correct sentence.
Answer: A. Walking home, I saw the rain.
This tests 'dangling participles.' An introductory participial phrase must modify the subject of the main clause. In 'Walking home, the rain started,' the grammar suggests the rain was walking home, which is illogical. In 'Walking home, I saw the rain,' the subject 'I' is the one walking. 'Walked home' would incorrectly imply a passive state of the subject 'I'.
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Q24The documents ___ on the desk are confidential.
Answer: B. left
This is a reduced passive relative clause, shortened from 'The documents which were left on the desk.' In such reductions, we omit the relative pronoun and the verb 'to be,' leaving the past participle 'left.' 'Leaving' (present participle) would incorrectly imply the documents were performing the action of leaving.
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Q25___ for hours, he was exhausted.
Answer: D. Having run
The perfect participle 'Having run' indicates a completed action that preceded and caused the later state of exhaustion. It correctly signals that the running was finished before the exhaustion set in. 'Have run' is a finite present perfect form and cannot begin a participial phrase. 'Run' (bare past participle) and 'To run' (infinitive) cannot function as the opener of a causal adverbial phrase in this position.
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Q26The girl ___ the piano is my sister.
Answer: A. playing
This is a reduced relative clause where 'The girl who is playing' is simplified to the present participle 'playing.' This represents an active, ongoing action. 'Played' (past participle) would imply a passive meaning or a completed action (The girl who was played). 'To play' (infinitive) would suggest a purpose or future event rather than a description of a current activity.
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Q27___ in the sun, the ice melted.
Answer: C. Left
This requires an adverbial participial phrase with a passive meaning: 'Because it was left in the sun.' 'Left' is the past participle. 'Leaving' is the present participle and would create a misplaced introductory phrase, suggesting the ice was the one doing the leaving. 'To leave' and 'Leave' do not function as adjectival modifiers of the subject in this context.
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Q28Identify the correct sentence.
Answer: B. Seeing the fire, we sounded the alarm.
This focuses on avoiding dangling modifiers. The phrase 'Seeing the fire' must describe the subject of the main clause. In 'Seeing the fire, the alarm sounded,' the alarm is grammatically the one seeing the fire. In 'Seeing the fire, we sounded the alarm,' the subject 'we' is the logical agent who saw the fire and took action.
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Q29The vase ___ by the child is broken.
Answer: C. broken
This is a reduced relative clause in the passive voice: 'The vase which was broken by the child.' Removing the relative pronoun and auxiliary leaves the past participle 'broken.' 'Breaking' would be the present participle, implying the vase was the agent performing the breaking, which contradicts the 'by the child' phrase.
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Q30___ his homework, he went to bed.
Answer: C. Having finished
The perfect participle 'Having finished' expresses that one action was completed before the next one started. While a present participle like 'Finishing' can sometimes show sequence, 'Having finished' is the most precise way to mark completion. 'Finished' alone as a past participle is passive and would suggest 'he' was the thing being finished.
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Q31I don't know ___ he left so early.
Answer: C. why
The sentence requires a noun clause acting as the object of 'know.' The interrogative adverb 'why' introduces a clause explaining the reason for his departure. 'Who' refers to a person, 'that' introduces a statement of fact, and 'which' implies a choice between specific items. Only 'why' makes sense when discussing the reason for an action.
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Q32The question ___ he asked was difficult.
Answer: C. that
This is a restrictive relative clause modifying 'the question.' 'That' (or 'which') is the relative pronoun acting as the object of 'asked.' 'What' means 'the thing which'; it cannot be used if the noun ('the question') is already present. 'Where' and 'how' denote place and manner, which do not fit the object role here.
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Q33What he said ___ true.
Answer: A. is
The nominal clause 'What he said' functions as the subject of the sentence. In English, noun clauses are treated as singular units for subject-verb agreement. Therefore, the singular verb 'is' is required. 'Are' and 'were' are plural, and 'be' is the base form, which does not fit an indicative statement of fact.
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Q34Identify the clause type: 'That she arrived late was expected.'
Answer: D. Noun clause
The clause 'That she arrived late' functions as the subject of the verb 'was.' This is a noun clause (nominal clause). It does not modify a noun (which would be a relative/adjective clause) or a verb for time/place (which would be an adverb clause). It turns a whole proposition into a single noun-like unit.
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Q35I wonder ___ she will accept the offer.
Answer: B. whether
The verb 'wonder' introduces an indirect question. For yes/no possibilities, the subordinator 'whether' (or 'if') is used to introduce the noun clause. 'That' is used for known facts, which contradicts the doubt in 'wonder.' 'What' and 'which' are used for specific objects. 'Whether' is the standard choice in formal contexts for binary options.
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Q36The reason ___ I called is personal.
Answer: B. why
The noun 'reason' is typically modified by the relative adverb 'why.' While 'for which' or 'that' are possible, 'why' is the standard choice for this specific noun. 'Which' would require a preposition ('the reason for which'), and 'where' or 'how' refer to location and manner, which do not match the meaning of 'reason.'
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Q37Correct the error: He told me that what he want is time.
Answer: A. He told me that what he wanted was time.
This requires 'backshifting' in reported speech. Because the reporting verb 'told' is in the past, the verbs in the following noun clause should also move to the past to keep the timeline consistent. 'What he wanted was time' correctly shifts 'want' to 'wanted' and 'is' to 'was.' Mixing present and past tenses here is ungrammatical.
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Q38___ you choose is up to you.
Answer: C. Whatever
'Whatever' means 'anything that.' It introduces a clause that acts as the subject of the sentence. 'Which' would require a specific list of options to be mentioned beforehand. 'Where' refers to location. 'That' cannot introduce a clause like this; it would change the meaning to 'the fact that you choose,' which is incomplete.
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Q39The place ___ we met is now a park.
Answer: B. where
'Where' is a relative adverb used for location. Unlike 'which,' 'where' includes the sense of a preposition ('at which' or 'in which'). If you used 'which' alone, you would need a preposition at the end (e.g., 'the place which we met at'). 'When' refers to time and 'whom' to people, making them semantically incorrect.
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Q40Choose the correct sentence.
Answer: D. I know the man whose car was stolen.
To show possession in a relative clause, 'whose' is required. It links the person (the man) to the object (the car). 'That his' and 'whom his' are incorrect because English does not allow you to use both a relative pronoun and a possessive pronoun for the same thing. 'Which' is only for non-humans.
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Q41___ she was tired, she kept working.
Answer: B. Although
This sentence needs a subordinating conjunction for an adverb clause showing contrast. 'Although' is a conjunction followed by a full clause (subject + verb). 'Despite' and 'In spite of' are prepositions and must be followed by a noun or gerund (e.g., 'Despite her tiredness'). 'Because' shows cause, which is the opposite of the contrast needed here.
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Q42The fact ___ he lied is disappointing.
Answer: D. that
'That' introduces a noun clause in apposition to 'fact.' This is different from a relative clause; it defines what the fact is rather than just describing it. 'Which' would only work in a relative clause (e.g., 'The fact which he mentioned'). 'What' cannot follow a noun, and 'where' is only for locations.
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Q43___ he finishes depends on him.
Answer: A. How
This sentence uses a noun clause as the subject. 'How he finishes' is a noun clause where 'how' functions as an interrogative adverb of manner, meaning the manner in which he completes the task is his own responsibility. 'Who' and 'Which' require a specific human referent or prior antecedent and cannot introduce a manner clause here. 'Whom' is an object-case pronoun and cannot serve as the subject of a noun clause.
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Q44Identify the clause type: 'When I arrive, call me.'
Answer: B. Adverb clause
The clause 'When I arrive' is an adverbial clause of time. It modifies the main verb 'call,' telling us when the action should happen. It is not a noun clause (it doesn't act as a subject or object) or a relative/adjective clause (it doesn't describe a noun like 'the time').
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Q45Which sentence is correct if the clause is restrictive?
Answer: D. The person who I spoke to was helpful.
A restrictive (defining) relative clause identifies the person and must not have commas. 'The person who I spoke to was helpful' is the correct structure. Options with commas are non-restrictive, which would imply there was only one person in existence. 'That' is also possible, but it must not be used with commas, making those options ungrammatical.
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