The problem with this is that they are using “traditional grammar” not the descriptive and scientific work one would find in the works of a linguistics journal. That is, even if the “correct” answer is not the answer that accurately describes how English works, it is still “wrong” because it “just is.” That’s really the only explanation you’ll get from them. There’s no scientific or peer reviewed evidence they could point to. They’re just 100% confident that the way people talk is just “wrong” somehow. And on the extreme of things, sometimes it might seem as if they have a point. Is “irregardless” a word? It’s widely regarded as at least being less proper. What about “ain’t”? It’s well over a hundred years old, used by people of many different racial and economic conditions and it sure as hell ain’t going anywhere. How about using “they” as a gender-neutral pronoun? Is the word “cool” still considered “slang” and therefor “not a real word”? What about the pronunciation of “ask” as “axe”? What if I reminded you that “axe” as a pronunciation is actually older and that it shows up in Chaucer? There has never been a time in the English language in which infinitives were thing that you could not split. But you will never the less find people who have absolute 100% confidence that it’s still wrong and that every native speaker of English is “wrong” somehow and they don’t need to reference any objective evidence or even a coherent thought process as to why things are wrong, because they just know better somehow. So if they write up a test and say that the normal way of phrasing something is wrong and the abnormal way of phrasing it is right - well how CAN you argue with that?
That test would probably deduct a few points from you for spelling it donuts. If it’s not Dunkin’, then it’s supposed to be spelled doughnuts.
In the US (and I think Canada, too), “donut” has become acceptable. I don’t know where you get the idea only Dunkin’ spells them that way. Huck Finn Donuts also spells it the simplified way on their restaurant signage. Tim Hortons spells it that way in its literature. And there’s plenty of ma & pop donut shops that spell it that way, too. Dunkin’ Donuts isn’t even the first to use that spelling–they came in 1950 and the spelling dates back to the 19th century.
Bravo/a!
I feel like I’m just piling on at this point. Everyone has pretty much covered things. If I were to fill in the blank, with no choices given, I’d have filled in “one of”. I would be comfortable with between or** from among**, less happy with from and not happy at all with just among. Before is right out.
I’d also say that the question wasn’t about grammar, but about style. And there are many styles. It isn’t fair to test for style if you haven’t supplied a style sheet.
I once worked for a professor who did not feel it proper to use the word since unless it was referring to time. In sentences like: “Since he didn’t like hot dogs, he decided to drop the offending cylinder of meat into the terrarium while his grandmother’s back was turned”, he would require that since be replaced with because.
I adjusted. It was a matter of style and he was signing my time sheet.
I’m with ya! Hadn’t thought of “one of” which is superior to all, but I was going to suggest “from among” when I first read the question.
Would you believe, I actually did read the test question as someone selecting from among six ties, as in a race?
I chose “from.” But only because I had to choose one word. Left to myself, I would say “from among.”
If I were to use from, then it would have to be followed by “a group/bunch/selection…”. The sentence does not give you that option.
I agree it is an abysmal question.
My first preference would probably be “from among” as well, but limited to only one word, the best selection would be “between”. I would probably tag the question based upon the phrasing as trying to suggest “between” is supposed to imply only 2 options, and then been stuck with two inadequate and stupid options, “from” or “among”. I would likely select “from”, because “among” by itself sounds wrong to me.
Dialect and style choices presented as right and wrong. I could probably reason my way to the answer they want, but not be happy with providing that answer.
If I were the OP, I think I would remind “them” that communication sometimes requires putting together more elements than you were allowed to do.
“From among” would be my written and spoken inclination when using formal English.
– former copywriter, Assistant Editor, and English teacher
Just noticed that the OP does suggest that the correct answer could be more that one word.
(ly)
But when it says “word(s),” I’m not sure it means you can string them together. I thought they meant you might could use them individually but not together.
No, OP clearly says “You could only click/choose one”
HESI is one of those tests that uses circle clicky boxes if there’s a single answer and squares if they expect multiple answers. The “other(s)” is just (more poor) test question convention; it was not multiple answer.
It was written to accommodate a potential multi-word choice, such as “e) from among”.
Right,… Sorry. I didn’t choose from among the option(s) of opening the spoiler(s)
If it was indeed the case that instructions (not reproduced in the OP’s quoted material) stated firmly that only ONE choice could be made, then it is absolutely nonsensical for the lead-in to read “Select the correct word(s) for the blank in the following sentence.”
This would be correct only if one of the choices was a multi-word phrase.
This reminds me of the number of times I have to correct advertising copy submitted by a client that reads something like “We offer a choice of four (4) different plans.”
I want to ask “Do you actually have some potential readers of this copy who don’t understand the meaning of ‘four’?”
This sort of thing belongs in contract language only (and maybe legal briefs)…nowhere else.
Back on topic, I would have rejected all of the choices in favor of “from among.” I can offer no reason other than it “sounds right” to me.
That sounds troubling. Are you sure they don’t, after throwing out the answers that are “too easy” or “too hard” so to speak, then go on to determine by some reliable means what number of correct answers should count as passing? If so, then the problem you mention need not be a problem.
Ah yes. Of course.
The OP implies that it was computer generated exam, which means that some answers could have been automatically randomized. Thus the question is phrased to be flexible and avoid extra coding to add/remove the “s”.