O Level English Language chapter 5: Writing: accuracy and style MCQs with answers
By Team Megalecture · Updated 4 Nov 2026
58 exam-style questions on Writing: accuracy and style, each with the answer and a short explanation. Ten of them are below to try. The chapter test draws ten fresh questions each time and is marked the moment you finish, with your score by topic.
Ten Writing: accuracy and style questions with answers
Try each one, then open the answer. These ten stay the same; the test draws new ones every time.
1. A student is giving a speech about food waste. Which rhetorical question would be most effective?
A
Do you know what time lunch is being served in the canteen today, by the way?
B
How can we throw away rice when families nearby go to bed hungry?
C
Rice is wasted, but is it, and does anyone even know or care?
D
Why is the rice served in our canteen usually white and not brown?
Show answer
Answer: B. A rhetorical question is asked for effect, not for an answer; the key makes listeners feel the contrast between waste and hunger. The others are real requests for information, or confusing and off the point.
2. Choose the correctly spelt word to complete the sentence.
I will ______ bring my notes to the lesson tomorrow.
A
definitly
B
defenitely
C
definitely
D
definately
Show answer
Answer: C. ‘Definitely’ is built on ‘finite’, which helps you remember the -ite- in the middle and the -ely at the end.
3. Which sentence is correctly punctuated?
A
The coach shouted ‘keep your eyes on the ball!’
B
The coach shouted, Keep your eyes on the ball!
C
The coach shouted, ‘Keep your eyes on the ball!’
D
The coach shouted, ‘Keep your eyes on the ball’!
Show answer
Answer: C. Direct speech goes inside inverted commas and starts with a capital letter, and its exclamation mark goes inside the closing inverted comma.
4. Choose the words that best complete the sentence.
The fire brigade ______ the fire within an hour.
A
switched off
B
finished
C
put out
D
closed
Show answer
Answer: C. We ‘put out’ (or extinguish) a fire. ‘Switched off’ is used for machines and lights, ‘closed’ for doors and shops, and ‘finished’ for tasks.
5. Choose the verb that correctly completes the sentence.
The box of old photographs ______ been in the storeroom for years.
A
were
B
have
C
are
D
has
Show answer
Answer: D. The subject is ‘box’, which is singular, so the verb is ‘has’. ‘Of old photographs’ describes the box and does not change the subject.
6. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.
The witness gave a ______ account of the accident, remembering every small detail.
A
thorough
B
careless
C
brief
D
vague
Show answer
Answer: A. ‘Remembering every small detail’ shows the account was full and careful, so ‘thorough’ fits. ‘Brief’, ‘vague’ and ‘careless’ contradict the rest of the sentence.
7. Which sentence uses all its words correctly?
A
Whose going to the principal's office after the morning assembly?
B
Your going to need a pen and a ruler for the test.
C
The principal's decision will affect whether we go on the trip.
D
The principle reason for the delay was the heavy rain.
Show answer
Answer: C. The key uses ‘principal’ (head of a school) and ‘affect’ (a verb) correctly. The others should read ‘Who's’ (who is), ‘You're’ (you are) and ‘principal’ (main).
8. Which sentence is correct?
A
I am learning the guitar since two years.
B
I have been learning the guitar for two years.
C
I learn the guitar since two years.
D
I have been learning the guitar since two years.
Show answer
Answer: B. Use ‘for’ with a length of time (for two years) and ‘since’ with a point in time (since 2024). An action that began in the past and is still going on needs the present perfect: ‘have been learning’.
9. Two boys had left their bicycles outside a shop. Which sentence is correct?
A
The two boy's bicycles were stolen from outside the shop.
B
The two boys's bicycles were stolen from outside the shop.
C
The two boys bicycle's were stolen from outside the shop.
D
The two boys' bicycles were stolen from outside the shop.
Show answer
Answer: D. For a plural noun ending in -s, add only an apostrophe after the s: boys'. ‘Boy's’ means one boy, and the plural ‘bicycles’ needs no apostrophe.
10. Read this notice.
The school's annual book fair begins on Monday. Parents' are welcome to visit after 2 p.m. The children's drawings will be on display in the hall, and there will be a prize for the best one. Don't forget to bring a bag for your books!
Which part contains an apostrophe error?
A
‘Don't forget’
B
‘Parents' are welcome’
C
‘The school's annual book fair’
D
‘The children's drawings’
Show answer
Answer: B. ‘Parents’ here is a simple plural with nothing belonging to it, so it needs no apostrophe. ‘School's’ and ‘children's’ show possession, and ‘Don't’ is a contraction of ‘do not’.
Writing: accuracy and style: questions students ask
How many Writing: accuracy and style MCQs are there?
58, each with the answer and a short explanation, across 4 topics: Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling and commonly confused words, Vocabulary and sentence variety. Every chapter test draws ten of them, so you can take it many times.
Is the O Level English Language chapter 5 test free?
Yes. The test, the answers and the explanations are free and need no sign-up. Sign in only if you want your scores kept across devices.
How is the chapter test marked?
The moment you press Finish: your score, the right answer and an explanation for every question, and the ones you got wrong saved in My mistakes to retry.
