Beach Park
8th Grade Language Usage
Parallelism
Name
Question #1:
Which of these sentences shows parallelism?
A. The athletes swam across the river and ran up
the hill in record time.
B. The athletes swam across the river, but after
that they ran up the hill in record time.
Question #2:
Does this sentence show parallelism?
Edgar Allan Poe wrote poems, stories, and articles for
a magazine.
A. yes
B. no
Question #1:
Which of these sentences shows parallelism?
A. The pine trees, pin oaks, and forsythia bushes in
the backyard have grown a foot taller.
B. The pine trees, along with the pin oaks and
forsythia bushes in the backyard, have grown a
foot taller.
Question #4:
Which of these sentences shows parallelism?
A. To our surprise, the principal came, he listened,
and he made suggestions.
B. To our surprise, the principal attended our
meeting and listened to our complaints, then
made suggestions.
Question #5:
Which of these sentences shows parallelism?
A. Jason dropped the spaghetti on the floor and
brushed it all under the rug.
B. Jason dropped the spaghetti and brushed it all
under the rug.
Question #6:
Which of these sentences shows parallelism?
A. The baby cries whenever her mother puts her
down or whenever she can't find her teddy
bear.
B. The baby cries whenever her mother puts her
down or if she can't find her teddy bear.
Question #7:
Which of these sentences shows parallelism?
A. Eleanor forgot her umbrella, but she
remembered her jacket.
B. Eleanor forgot her umbrella, but she
remembered to wear her jacket.
Question #8:
Does this sentence show parallelism?
My stepmother bought me a Native American dream
catcher for Christmas and a chocolate cake.
A. no
B. yes
Question #9:
Which of these sentences shows parallelism?
A. After hiking all day, we were hot, thirsty, and
tired.
B. After hiking all day, we were hot and thirsty,
and we all felt tired.
Question #10:
Which of these sentences shows parallelism?
A. The shortstop can catch the ball in midair, or he
can throw the ball from the ground.
B. The shortstop can catch the ball in midair, or he
could also field a grounder.
Question #11:
Which of these sentences shows parallelism?
A. Gregory hit the ball over the fence, and it sailed
into Mr. Drake's yard.
B. Gregory hit the ball over the fence and into Mr.
Drake's yard.
Beach Park
8th Grade Language Usage
Parallelism
Name
Question #12:
Which of these sentences shows parallelism?
A. The bottom of the sack got wet when it rained
and tore.
B. The bottom of the sack got wet when it rained
and tore when we picked it up.
Question #13:
Does this sentence show parallelism?
Mario had the idea for the play, he told Andrew in
class, and they suggested it to the principal.
A. no
B. yes
Question #14:
Which of these sentences shows parallelism?
A. Mr. Bennigan has said all that he can, and he is
not going to say anything more.
B. Mr. Bennigan has said all that he can and all
that he is going to say.
Question #15:
Which of these sentences shows parallelism?
A. My cousin Edgar, along with Aunt Ruth, and Ed,
my best friend, all have terrible colds.
B. My cousin Edgar, my aunt Ruth, and my friend
Ed all have terrible colds.
Question #16:
Which of these sentences shows parallelism?
A. Louise and Margie have brought the chips and
all of the dip, and they brought the soda for the
party.
B. Louise and Margie have brought the chips, dip,
and soda for the party.
Question #17:
Does this sentence show parallelism?
All of the team members have won in championship
games, gone to the state finals, and come with
trophies before.
A. no
B. yes
Question #18:
Which of these sentences shows parallelism?
A. All of the bells in the buildings and on the
campus ring at the same time.
B. All of the bells in the buildings on campus ring
at the same time.
Question #19:
Which of these sentences shows parallelism?
A. I need to make some cookies, do the laundry,
and vacuum the floors before everyone arrives
tonight.
B. I need to make some cookies and do laundry
and then vacuum the floors before everyone
arrives tonight.
Question #20:
Which of these sentences shows the more effective use
of parallelism?
A. Painting landscapes, sketching, and drawing
animals are things I cannot do well.
B. Painting landscapes, sketching faces, and
drawing animals are things I cannot do well.
Question #21:
Which of these sentences shows the more effective use
of parallelism?
A. If you study and pay attention, and don't
neglect to take notes, you will do well in this
class.
B. If you study well, if you pay attention, and if you
take notes, you will do well in this class.
Beach Park
8th Grade Language Usage
Parallelism
Name
Question #22:
Which of these sentences shows parallelism?
A. The train moved with smooth swiftness over
the bridge.
B. The train moved quickly, smoothly, and quietly
over the bridge.
Question #23:
Which of these sentences shows parallelism?
A. You should take a radio and an alarm clock and
some snacks to eat when you go to camp.
B. You should take a radio to listen to, an alarm to
wake you, and some snacks to eat when you go
to camp.
Question #24:
Which of these sentences shows parallelism?
A. Jacob loves his reading and art classes, but he
hates math.
B. Jacob loves his reading class, he enjoys his art
class, but he hates his math class.
Question #25:
Which of these sentences shows parallelism?
A. The highway and streets, and even the
sidewalks were icy this morning.
B. The highway, streets, and sidewalks were icy
this morning.
Beach Park
8th Grade Language Usage
Parallelism
Answer Key
1. A -The athletes swam across the river and ran up the hill in record time.
2. A -yes
3. A - The pine trees, pin oaks, and forsythia bushes in the backyard have grown a foot taller.
4. A -To our surprise, the principal came, he listened, and he made suggestions.
5. A -Jason dropped the spaghetti on the floor and brushed it all under the rug.
6. A -The baby cries whenever her mother puts her down or whenever she can't find her teddy bear.
7. A -Eleanor forgot her umbrella, but she remembered her jacket.
8. A -no
9. A -After hiking all day, we were hot, thirsty, and tired.
10. A -The shortstop can catch the ball in midair, or he can throw the ball from the ground.
11. B -Gregory hit the ball over the fence and into Mr. Drake's yard.
12. B -The bottom of the sack got wet when it rained and tore when we picked it up.
13. B -yes
14. B -Mr. Bennigan has said all that he can and all that he is going to say.
15. B -My cousin Edgar, my aunt Ruth, and my friend Ed all have terrible colds.
16. B -Louise and Margie have brought the chips, dip, and soda for the party.
17. B -yes
18. A -All of the bells in the buildings and on the campus ring at the same time.
19. A -I need to make some cookies, do the laundry, and vacuum the floors before everyone arrives tonight.
20. B -Painting landscapes, sketching faces, and drawing animals are things I cannot do well.
21. B -If you study well, if you pay attention, and if you take notes, you will do well in this class.
22. B -The train moved quickly, smoothly, and quietly over the bridge.
23. B -You should take a radio to listen to, an alarm to wake you, and some snacks to eat when you go to camp.
24. B -Jacob loves his reading class, he enjoys his art class, but he hates his math class.
25. B -The highway, streets, and sidewalks were icy this morning.