Hyphens: Prefixes and Modifiers Quiz with Answers for AP Students

📚 Quick Study Guide

• 🔎 A hyphen joins two or more words together to act as a single adjective before a noun (e.g., well-known author).
• 📝 Hyphens are commonly used with prefixes like self-, ex-, all-, and quasi- (e.g., self-esteem, ex-president).
• 💡 Compound modifiers (two or more words that function as a single adjective) require a hyphen when they come *before* the noun they modify (e.g., a state-of-the-art facility).
• ✅ However, compound modifiers do *not* require a hyphen when they come *after* the noun (e.g., The facility is state of the art).
• ⚖️ Be mindful of exceptions, particularly with adverbs ending in -ly (e.g., highly effective strategy – no hyphen needed).
• 🎓 When in doubt, check a reputable style guide (like the AP Stylebook).
• ♾️ Numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine are hyphenated when written out.

Practice Quiz

1. Which of the following sentences uses a hyphen correctly?
   1. A. The student is well known.
   2. B. The student is well-known.
   3. C. The student is a well known author.
   4. D. The student is a well-known author.
2. Choose the sentence that correctly uses a hyphen with a prefix:
   1. A. He is an exfootball player.
   2. B. He is an ex-football player.
   3. C. He is a ex football player.
   4. D. He is a ex-football player.
3. Which sentence uses a hyphen correctly with a compound modifier?
   1. A. This is a up-to date report.
   2. B. This is an up to date report.
   3. C. This is an up-to-date report.
   4. D. This report is up-to-date.
4. Select the sentence with the correct hyphenation of a number:
   1. A. Thirty five students attended.
   2. B. Thirty-five students attended.
   3. C. Thirty five-students attended.
   4. D. Thirty-five students attended.
5. Which sentence demonstrates the correct usage of hyphens with adverbs ending in '-ly'?
   1. A. It was a highly-effective strategy.
   2. B. It was a highly effective strategy.
   3. C. It was a high-ly effective strategy.
   4. D. It was a highly- effective strategy.
6. Identify the sentence where the hyphen is correctly used to avoid ambiguity:
   1. A. He re-signed the document.
   2. B. He resigned the document.
   3. C. He re signed the document.
   4. D. Both A and B are correct depending on the context.
7. Which of the following sentences contains an incorrect use of a hyphen?
   1. A. She is a fast-thinking individual.
   2. B. He has a know-it-all attitude.
   3. C. The project is long-term.
   4. D. They are working long term.