Here are some samples of the types of questions (with the answers) that may be expected on the skills test.

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
Circle the correct verb in each of the following.

1.  The reasons for global warming and for changes in the climate has/have been hotly debated lately.  Bonus:  Identify the simple subject of this sentence.
Answer:  Choose have.  The simple subject is reasons (plural), requiring the plural verb.  ("[Global] warming," "changes," and "climate" are objects of prepositions and therefore cannot function as subjects in this sentence.)

2.  Writing essays in a limited amount of time require/requires planning and clear thinking.  Bonus:  Identify the simple subject of this sentence.
Answer:  Choose the singular verb requires.  The simple subject is writing.  It is true that "writing essays" is the complete subject, but writing (not essays) is the simple subject.  In this sentence, writing is a gerund – a verb form used as a noun.  (So are planning and thinking.  They are the direct objects of requires.)

3.  One-half of the students in Professor Snarf's math class does/do not understand his lectures.  Bonus:  Identify the simple subject of this sentence.
Answer:  Choose the plural verb do.  The simple subject is one-half – a word denoting a portion of something.  To decide whether such words are singular or plural, we need to ask whether we're referring to "one-half of it" or "one-half of them."  Here we refer to "one half of them (the students)" – plural.  The same would be true if we had "None of the students in Professor Snarf's math class understand his lectures":  Simple subject = None, used to denote a portion of a plural noun (none of the students), therefore requiring the plural verb understand.

4.  Neither my brother nor my parents have/has a college degree.
Answer:  have.  In a "neither . . . nor" or "either . . . or" construction, the verb agrees with the second of two subjects (in this case, parents).  If we turned this around to read, "Neither my parents nor my brother have/has a college degree," the correct verb would be has.

5.  Neither of my brothers have/has gone to college.
Answer:  has.  The subject is neither.  This is not a "neither . . . nor" construction, as in #4.  When neither is used alone as subject, its meaning is "neither one," which is singular.  Do not be misled by the word brothers, which is not the subject but the object of the preposition of.

6.  My brother and my sister enjoys/enjoy hiking in the mountains.
Answer:  enjoy.  A compound subject (consisting of two nouns connected by and) takes a plural verb.  They enjoy . . . .  The singular is enjoys, as in, "My brother enjoys hiking in the mountains."

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