Texas Court Reporter Practice Exam

Choose the correct option: "The test was marked _____ because of the strict criteria." (less, fewer)

1. Less

2. Fewer

3. Either can be used

4. None of the above

The correct answer is: Fewer

The correct choice is "fewer." This is due to the fact that "fewer" is used when referring to countable nouns—items that can be counted individually, such as tests, apples, or people. In this context, "the test" implies there is a specific number of tests being referenced, thus calling for the use of "fewer" to describe a decrease in the number of acceptable tests that met the strict criteria. On the other hand, "less" is typically used when dealing with uncountable nouns—concepts or substances that cannot be counted individually, such as water, sugar, or time. Since "tests" can be quantified, "fewer" is the appropriate choice in this example. Therefore, the sentence correctly indicates that the number of tests that met the criteria was reduced, aligning with the rules of grammar regarding countable versus uncountable nouns.