Common and Proper Nouns — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Which group of words are ALL common nouns?
A) Mars, Jupiter, Venus
B) chair, spoon, window
C) Tuesday, Sunday, Friday
D) Ohio, Texas, Maine
The correct answer is B) chair, spoon, window. Which group of words are ALL common nouns — the answer is chair, spoon, window.
2. Which sentence has a capitalization mistake?
A) We visited Aunt Rosa last week.
B) The family went to disney World.
C) My brother reads every night.
D) She named her hamster Peanut.
The correct answer is B) The family went to disney World.. Which sentence has a capitalization mistake — the answer is The family went to disney World..
3. The word "mountain" is a common noun. Which of these is a proper noun?
A) the tall mountain
B) Mountains
C) Mount Rushmore
D) a rocky mountain
The correct answer is C) Mount Rushmore. The word "mountain" is a common noun. Which of these is a proper noun — the answer is Mount Rushmore.
4. Which pair shows a common noun and its matching proper noun?
A) sing — song
B) planet — Mars
C) cold — warm
D) tall — taller
The correct answer is B) planet — Mars. Which pair shows a common noun and its matching proper noun — the answer is planet — Mars.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. "Disney World" is a proper noun, but "park" alone is a common noun.
Disney World names one specific theme park, which makes it a proper noun. The word park by itself could mean any park, so it stays a common noun.
2. The proper noun for the common noun "planet" could be Mars.
Planet is a general word for any of the worlds orbiting the sun. Mars is the specific name of one red planet, so Mars is a proper noun.
3. When writing the name of a holiday, the first letter must be capitalized.
Holiday names like Halloween or Thanksgiving are proper nouns because they name specific celebrations. The first letter must be capitalized to show that.
4. The word "Nile" is a proper noun that names a specific river.
The Nile is the name of one of the longest rivers in the world, flowing through Egypt. Because it names one specific river, Nile is a proper noun.
5. Proper nouns for months include June, August, and November.
November is the eleventh month of the year, with a specific name of its own. Month names are always proper nouns, just like June and August.