Midterm
About the exam:
This exam is worth 20% of your grade. You will have two hours to complete the exam. The exam will feature three sections:
- Grammar (20%)
- Reading Comprehension (50%)
- Writing (30%)
Section 1 : Grammar
ABOUT: Section 1, Grammar, is worth 20% of the exam. It will ask multiple choice and short answer questions about:
- identifying subjects and predicates;
- identifying and editing fragment and run-on sentences, including comma splices and fused sentences;
- identifying and writing independent clauses (simple sentences);
- identifying and editing compound sentences, especially where the comma goes;
- editing and writing dialogue punctuation; and
- citing textual evidence using quotations.
Ex. 1: “Once upon a time, upon a Christmas Eve, old Scrooge sat busy in his counting-house” (p. 1, line 1). What is the subject of this sentence?
- time
- Christmas Eve
- Scrooge
- counting-house
- (C) next to complete sentence,
- (R) next to run-on sentences (including comma splices and fused sentences), and
- (F) next to fragment sentences.
- Although Scrooge was a mean, old man at the beginning of the play.
- Marley was a ghost.
- The Ghost of Christmas Past brought Scrooge to his old workplace, the Ghost of Christmas Present took Scrooge to Bob Cratchit’s house to see how the Cratchits celebrate Christmas, even though they are poor.
- Even though they are poor.
- The Cratchits are happy.
- Bob squeaked I am very sorry I’m late, sir
- I will not stand for this sort of thing any longer said Scrooge
- therefore I am going to raise your salary exclaimed Scrooge
- Scrooge continued A merry Christmas Bob
- The folktale “Abiyoyo” also fulfills the requirement of supernatural powers, because the boy’s father was a magician, He had a magic wand. He’d go, ‘Zoop, zoop,’ and make things disappear. Page 3, line 2.
- The folktale “Abiyoyo” also fulfills the requirement of supernatural powers, because the boy’s father was a magician, “He had a magic wand. He’d go, ‘Zoop, zoop,’ and make things disappear. Page 3, line 2.”
- The folktale “Abiyoyo” also fulfills the requirement of supernatural powers, because the boy’s father was a magician, He had a magic wand. He’d go, ‘Zoop, zoop,’ and make things disappear.” (pg. 3, line 2.)
- The folktale “Abiyoyo” also fulfills the requirement of supernatural powers, because the boy’s father was a magician: “He had a magic wand. He’d go, ‘Zoop, zoop,’ and make things disappear” (pg. 3, line 2).
Section 2 : Reading Comprehension
ABOUT: Section 2, Reading Comprehension, is worth 50% of the exam. For this section, you will read an excerpt of a story, and then you will answer questions. This section will ask multiple choice, true or false, and short answer questions about:
- story elements;
- theme;
- inference;
- symbolism; and
- vocabulary.
Please note that the following questions are just examples. The questions on the exam will not relate to A Christmas Carol; they will relate to the text given during the exam.
Ex. 1: A Christmas Carol is a story told from which perspective?
- Scrooge
- The Ghost of Christmas Past
- Tiny Tim
- The narrator
In this sentence from A Christmas Carol, what is the effect of using the word pouring?
- It describes how the people were walking.
- It describes how crowded the streets were.
- It describes how rainy the day was.
- It describes how the town is flooding.
- Scrooge doesn’t like to spend money.
- Scrooge is mean.
- Scrooge is concerned about climate change.
- Scrooge is a ghost.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Section 3 : Writing
Section 3, Writing, is worth 30% of the exam. It will ask you to read a short nonfiction text, and then draw a conclusion. You must support your conclusion with textual evidence by writing a three-paragraph essay using proper citation.
Example Questions for Section 3: Writing
Ex. 1: In what ways did Charles Dickens change Christmas, according to Is Charles Dickens the Real Father Christmas? Write a 3-paragraph essay.
Ex. 2: Why is it worthwhile to study balanced rocks, according to Big Rocks Balancing Act (p. 157, Collections). Write a 3-paragraph essay.
Ex. 3. Read Women in Aviation (p. 43, Collections). What obstacles did Quimby Coleman and other early female pilots face that their male counterparts did not? Write a 3-paragraph essay.
Additional Study Resources
Still need practice? Here are websites full of worksheets, quizzes, and review lessons. Find these links on my website: www.MsNinaHall.weebly.com
Section 1: Grammar
Identifying subjects and predicates:
- http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/satz/subpred.htm
- http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/multi/subpred.htm
- https://www.ixl.com/ela/grade-4/identify-the-simple-subject-or-predicate-of-a-sentence
- http://www.english-grammar-revolution.com/grammar-quiz.html
- http://study.com/academy/lesson/sentence-fragments-comma-splices-and-run-on-sentences.html
- http://www.shsu.edu/txcae/Powerpoints/prepostest/fragrunonpostest.html
- http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/quotes_quiz.htm
- http://www.glencoe.com/sec/writerschoice/rws/mslessons/grade8/lesson30/exercises.shtml
- http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/quotes_quiz.htm (this looks at dialogue and citation quotations)
- http://www2.ivcc.edu/rambo/eng1001/practice_quotations_quiz.htm
Read and answer the comprehension questions from fiction stories in your Collections and Close Reader textbooks.
Section 3: Writing
Read and answer the comprehension questions from nonfiction informational texts in your Collections and Close Reader textbooks. Be sure you're able to write well-developed paragraphs, including citation!