College English 1 Final Exam Review Guide Fall 2015
The final exam will test you on all material that we covered in class, in Units 7-12 of Smart Choice 2, as
well as any additional materials provided and/or discussed during class time such as handouts and
PowerPoint presentations. I am providing you this guide as a reminder of the most important points we
covered in class so that you can better prepare for the final exam.
Vocabulary
Each unit contained several vocabulary items, and you are expected to show that you can understand
and use them during the speaking test.
Vocabulary items in the mid-term exam will include the following:
Unit 7: Shopping – pg. 44, 45
Unit 8: Describing People – pgs. 50, 51
Unit 9: Accidents and Injuries: pgs. 56, 57, 58
Irregular simple past tense/present perfect verb forms: pg. 18, handouts
Unit 10: Natural Disasters and Modals of Deduction – pg. 64, 66
Comparative & superlative adjectives – pgs 26, 28, handouts
Unit 11: School Clubs – pg. 70
Unit 12: Real Estate – pgs. 76, 81
Grammar
Each unit contained a major grammar point and several questions in the speaking test will check your
ability to understand and use them. These grammar points are shown in the Language Practice section
(the green boxes) on pgs. 46, 52, 58, 66, 72, and 78. They are also explained in more detail on pgs. 131136, and these sections also include practice questions which I highly recommend.
In a nutshell, these grammar points are:
Unit 7 – Too many, too much, not enough
Unit 8 – Relative clauses using who, which, and that
Unit 9 – Past continuous vs. simple past
Unit 10 – Modals of deduction in the present and past (may, might, could, should, can’t, must)
Unit 11 – Past habits using used to
Unit 12 – Real conditionals
***You should show that you can use as many of these vocabulary and grammar points as possible
when you answer questions on the speaking test!***
Speaking Test
The final exam will also include a speaking test, which will be a one-on-one conversation between you
and your English teacher. I will ask you questions, and I expect you to answer them in as much detail as
you can (5 complete sentences minimum for a passing grade), using vocabulary items and grammar
forms we discussed in class, and with your best pronunciation. You should also expect to answer followup questions. As I have a limited amount of time to test 20 students, please do not make me wait any
longer than necessary for your answer. Taking a few seconds to think is fine, but if you make me wait
much longer I will assume that you cannot answer that question, give you a failing grade on it and
continue to the next question.
I will choose and ask you as many questions as I can (usually 3-4) from the following list:
Unit 7 Discussion Questions – Shopping and Money
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Where do you prefer to shop, at department stores or traditional markets? Why?
Where are some of your favorite places to go shopping?
What was the last thing you bought for yourself? Where did you buy it? Why did you buy it?
What kind of things do you often shop for?
Tell me about the last time you went shopping.
Unit 8 – Describing People and Relative Clauses
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
How would you describe your appearance?
How would you describe your personality?
Are there any ways you would like to improve your appearance? Explain.
Are there any ways you would like to improve your personality? Explain.
Describe this person in as much detail as you can. (I will show you a picture)
Unit 9 – Accidents, Injuries, and Past Continuous
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Have you ever cut yourself? What were you doing when it happened?
Have you ever had a bad bruise? What were you doing when it happened?
What was the most recent injury you’ve had? What were you doing when it happened?
What was the most serious injury you’ve ever had? What were you doing when it happened?
What were you doing at 7:30 this morning? 7:00 last night? 9:00 last night? Etc. (I might ask you
about any time)
Unit 10 – Natural Disasters and Modals of Deduction
1. Using modals of deduction, tell me what you think this is. (I will show you a picture)
2. Using modals of deduction, tell me what you think happened. (I will show you a picture)
Unit 11 – School Clubs, Past Habits and Used To
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
How have your study habits changed since high school?
How often did you use to get in trouble when you were in high school? What happened?
What are some bad habits that you used to have when you were younger?
What kinds of games did you use to play when you were a child?
Did you use to have a pet? Tell me about it.
Many inventions have changed our lives forever. What did people use to do before these
inventions?
airplanes
refrigerators
the internet
smartphones
television
MP3 players
Unit 12 – Real Estate and Real Conditionals
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Describe the place you live in now.
Do you like the place where you are living? Why or why not?
What’s the best thing about the place you live now?
What would you like to change about the place you live now?
What will happen if you don’t water your plants?
What will happen if you eat too much candy?
What will happen if you drive too fast?
What will you do if the weather is nice this weekend?
cars
paper