N 378, Foundations of Grammar, Midterm Exam
Southeast Missouri State University
Midterm Exam, Grammar, EN 378, ITV, Dr. Eaton, 2007
(All questions – 2 points each )
_____ 1)
If a grammar rule is structural, meaning that you have to use it in a certain way, we say it falls under
which of the following rule types?
A)
descriptive
B)
rhetorical
C)
prescriptive
D)
optional slotting rule
_____ 2)
The two schools of grammatical thought are which of the following pairs:
A)
transfiguration and building block
B)
structural and transformational/trans-social
C)
open slotting and mandatory slotting
D)
cognitive and behavioral
_____3)
A grammatical structure that is defined by its adherence to “rules and regulations” is known as:
A)
descriptive
B)
regressive
C)
interrogative
D)
prescriptive
_____ 4)
The English language is primarily situated in which of the following language types?
a)
signaling
b)
guttural
c)
tonal
d)
romance
______ 5)
The use of grammar that affects our perception of the people who use it, in either in a negative or
positive way, like behavior in a job interview, and is dependent on environment is an indicator of which of
the following conditions?
a)
structural definition
b)
dialectical analysis processing
c)
language etiquette
d)
transmogrificational phonectics
_____ 6) The distance rule states which of the following when applied to grammar?
a) The further we are emotionally distant from the individual, the more formal our grammar structure will be.
b) We use the same grammar with whomever, based on our understanding of grammar usage.
c) Al people are held equally and therefore our grammar usage remains relatively identical in every situation.
d) Grammar usage is influenced by people we like and those that we don’t.
_____ 7) Proper sentence structure, punctuation, and either a formal or informal “voice” but without the use of slang,
excessive jargon, contractions or shortcuts such ((b/C) for because) is considered:
a) tonal quality
b) Edited American English
c) mandatory slotting
d) Grammar “A”
_____8) Which of the following is the primary purpose for coding sentences?
A)
To show that all sentences are grammatical?
B)
To show that all sentences follow a clearly mathematical concept of ordering?
C)
To show how parts of speech can be switched around to provide different meanings and purposes?
D)
To show that the subjects (noun) always remain in the same place regardless of the sentence
purpose.
_____ 9) The five types of nouns appear in which of the following set?
a) pronouns, common nouns, collective nouns, general nouns, and specific nouns.
B) common nouns, collective nouns, abstract nouns, concrete nouns, proper nouns.
C) collective nouns, abstract nouns, gender-specific nouns, racial nouns and concrete nouns.
D) Concrete nouns, collective nouns, personal pronouns, prepositional nouns, abstract
nouns.
_____ 10) The part of speech which clearly shows man’s egocentrism in viewing the world in proximity or location
to himself or herself is called which of the following?
a) Nouns
b) verbs
c) interjections
d) prepositions.
_____ 11) In order for a sentence to be clearly understood in writing, certain parts of speech must be placed within it,
and will generally fall in a certain order, (N+V+DO). This placement is an example of:
a) mandatory slotting
b) optional slotting
c) sentence patterning
d) minimal slotting
Fill in the blank:
12. The part of speech that demonstrates our emotional or physical state of mind and is often signified by an
exclamation mark is called the ____________________.
13) Those nouns that express our values such as love, honor, and courage are called ________________ nouns,
14) a classification noun that doesn’t have any specifics such as cat, dog, buildings, is called a
____________________ noun.
15) A noun which reflects a group such as tribe, club, team, or band is called a _____________________ noun.
16) Physical objects that we know exist but cannot necessarily hold in our hand, such as moonlight, sunlight, air,
stars, are called _______________________ nouns.
17) The type of sentence that we use when we want to tell people about ourselves or comment on our world or ideas
is called the _________________________ sentence.
18) The ___________________________ in a sentence generally answers what or where the noun (subject) and the
verb interact.
19) When the word “if” shows up in a sentence, often with associated words like would, could and should, we can
identify the _______________________ sentence type.
20) The two primary types of verbs are identified as _____________ and _____________ verbs. (hint: we use the
same two words when talking about voice in writing sentences)
21) A type of dominant sentence use that will most like make other people angry with you is called the
______________ sentence.
Sentence Patterning: Pattern the following sentences using Subject (noun), Verb, direct object (phrases), and
indirect object (phrases) prepositions, adjectives and adverbs.
Ex:
NA+ VP + DO + Prep + IO
Love is light in darkness.
22) I went to the store with Lisa.
23) I went to the store with Lisa on Tuesday
24) We studied grammar on the television screen.
25) I swiftly graded and failed the sloppy, disorganized paper.
26) Professor Eaton is an excellent instructor 
Pattern determination: Identify the following sentences as to their tense and aspect by putting a (P) for past,
(F) for future, (PR) for present or (C ) for conditional (past event to affect future) in the space next to each
sentence.
______27. The students had used up all of their money for sodas.
______28. Professor Eaton moved from Wyoming to Missouri .
______29. He would have hired an assistant if he knew what next year’s budget was
going to be.
______30. I will have finished designing this exam by Thursday if my computer had not failed..
______ 31. I live in America .
Y/N = Look at the explanation at the end of each sentence below. Use Y if it is correct or N if it is not and
place your answer in the space next to the sentence.
_____ 32. Because of her, we went to the movie instead. (is this a conditional declarative sentence?)
_____ 33. The test was taken by the students, was it not (is this a past tense tag sentence?)
_____ 34. We will take Dr. Eaton’s awesome exam on Monday. (is this a present-tense exclamatory sentence?)
_____ 35. I got an F on my exam because I told my teacher that it was stupid, pointless and irritating. ( Is this a
conditional imperative sentence both past and present?)
_____ 36. I survived the exam and learned much from it. (Is this a Past tense declarative sentence?
Multiple choice:
_____ 37. Piaget suggests a stage whereby the first three primary developmental skills are assumed to be present or
understood. This stage also serves as a gate way to more advanced skills in terms of acquiring language,
grammatical structures and cognition. Which of the following is this stage?
A)
Maturation
B)
Empathy
C)
Meta-cognition
D)
None of the above.
E)
All of the above.
_____ 38. A sentence which is missing a mandatory slotting component is more commonly termed a:
A)
A run-on sentence
B)
A sentence fragment
C)
The tag sentence
D)
The conditional sentence.
______39) “If we could have taken you with us we would have stopped at the park.” is a sample of which type of
sentence?
a)
Declarative and Conditional
b)
Interrogative and situational
c)
Commanding and transformational
d)
Complex and reprehensible.
_____ 40 The primary rule for understanding trans-social grammar is to know that:
A)
Grammar comes in two forms; correct and incorrect.
B)
Grammar is a series of codes that are consistent
C)
Grammar is the study of language in transition
D)
Grammar has rules , but intent and purpose can change those rules.
E)
C&D
F)
B&C
_____ 41: Optional slotting may be best defined within a sentence as:
a)
b)
Positions within a sentence that don’t have to be there but help in clarification of the transformational
idea being spoken or written.
Proof that sentence structure does not really exist in any hard rules
c)
d)
Something you only need to know when you diagram sentences
Necessary parts of speech in a sentence to make it work both within structural and transformational
use.
_____ 42) When changing the sentence to meet any of the four primary sentence types which part of speech is most
often shifted or “reslotted” within the sentence?
a)
the noun
b)
The verb
c)
The preposition
d)
the qualifier
_____ 43) What three parts of speech does mandatory slotting demand in order to generate a grammatically
complete and understood sentence, especially in spoken grammar?
a)
N + V + IO
b)
N+V+ adj
c)
N + V+ Adjv (adjectival)
d)
N + V + DO.
_____ 44) Which of the following sentence types can be an exception to the rule in question 43 (not needing the
mandatory slottings) and still be clearly understood by a listener or reader?
A)
interrogative
B)
imperative/command
C)
declarative
D)
conditional
_____ 45) Which of the following sets deal with Piaget’s recognition of language development regarding the
outside world in terms of physical space, number and size perceptions (Hint: Consider these two stages as
developing indefinite pronoun usage (occurrence or number) and adjectives (size) comparatives in prescriptive
grammar.)
A)
empathy and matrices
B)
prediction and hypothesis
C)
assimilation and accommodation
D)
object constancy and conservation
_______ 46) Which of the following observations best demonstrate the difference between abstract and concrete
nouns.
A)
Abstract nouns are artistic terms, concrete nouns are solid matter.
B)
Abstract nouns are human qualities, concrete nouns are physical qualities; neither can be physically held.
C)
Abstract nouns are physical nouns but can’t be held, Concrete nouns can be held.
D)
Abstract nouns deal with people of large groups, Concrete nouns are titles and birth names.
________ 47) Which of the following is NOT a component of grammar 2 understanding?
A) Regardless of how sloppy we might use the language it still fits rules.
B) All language falls under commonly held rules; otherwise, people would not understand..
C) Structural rules in grammar 2 are the only right way to learn grammar.
D) All of the above
E) None of the above
________ 48) Words such as "bookcase" and "seatbelt" are examples of which of the following?
A) Determiners.
B) Qualifiers.
C) jargon.
D) manipulatives
________ 49) A determiner that I could use to show something in the past but not be specific as "when" in the past
could be which of the following?
A) Earlier.
B) Later.
C) next (week).
D) All of the above
E) None of the above
______ 50) Besides having 26 letters, eight parts of speech, five noun forms, 2 primary verb forms, five tense
endings, and six basic sentence types, most English sentences fall within standard sentence "constructs" based on
purpose. These categories are defined as:
A)
4 romantic languages
B)
10 Sentence patterns
C)
8 primary punctuation marks
D)
12 standard tense endings for verbs.
GO! (Imp sub + verb + ! (command) 