Grade Four Writing Achievement – March 2006
Annotated Item 9
Standard and Benchmark Assessed:
Standard:
Benchmark:
Writing Conventions
C. Use conventions of punctuation and capitalization in written work.
Multiple Choice Question:
9. Only one of these men’s birthplaces was located outside Ohio.
A. man’s
B. mens
C. mens’
D. Correct as is
Commentary:
This multiple choice question asks students to determine whether the underlined word is
punctuated correctly. Answer choice A is incorrect. The word man’s uses the apostrophe incorrectly
and uses the singular form “man” instead of the correct plural form “men”. Answer choice B is also
incorrect. The absence of an apostrophe eliminates the possessive element. Answer choice C is
incorrect. The letter s and the apostrophe are transposed. Answer choice D is correct. The word
men’s is in plural form and shows possession with the inclusion of an apostrophe and an s in
correct order.
Performance Data:
The percentage of public school students selecting answer choice D for question 9 on the March
2006 Grade 4 Writing Achievement Test was 48.88%.
Keyword:
Grade 4 Writing, Apostrophe, Possession, March 2006
Source: Ohio Department of Education
March 06