6 th Grade Language Arts Local Assessment Grammar and Language Usage Oswego C.U.S.D. 308-6 th Grade LA DIRECTIONS: Read the following text. Choose the best answer for questions 1-18. After the Eruption (1) In 1979, when geologists began recording earthquakes around a volcano in Washington s Cascade Mountains. (2)The frequency of the earthquakes meant that pressure was building under the volcano s peak. (3) A volcano had not erupted in the continental United States in decades the geologists warned people that this was about to change. (4)On May 18, 1980. (5) It happened; mount saint helens erupted. (6) Although the explosion blew off more than 1,300 feet of the top of the mountain and spewed ash, rock, and gases in all directions. (7)The landscape of Washington was forever changed. (8)The state s ninth-highest peak quickly became its 30 th! (9)More than 20 years after the devastating eruption, my father and me went to visit Mount Saint Helens. (10)A tour guide took us to the blast zone, where superheated water, rocks, and gases had swept across the land at 600 miles per hour. (11)Even though it was now two decades after the eruption, we saw hillsides still covered with broken trees and stumps. (12)The guide told us that the blast had destroyed 230 square miles of forest, killing thousands of big-game animals and millions of bird s in the process. (13)We looked in another direction and noticed green grass and trees. (14)The guide quickly explained, It may look strange, he began, but the area around Mount Saint Helens is responding just as the area around every volcanic eruption responds. (15)Its working to rebuild itself. (16)Millions of seeds have blown into the region. (17)They have come from surrounding forests. (18)Erosion has freed some small plants that were buried under the snow. (19)Elk and large animals have returned to the area and leave droppings containing seeds and vital nutrients. (20)All these events are working together to heal the Mount Saint Helens region. (21)As the tour continued, I saw more evidence of the rebuilding power of nature. (22)Plants were growing, animals were scampering, and small trees were blooming. (23)Our guide said that scientists aren t sure when Mount Saint Helens will erupt again, but they do seem to agree on one thing. (24)As long as the volcano remains quiet, the area surrounding them will gradually return to a lively existence.
Answer the following two questions for sentence 1. 1. What type of grammatical error is in sentence 1? a. Run-on sentence b. Dependent clause c. Capitalization 2. Which of the following is a correct way to revise sentence 1? a. Remove when. b. Add a comma after when. c. Change Washington s Cascade Mountain to Washington s Cascade mountain. Answer the following two questions for sentence 3. 3. What type of grammatical error is in sentence 3? a. Run-on sentence b. Sentence fragment c. Capitalization 4. Which of the following is a correct way to revise sentence 3? a. Change geologists to Geologists. b. Add a period after decades. c. Add a period after decades and capitalize the. Answer the following two questions for sentence 4. 5. What type of grammatical error is in sentence 4? c. Sentence fragment 6. Which of the following is a correct way to revise sentence 4? a. Add a predicate and a subject. b. Add a predicate. c. Add a subject. Answer the following two questions for sentence 5. 7. What type of grammatical error is in sentence 5? a. Run-on sentence b. Sentence fragment c. Capitalization 8. Which of the following is a correct way to revise sentence 5? a. Change 1980, to 1980. b. Change mount saint helens to Mount Saint Helens. c. Remove the comma after eruption.
Answer the following two questions for sentence 9. 9. What type of grammatical error is in sentence 9? c. Subject/object pronoun usage 10. Which of the following is a correct way to revise sentence 9? a. Change my father and me to my father and I. b. Change Mount Saint Helens to mount saint helens. c. Change Washington s Cascade Mountain to Washington s Cascade mountain. Answer the following two questions for sentence 12. 11. What type of grammatical error is in sentence 12? c. Possessive noun usage 12. Which of the following is a correct way to revise sentence 12? a. Change guide to Guide. b. Change bird s to birds. c. Change the comma to a period. Answer the following two questions for sentence 15. 13. What type of grammatical error is in sentence 15? c. Possessive pronoun usage 14. Which of the following is a correct way to revise sentence 15? a. Change its to its. b. Change its to it s. c. Change itself to themselves. Answer the following two questions for sentence 19. 15. What type of grammatical error is in sentence 19? c. Plural noun spelling 16. Which of the following is a correct way to revise sentence 19? a. Change animals to animal s. b. Change leave to leaving. c. Change animals to animales.
Answer the following two questions for sentence 24. 17. What type of grammatical error is in sentence 24? c. Pronoun/antecedent agreement 18. Which of the following is a correct way to revise sentence 24? a. Change quiet to quite. b. Change them to it. c. Change the comma to a period. DIRECTIONS: Read following text and answer questions 19-22. (1)One of the North American Indian groups who built mounds was the Adena. (2)They built the mounds as burial places in what is now southern Ohio. (3)Mounds made by other groups are found in Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, and Canada. (4)The Adena buried most of their dead in simple graves within the mounds and they covered the bodies with dirt and stone. (5)Leaders and other important people from the village were buried in log tombs before being covered with dirt and stones. (6)Gifts were often placed in the tombs. (7)A pipe made of clay or stone was a usual gift placed in the tombs. (8)Grave Creek Mound is one of the largest mounds built by the Adena. (9)At about seventy feet high it is a mysteriously beautiful monument. 19. If you were revising this paragraph, which sentence might you delete? a. 1 b. 3 c. 5 d. 8 20. What is the best way to revise sentence 4? a. The Adena buried most of their dead in simple graves within the mounds, covering the bodies with dirt and stone. b. The Adena buried most of their dead in simple graves within the mounds. Then they covered the bodies with dirt and stone. c. The Adena buried most of their dead in simple graves within the mounds and with dirt and stone they covered the bodies. d. The Adena buried most of their dead in simple graves and then they covered the bodies with dirt and stone. 21. Which transitional words could be added to the beginning of sentence 5 to show how it relates to sentence 4? a. Therefore, b. Finally, c. Next, d. However 22. What is the best way to punctuate sentence 9? a. At about seventy feet high, it is a mysteriously beautiful monument. b. At about seventy feet high; it is a mysteriously beautiful monument. c. At about seventy feet high it is, a mysteriously beautiful monument. d. Correct as it is.
DIRECTIONS: Choose the best answer for questions 23-50. 23. Which sentence is written correctly? a. Bill and him walked to school every day in the winter, despite the cold weather. b. Do you and him want to go to the movies with us? c. Jenny and Bill had dinner with Susan and I. d. She and Brian worked on the project together. 24. Which sentence contains the correct form of the plural noun? a. My father loves to tell funny baseball storys. b. My father loves to tell funny baseball stories. c. My father loves to tell funny baseball story s. d. My father loves to tell funny baseball storyes. 25. Which sentence contains the correct form of the plural noun? a. The umpires were the hero at the game. b. The umpires were the hero s at the game. c. The umpires were the heroe s at the game. d. The umpires were the heroes at the game. 26. Identify the collective noun in the following sentence. The coach encouraged the team to pull together to win the game and advance to the finals. a. coach b. team c. game d. finals 27. Identify the collective noun in the following sentence. Every day, the class completed their homework without any protest. a. day b. class c. homework d. protest 28. Which sentence contains the correct possessive pronoun? a. The children brought his/her books to class. b. Each child brought their books to class. c. One of the students brought his/her book to class. d. The teacher gave the student their grade. 29. Which sentence contains the correct possessive noun? a. The two boy s backpacks were left on the bus. b. Billys dog ran across the street to greet him as he came home from school. c. My teachers desk is a complete mess; she can never find anything. d. My mom s favorite T.V. show is Wheel of Fortune.
30. In which sentence is the antecedent clearly identified? a. They wanted to extend the school day but the community protested. b. Billy worked all day and he was exhausted that night. c. She slipped and fell as she left the building. d. Billy and John wanted a piece of pie so I gave him one. 31. In which sentence is the antecedent clearly identified? a. Susan and Bill bought a new car, but she will be the one to drive it. b. The man gave him a free cookie with his lunch order. c. His library is full of many great books; he loves to read in his free time. d. They were so excited to tell their story to the television reporter. 32. Which sentence shows the correct usage of an intensive pronoun? a. One book that Rachel Carson wrote herself was called Silent Spring. b. One book that Rachel Carson herself wrote was called Silent Spring. c. One book herself that Rachel Carson wrote was called Silent Spring. d. One book Rachel Carson wrote for herself was called Silent Spring. 33. Which sentence shows the correct usage of an intensive pronoun? a. You can understand yourself how I feel. b. You yourself can understand how I feel. c. You can understand for yourself how I feel. d. You can understand how I feel yourself. Oswego C.U.S.D. 308-6 th Grade LA 34. Which sentence shows the correct usage of a reflexive pronoun? a. Divers wear wet suits to protect himself from the cold of the deep water. b. Divers wear wet suits to protect him from the cold of the deep water. c. Divers wear wet suits to protect them from the cold of the deep water. d. Divers wear wet suits to protect themselves from the cold of the deep water. 35. Which sentence shows the correct usage of a reflexive pronoun? a. She earned a degree for themselves in marine zoology in 1932. b. She earned a degree for them in marine zoology in 1932. c. She earned a degree for herself in marine zoology in 1932. d. She earned a degree for her in marine zoology in 1932. 36. Identify the type of sentence for the following sentence. If the day is cloudy and the groundhog does not see its shadow, spring will come early. a. Simple b. Compound c. Complex d. Compound-complex
37. Identify the type of sentence for the following sentence. Having traveled to Mexico, we enjoy going to a Mexican restaurant, but sometimes we must wait in line for over an hour. a. Simple b. Compound c. Complex d. Compound-complex 38. Which sentence correctly uses a dash to show a sudden break or change in thought? a. The professor was unwilling even for a candy bar to change the due date. b. The professor was unwilling even for a candy bar- to change the due date. c. The professor was unwilling even for a candy bar to change the due date. d. The professor was unwilling even for a candy bar to change the due date 39. Which sentence correctly uses a dash to show a sudden break or change in thought? a. The student the one dressed in black, sitting in the corner- let out a cry. b. The student the one dressed in black, - sitting in the corner let out a cry. c. The student the one dressed in black sitting in the corner let out a cry. d. The student the one dressed in black sitting in the corner let out a cry. 40. Which sentence correctly uses parentheses to set off information that is not part of the main sentence but is nonetheless important to include? a. He finally answered (the question after taking five minutes to think). b. He finally answered the question (after taking five minutes to think). c. He finally answered (the question) after taking five minutes to think. d. He finally (answered the question) after taking five minutes to think. 41. Which sentence correctly uses parentheses to set off information that is not part of the main sentence but is nonetheless important to include? a. She is going with John (you know), the handsome one to the conference. b. She is going (with John you know, the handsome one) to the conference. c. She is going with John you know, (the handsome one) to the conference. d. She is going with John (you know, the handsome one) to the conference. 42. Which sentence best illustrates the correct use of parenthetical citation the first time a source is used in a paragraph? a. The wolf can be found in the upper regions of the United States. (Smith page 3) b. Many new species are found in the depths of the ocean daily. (Smith 12) c. The Viet Nam war was fought during some very troubling times. (Smith pg. 4) d. As of May 2012, Facebook has over 900 million active users (Smith 8).
43. Which sentence best illustrates the correct use of parenthetical citation of a direct quote? a. Due to the extreme hunting that is allowed in the remote areas of their habitat they are often in danger (Peterson 87). b. Statistics show that the population of this area is declining rapidly (Andrews, page 54). c. Wolves also communicate by growls, barks, and various body postures (Jeffrey 35). d. Today s rapid growth in the area of technology is causing schools to make necessary changes in order to keep up with the needs of their students (32 Smith). 44. Which of the following sentences demonstrates correct punctuation usage? a. A smile slowly comes over his face and he strikes the drum again. b. A smile slowly comes over his face, and he strikes the drum again. c. A smile slowly comes over his face; and he strikes the drum again. d. A smile slowly comes over his face and, he strikes the drum again. 45. Which of the following sentences is written correctly? a. Billy asked, Can someone drive me to the movies tonight? b. Billy asked. Can someone drive me to the movies tonight? c. Billy asked, Can someone drive me to the movies tonight? d. Billy asked, Can someone drive me to the movies tonight? 46. Which of the following sentences is written correctly? a. Is anyone, asked Lucy, Interested in buying a used car? b. Is anyone asked Lucy, interested in buying a used car? c. Is anyone, asked Lucy? interested in buying a used car? d. Is anyone, asked Lucy, interested in buying a used car? 47. What is the meaning of the prefix audi-, as in audience, auditory, and audible? a. To hear; to listen b. To see c. To entertain d. None of the above 48. What is the meaning of the root bene-, as in benefactor, beneficial and benefit? a. Harmful b. Useful c. Good, well; gentle d. None of the above 49. What is the meaning of the root bio-, as in biology and biography? a. A story b. Life; pertaining to life c. Study of d. None of the above 50. What is the meaning of the prefix para-, as in paralegal, paramedic, and paragraph? a. Beside; alongside b. Within c. Legal assistant d. None of the above Source for Text Excerpts: Holt Elements of Literature Introductory Course