Grammar 2 Sample Tests

GRAMMAR 2 – FINAL EXAM 2014

EXAM SAMPLES

FINAL EXAMS NOVEMBER - DECEMBER - CLASSES BEGIN ON OCTOBER 28TH CONTACT ME QUITE IN ADVANCE ONLY VIA EMAIL - [email protected]

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SECOND TERM TEST 2013

SECTION 1: Read the following text carefully, and then do the activities a, and b, below.

a.First Paragraph: Transcribe the themes of eachsentence on the answer sheet and then discuss the

reasons for the author’s theme selection (2-3 lines)

b.Method of development: what is the method of development chosen for paragraph 1.

c..In the second and third paragraphs, there are some options for the continuation of the text. Choose the

most appropriate one and justify your choice. Use full sentences.

Paragraph 1

Phoenix is by far the largest of several cities in the Valley of the Sun. It also serves as the center of a

metropolitan area. From the 300s BC until 1400s, a sizable population of Hohokam people lived in the area

developing a sophisticated network of irrigation canals. Long after the mysterious end of th Hohokam

civilization, settlers put the canals back into use in the 1800s. When the city was incorporated in 1881, 31

years before Arizona became a state, the name “Phoenix” came from a prediction by one of the town’s

founders that a great city would rise like the mythical phoenix from the ashes of the ancient Hohokam

Indian settlement. After the arrival of the railroad in 1887, the city grew and prospered. A few years later,

it became the permanent capital of Arizona. By the mid 19000s, Phoenix had transformed from a decen-

sized farming community into a booming metropolis.

Paragraph 2

a.Where the city’s most recent attempt at rebirth is located is the downtonw area, which became a

ghost town after shopping malls and offices moved to the suburbs.

b.The cities most recent attempt at rebirth involves the downtown area, which became a ghost

town after shopping malls and offices moved to the suburbs.

C.The downtown area, which became a ghost town after shoppong malls and offices moved to the

suburbs, has been involved in the city’s most recent attempt at rebirth.


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Downtown is still a work in progress, and the city remains highly decentralized. The look?, however, is

promising. There are many blocks of upscale apartments under construction, and a revitalized cultural and

recreational environment offers a full array of theaters and entertainment centers.

a.The Herberger and Orpheum theaters, US Airways center and Chase Field, and the stores at the

Arizona Center are among these.

b.The Herberger and Orpheum theaters, US Airways center and Chase Field, and the stores at the

Arizona Center can be mentioned among these.

c.Among these are the Herberger and Orpheum theaters, US Airways center and Chase Field, and

the stores at the Arizona Center.

SECTION 2: Read the following text carefully and then do the activities below:

1.Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

2.Analyze the modal expressions in bold type used in the text.

3.Reread the first five paragraphs. Identify the time frame used and explain the writer’s choice. Also

refer to the use of explicit time markers that signal time fram shifts (10 lines)

The Wedding Hater

How far would you go for your best friend on her big day?

1. I pushed her so hard she fell back and hit her head. Her huge green eyes filled with tears as she looked

up at me, terrified.

2. "I'm sorry," I said quickly, "please, I'm sorry." But it was too late. Agatha opened her mouth to scream.

All the kids stood around us watching and then the teacher rushed over and I was sent to her office.

3. "She called me 'crooked nose' so I pushed her," I explained. The teacher said she would suspend me. She

would call my parents. This would not go unreported and without consequences. There was a scratch at

the door and in marched Agatha. She pleaded with the teacher to let me go. She said she was taunting

me — true — and that I finally snapped. I didn't deserve to be punished. She stood with her hands

folded, her eyes still huge; this time from begging.The teacher lectured us both about the dangers of

concrete floors and teasing. Under her stern look, something like an invisible, conspiratorial giggle

passed between me and Agatha.


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4. As we walked out, Agatha said, "crooked nose," under her breath. We laughed out loud this time. I held

on to her hand tight, the way kids .....................................(1.do)when they are 8 and in awe of a new-

found best friend.

5. We'.....................................(2.be)friends for 22 years, 15 of them spent apart as we

.....................................(3.live). This fall, I'm going back to Poland to be Agatha's maid of honour.

6. You .....................................(4.modal -think)this is no big deal, but it is. I am ready to suspend my

cynical, anti-wedding, agnostic grumpiness. I will dance with Agatha's smelliest, oldest uncle and eat

cake and wear a bright pink dress with a bow on my bum — in other words, do whatever it takes to

make my best friend happy.

7. This is what you do for someone who .....................................(5.lend)you a pair of underwear when

you wet yourself laughing once, for the person you called first when you got dumped by some jerk.

8. We are total opposites. Agatha is short, cheery and blond; I'm a tall, melancholic brunette. She is

rational and organized. I'm artsy and chaotic. But we'.....................................(6.always - share)one

thing — we laughed. Since that "crooked nose" incident,

we.....................................(7.remain)relentless in making fun of each other, and have never taken

ourselves too seriously.

9. As a child, I mailed her a postcard saying she .....................................(8.win) a pair of leather

suspenders and a month-long clown course with a Mongolian circus. She took revenge by acting like the

hysterical mother of a naughty child, escorting me out of a store by my elbow, scolding me loudly and

telling me to stop embarrassing her.

10. At 15, I moved to Canada, but Agatha and I reunited every summer. We told crazy tales to boys who

followed us, shopped for the tiniest bikinis, suntanned and danced. We partied with motorcycle racers,

we fell in love with two best friends from the wrong side of the tracks; we got drunk on cheap vodka in a

monastery in Krakow. We did dangerous things.

11. We said if we ever married, our husbands would have to make us laugh as much as we've made each

other laugh. Last time Agatha phoned me over the Internet, I heard Bernd, her fiancé, telling her a joke

in the background and my heart warmed. I .....................................(9.meet)him but I knew he was a

chap like us. (And the joke must have been good because Agatha spewed whatever

...........................(10.drink) into the receiver.)

12. Then I got a panicked e-mail. Agatha had cold feet.


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13. A little background: She is moving to Germany to be with her husband. She has a successful career as a

product manager at a legal publishing house and will have to go from working in an office environment

to working online — not great for this social girl. She is also close to her family and loves the city where

she lives. She was crying about all of this as we talked and messaged, and it was the first time in many

years that she had shown this much vulnerability. She is not an irrational person: romantic, but not

illogical. She said she was miserable when Bernd was away. She was desperately miserable when he

was away, actually…

14. We stayed online for a few hours and talked about it all, how complicated it was. And not so

complicated: Bernd made her happy. In the end, it was decided that Agatha would not call off the

wedding, and I would meet her in Warsaw instead of at a clown school in Mongolia, where she would

probably have to go to distract her broken heart. We laughed and we hung up.

15. It was not unlike having your best friend over for tea, talking secrets that no one else can know, with a

bit of a delay, of course, and with me looking at my cat in Toronto instead of at Agatha in Warsaw.

16. But it felt real and it renewed my desire to dance at her stupid wedding in a stupid pink dress. You see,

she is my best friend and I want her to be stupidly happy.

17. Jowita Bydlowska lives in Toronto.

FINAL EXAM 1: DECEMBER 2009: We May Be Born With an Urge to Help

a. Fill in the unnumbered blanks with verb tenses. Explain the basic time frame of the text. Identify

shifts in time frame.

b. Fill in the numbered blanks with junctives. Justify your choice.

c. Identify the cohesive function – if any - of the words in bold.

d. When given three options, choose the most cohesive choice. Justify your Choice

1)What is the essence of human nature? Flawed, say many theologians. Vicious and addicted to warfare,

wrote Hobbes. Selfish and in need of considerable improvement, think many parents. But biologists have

begun to form a generally sunnier view of humankind. Their conclusions derive in part from testing very

young children, and partly from comparing human children with those of chimpanzees, hoping that the

differences will point to what is distinctively human.


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2)The somewhat surprising answer at which some biologists have arrived is that babies are innately

sociable and helpful to others. Of course, every animal must to some extent be selfish to survive. But the

biologists also see in humans a natural willingness to help. When infants 18 months old see an unrelated

adult whose hands are full and who needs assistance opening a door or picking up a dropped clothespin,

they will immediately help the adult, Michael Tomasello writes in “Why We Cooperate,” a book coming in

two month’s. Dr. Tomasello, a developmental psychologist, is co-director of the Max Planck Institute for

Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.

3)The helping behavior seems to be innate (1)................................. it appears so early and before many

parents start teaching children the rules of polite behavior.

“It’s probably safe to assume that they ______________________ (teach- explicitly and directly) to do

this,” said Elizabeth Spelke, a developmental psychologist at Harvard. “On the other hand, they

_______________ (have) lots of opportunities to experience acts of helping by others. I think the jury is

out on the innateness question.”

4.Dr. Tomasello concludes that

A. helping is a natural inclination, not something imposed by parents or culture.

B. parents or culture do not impose helping, which is a natural inlclination

C. what is a natural inclination is helping, which is not imposed by parents or culture.

Infants will help with information, as well as in practical ways. From the age of 12 months they will point at

objects that an adult pretends to ____________ (lose). Chimpanzees, (4)................................., never point

at things for each other, and when they point for people, it seems to be as a command to go fetch

something rather than to share information.For parents who may think their children somehow skipped

the cooperative phase, Dr. Tomasello offers the reassuring advice that children are often more cooperative

outside the home, which is why parents may be surprised to hear from a teacher or coach how nice their

child is. “In families, the competitive element is in ascendancy,” he said. (5)................................. children

grow older, they become more selective in their helpfulness. Starting around age 3, they will share more

generously with a child who was previously nice to them.

a. A sense of social norms is another behaviour that emerges at the same age.

b. What emerges at the same age is a sense of social norms.

c. At the same age another behaviour that emerges is a sense of social norms.


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“Most social norms are about being nice to other people,” Dr. Tomasello said in an interview, “so

a. children learn social norms because they want to be part of a group

b. because they want to be part of a group social norms are learnt by children.

c. Social norms are learnt by children because they want to be part of a social group.

SECTION II

1.Identify and classify themes in the following text? What is its method of development?

2.Discuss the choices of mood and modality in relation to the kind of text and its purpose.

Pedestrian Safety:

Young children should always be accompanied by an adult or an older, responsible child. All children

should WALK, not run from house to house and use the sidewalk if available, rather than walk in the

street. Children should be cautioned against running out from between parked cars, or across lawns

and yards where ornaments, furniture, or clotheslines present dangers.

2. What is the dominant time frame in the following text? Is there any shift in time frame? If so, what is

the reason for such a shift?

3.Identify and classify themes in the following text?

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with protecting the public from

unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of the thousands of consumer products

under the agency’s jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product

incidents cost the nation more than $900 billion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting

consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard.

CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette

lighters and household chemicals - contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries

associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

FINAL EXAM 2: Think Like a Doctor: The Girl in a Coma Solved


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By LISA SANDERS, M.D.

1. identify whether the shaded words have a cohesive function

2. fill in the blanks with junctives and justify your choice

3. identify the dominant time frame

4. discuss mood choice in relation to the purpose of the text

5. identify themes and method of development in the last paragraph

On Thursday, we challenged Well readers to try their hand at solving the case of a comatose young

woman dropped off at the emergency room by her friends after attending a concert the previous night.

More than 350 people wrote in, and more than 90 of you were able to figure it out. The first person to

guess the correct diagnosis was Dr. Laura Fochtmann, a psychiatrist and professor at Stony Brook

University School of Medicine on Long Island, ________in her response carefully spelled out how she

got the right answer.

The Correct Diagnosis Is …

… Ecstasy-induced hyponatremia.

The Diagnosis

Over the past 20 years there have been many reports of young people, mostly young women, who have

had seizures or become unconscious after taking the illegal drug Ecstasy, also known as MDMA. The cause

is a dangerously low level of sodium in the bloodstream. The brain is exquisitely sensitive to the exact right

balance of sodium and water, and when they are out of whack, nausea, confusion and seizures can follow.

It’s a rare but dangerous side effect of the drug. Nearly one in five patients reported to have this

complication died. Others had permanent brain damage.

When this complication was first observed, it was thought to be because of an overconsumption of water.

The drug was used widely at concerts or “raves,” and attendees were told to drink lots of water to replace

what was sweated out in the crowded, hot concert and dance floors. Further research revealed that the

drug actually alters the way the brain and the kidney work so that the body holds on to water and dumps

sodium. This change is exaggerated by the presence of estrogen, _______women are far more likely to be

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/author/lisa-sanders-md/

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/think-like-a-doctor-the-young-woman-in-a-coma/?ref=health

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/think-like-a-doctor-the-young-woman-in-a-coma/?ref=health

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/think-like-a-doctor-the-young-woman-in-a-coma/?comments#permid=6


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affected than men. Why the drug can have this effect on any given individual is not well understood, but it

is clear that it is not because of an overdose or a contaminant. It appears to be a response to the drug

itself.

One early and consistent finding in those with Ecstasy-induced hyponatremia is the loss of the ability to

speak, even before the loss of consciousness. Seizures are common.

Ecstasy-induced hyponatremia is treated by restoring the proper balance to the sodium and water in the

body. In mild cases, getting rid of the excess water, ______by limiting fluid consumption _______by giving

a diuretic, has been effective. In more severe cases, especially in cases in which a patient has had a seizure,

the treatment is to give sodium containing intravenous fluids. That’s what was done in the case of this

young woman. __________she was so agitated, she was also given a sedative.

FINAL EXAM 3: FEBRUARY 2012

High flyers land steady jobs in teaching

Today, the classroom _____________(regard) as a better option than either the City or the boardroom

according to a new report by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA).

The TDA commissioned the research to find out why there _____________ (be)a 50 per cent increase in

enquiries to teacher training over the past year.

It ________(ask) people from banking, management, architecture and legal sectors, whether their career

priorities ____________ (change) since the recession began a year ago.

Researchers found that most people no longer thought it was so important to hold a high-status

managerial position and ____________(acquire) 'softer' values including 'having a job with variety',

'inspiring people' and 'making a difference'. Other values gaining ground included 'learning new things',

'acceptable stress levels' and 'time for leisure pursuits and hobbies'.

Fifty per cent of those questioned said they would be interested in becoming teachers.

The findings reflect a wider trend with teaching currently experiencing the biggest recruitment boom for

years. According to the TDA, one in ten UK workers are now considering a career in the profession.

http://ad.uk.doubleclick.net/clk;217615824;40732758;l


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Many of the people now coming into teaching have backgrounds in maths and the sciences, a welcome

boon to a profession where there is a shortage of teachers in the priority 'STEM' subjects of science and

technology, engineering and maths.

Graham Holley, Chief Executive of the TDA, said: "The huge rise in people wanting to become teachers is

well documented. The job now is to get the very best into our classrooms. We are determined to make the

most of this 'golden generation'.

"If you think you could make subjects like maths and science come alive for pupils, then you should really

think about becoming a teacher. The training is world-class.

"In these uncertain times, teaching is a fulfilling and challenging career as well as a stable one."

Schoolchildren are ________ benefiting from this influx of enthusiastic new teachers who can demonstrate

the relevance of their subjects through their own experience in the competitive business world.

Holley adds: "Teaching enables career changers to use talents honed in their current job – from

communication and leadership skills to team management."

_________ , he also warns that teaching is a demanding and challenging job that is not for everyone.

"___________ so many more people are applying for teacher training, we are in the luxurious position of

being able to choose from the best.

"My advice to those who want to enter this exciting, graduate profession is to get experience in a school to

see _______________ you are up to the challenge. And, __________you think you are, get your

application in before places go – and they will."

1-complete with the correct tenses

5-transcribe the themes of the following sentences and characterize them.

If you think you could make subjects like maths and science come alive for pupils, then you should

really think about becoming a teacher.

Other values gaining ground included 'learning new things', 'acceptable stress levels' and 'time for

leisure pursuits and hobbies'.


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FINAL EXAM 4: FEBRUARY 2011

Stressed out? It could be in your genes

1. Indicate whether the items in bold are cohesive.

2. Fill in the blanks with junctives and justify your choice.

3. What’s the basic time frame of the text? Why? Identify any shift(s) in time frame?

4. Discuss the choice of mood and modality in the title.

Stress: there's not a system in your body it doesn't poison in the end. Over time, it raises your blood

pressure, increases your chances of infertility and makes you age faster,(1) ______________ that's not all.

Remove the source of the stress and all those horrors vanish, right?

Wrong. A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that (2)______________ can stress bring about

permanent changes in your body, (3) ______________ you can even pass on some of those changes to

your offspring. (4) ______________ , some researchers are now arguing that, far from being an exclusively

human problem, psychological stress is rampant in nature. (5) ______________ its influence is so

powerful, they claim, it imposes a rhythm on whole ecosystems, determining which species are booming,

and which are bust.

(6)______________ , says Rachel Yehuda, a neuroscientist at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New

York City, it's time to rewrite the textbooks about stress, doing away with the outdated idea that its effects

are transient. "Some effects of the environment and of experience are long lasting," she says. "And for that

we need a new biology." Yehuda had her first inkling of the indelible mark that stress can leave on families

back in 1993, when she opened a clinic to treat the psychological problems of Holocaust survivors, and

was deluged with calls from their adult children. Investigating further, she found that those children were

particularly prone to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Both parents and children tended to have low

levels of the hormone cortisol in their urine. Stranger still, the more severe the Holocaust survivor's PTSD

symptoms, the less cortisol there was in their child's urine.

Cortisol plays an important role in the body's stress response. When a threat presents itself, the brain

instructs the adrenal glands, just above the kidneys, to release hormones, including adrenaline, into the


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blood. The result is the racing heart, rapid breathing and so on that prepare us for fight or flight. When the

threat has passed, the brain sends another signal to the adrenal glands to release cortisol. Cortisol shuts

down the stress response by binding to receptors in certain regions of the brain, including the

hippocampus.

5. Indicate whether the items in bold are cohesive.

COHESIVE? KIND OF COHESION REFERENT

It

That

those horrors

those

That

It

It

That

We

the psychological

problems

Stranger

6. Identify two instances of ellipsis.


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7. Write a paragraph (10) discussing how lexical cohesion is achieved in the text.

8. Fill in the numbered blanks with junctives and complete this table

KIND OF

JUNCTIVE

TACTIC

RELATIONSHIP

LOGICO-SEMANTIC

RELATIONSHIP

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

FINAL EXAM 5: NOVEMBER 2011

1. Fill in the blanks with suitable junctives and classify them.

2. State if the underlined items have a cohesive function


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Halloween Safety: Safety Alert

A few safety tips from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission can protect

children (1)____________________ plan to go trick-or-treating this Halloween.

Treats: Warn children not to eat any treats (2)____________________ an adult has carefully examined

them for evidence of tampering.

Flame Resistant Costumes:(3) ____________________ purchasing a costume, masks, beards, and wigs,

look for the label Flame Resistant. (4)____________________ this label does not mean these items won't

catch fire, it does indicate the items will resist burning and should extinguish quickly once removed from

the ignition source. To minimize the risk of contact with candles or other sources of ignition, avoid

costumes made with flimsy materials and outfits with big, baggy sleeves or billowing skirts.

Costume Designs: Purchase or make costumes that are light and bright enough to be clearly visible to

motorists.

For greater visibility during dusk and darkness, decorate or trim costumes with reflective tape that

will glow in the beam of a car's headlights. Bags or sacks should also be light colored or decorated

with reflective tape. Reflective tape is usually available in hardware, bicycle, and sporting goods

stores.

To easily see and be seen, children should also carry flashlights.

Costumes should be short enough to prevent children from tripping and falling.

Children should wear well-fitting, sturdy shoes . Mother' s high heels are not a good idea for safe

walking.

Hats and scarfs should be tied securely to prevent them from slipping over children's eyes.

Apply a natural mask of cosmetics rather than have a child wear a loose-fitting mask that might

restrict breathing or obscure vision. If a mask is used, (5) ____________________ , make sure it fits

securely and has eyeholes large enough to allow full vision.

Swords, knives, and similar costume accessories should be of soft and flexible material.

Pedestrian Safety: Young children should always be accompanied by an adult or an older, responsible

child. All children should WALK, not run from house to house and use the sidewalk if available, rather than

walk in the street. Children should be cautioned against running out from between parked cars, or across

lawns and yards where ornaments, furniture, or clotheslines present dangers.

Choosing Safe Houses: Children should go only to homes ____________________ the residents are known

and have outside lights on as a sign of welcome.


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Children should not enter homes or apartments ____________________ they are accompanied by

an adult.

People expecting trick-or-treaters should remove anything that could be an obstacle from lawns,

steps and porches. Candlelit jack-o'-lanterns should be kept away from landings and doorsteps

where costumes could brush against the flame. Indoor jack-o'-lanterns should be kept away from

curtains, decorations, and other furnishings that could be ignited.

For further information on product safety, consumers may call the U.S . Consumer Product Safety

Commission's toll-free hotline on (800) 638-2772. Hearing impaired consumers may use TTY (301) 595-

7054.

4.Clause combining

Dsp nos dieron tres items con varios oraciones y habia que reducirlas y quedar asi: Cada oracion tenia tres

oraciones y tenia que quedar en una como las de arriba

1. People expecting trick-or-treaters should remove anything that could be an obstacle from lawns,

steps and porches.

2. Candlelit jack-o'-lanterns should be kept away from landings and doorsteps where costumes could

brush against the flame.

3. Indoor jack-o'-lanterns should be kept away from curtains, decorations, and other furnishings that

could be ignited.

EXTERNAL STUDENTS:

TEXT 5

1. Mark themes. Justify them in full sentences.

2. Refer to the importance of appropriate thematic choices. Method of development

Can Air Travel Be Improved in Bad Weather?

Introduction

Lucas Jackson/ReutersAt Newark Liberty International Airport this week.


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New York and cities in New Jersey and Connecticut are starting to recover from the blizzard of 2010. But

for thousands of travelers stranded at Kennedy, La Guardia and Newark Liberty airports, as well as those

stuck in places trying to get to New York, the wait may last longer. Even as runways opened on Tuesday,

the more than 4,000 canceled flights created a giant backlog that affected flights all over the country and

abroad.

Nothing can be done about the weather, but what should airlines be doing to make travel easier? Are

there better ways to schedule flights to reduce disruption when the weather is bad? Did the "passenger bill

of rights," which went into effect last April, make any difference?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/29/nyregion/29airports.html

http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2009/dot19909.htm

http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2009/dot19909.htm

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Grammar 2 Sample Tests