The idea that, in English, words are made up of letters that approximate the sounds heard when we speak these words is called _____________.

            A. the alphabetic principle

            B. phonics

            C. pragmatics

            D. fast mapping

Which of the following vowel patterns is highly consistent in its pronunciation?

            A. oa

            B. oo

            C. ea

            D. ou

A teacher shows her student a picture of a fictional creature called a “blurk”.  She asks them what two of these creatures would be called, and they respond correctly with “blurks”.  Her students have demonstrated ________.

            A. the ability to deconstruct meaning using syntactic clues

            B. phonemic awareness

            C. the ability to use morphological rules instead of remembering a past experience

            D. an understanding of how semantics affects the underlying meaning of language

Most languages are similar in which respect?

            A. The vocabulary of each language is based on Latin roots.

                B. The basic principles of phrase structure (i.e. subject/predicate)

            C. The role of volume and tempo in conveying meaning.

D. The use of similar symbols to represent phonemes.

An individual who speaks a language historically related to English may have an advantage in learning English as a second language because _______.

            A. the affixes of the individual’s first language will be similar to English

            B. many words and roots are likely to have similar spellings and meanings

            C. the individual may rely on his knowledge of etymology

            D. the cultures using the two languages will be very similar

Which of the following represents a case of exceptional language development?

            A. An infant continuously repeats consonant-vowel strings.

            B. A 4-year-old says “mouses” instead of “mice”.

            C. A 3-year-old spends a great deal of time talking to himself.

            D. A 6-year-old frequently communicates using holophrases.

A child says the phrase “I hungry.”  This can be considered an example of which of the following?

            A. habituation

            B. underextension

            C. telegraphic speech

            D. a dipthong

Which of the following is considered the best predictor of a child’s success in learning to read?

            A. phonemic awareness and understanding of letters

            B. oral vocabulary

            C. analytical skills and overall intelligence

            D. creativity

Clues to a word’s connotative meanings can usually be found in all of the following except _______.

            A. the presence of blends

            B. its etymology

            C. the context in which it is used

            D. its historic usage

In which of the following sentences is the underlined word used correctly?

            A. The men were accused of trying to insight a riot.

            B. Hearing about Dave’s childhood gave me some incite into his personality.

            C. The new law produced a positive affect by reducing air pollution.

            D. The lobbyists were able to effect radical changes in the economic policy.

Which of the following sentences contains two independent clauses?

            A. He’s the man who sells cotton candy.

            B. I rushed to the store, but arrived too late.

            C. Brian and Mike both received new bikes for Christmas.

            D. The building was tall; its height was over five hundred feet.

Which of the following is not considered a prewriting strategy?

            A. outlining

            B. webbing

            C. copy editing

            D. note taking

Read the passage below and use it to answer questions 13, 14 and 15 that follow.

¹Thanks to the internet, I was able to find a car with great speed.  ²Reading about the options available and to take virtual test drives were two of my favorite features.  ³Online shopping is definitely your best option if you’re in the market for a new car.

Which of the below changes would most improve the clarity of sentence one?

A. “Thanks to the internet, I was able to quickly find a car.”

B. “I was able to find a car with great speed, thanks to the internet.”

C. “Using the internet, I found a car with speed.

D. No change.

The grammatical problem with sentence two could best be described as _______.

            A. use of idiomatic phasing

            B. faulty parallelism

            C. fragmentation

            D. use of inconsistent pronouns

The passage above would be best categorized as what type of writing?

            A. narrative

            B. expository

            C. persuasive

            D. interpretive

Anaphora, the repetition of a certain phrase in rhetorical speech, is most effective for:

            A. creating a feeling of building excitement or importance.

            B. creating a mood of objective, academic analysis

            C. simplifying and streamlining the material presented

            D. highlighting the underlying logic of an argument

Movement and facial expression are import in communication because _________.

            A. they are an effective substitute for variation in tone and pitch when eliciting an emotional response from listeners.

            B. they provide important non-verbal cues that help the listener understand meaning.

            C. their meaning is universally understood across all cultures.

            D. they allow the speaker time to gather his or her thoughts.

Read the excerpt below from the article “Art in the Eye of Beholding Bureaucrats”, appearing on Spencer Speaks (www.spencerspeaks.com), the Weblog of former Denver Post and Chicago Tribune columnist Jim Spencer.  Then answer questions 18, 19, and 20 that follow.

¹It’s been more than three months since Mike Mahaney had to worry about graffiti scarring the sides of his shop on South Broadway.

²The taggers stopped painting Mahaney’s Headed West store in April. ³They stopped because he hired some artists to paint a mural of Alice in Wonderland on one side of the store. ⁴Paintings of Jerry Garcia, Bob Marley, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin cover another side.

⁵In a metro area like Denver, where graffiti is not only an eyesore but a predictor of gang activity, substituting art for vandalism might seem like a good thing. ⁶Yet Englewood officials are prosecuting Mahaney for doing just that.

⁷“I’ll plead not guilty,” Mahaney said of his scheduled August 22 appearance for what the city claims are sign code violations.

Which of the above sentences most strongly suggest(s) that this is an opinion/editorial column?

            A. Sentence 1

            B. Sentences 2, 3, and 4

            C. Sentences 5 and 6

            D. Sentence 7

Sentence 2 above can be most accurately described as ________.

            A. expository

            B. analytical

            C. persuasive

            D. interpretive

Using MLA format, how would you cite the above article as a source in the bibliography of an academic research paper?

            A. Jim Spencer.  Art in the Eye of Beholding Bureaucrats. 

                 www.spencerspeaks.com.  August 3^rd, 2007.

            B. Spencer, Jim. “Art in the Eye of Beholding Bureaucrats.” Spencer Speaks 3

                 August 2007.  http://www.spencerspeaks.com

            C. Art in the Eye of Beholding Bureaucrats by Jim Spencer.  Posted 8/3/07 on

                 www.spencerspeaks.com

            D.  Spencer, Jim.  Art in the Eye of Beholding Bureaucrats. Aug. 3, 2007. Taken

                  from Spencer Speaks (http://www.spencerspeaks.com)

Which of the following is not typically found in Native American folk tales?

            A. a character who is a trickster

            B. themes relating to the origins of life and the universe

            C. anthropomorphic animals

            D. extended metaphors and complex plot structures

Read the excerpt below from Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven”, then answer questions 22, 23, and 24 that follow.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

"Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door-

Only this, and nothing more."

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,

And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.

Eagerly I wished the morrow;- vainly I had sought to borrow

From my books surcease of sorrow- sorrow for the lost Lenore-

For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore-

Nameless here for evermore.

The poem makes extensive use of which two structural devices?

            A. onomatopoeia and rhyming couplets

            B. internal rhyme and alliteration

            C. satire and paradox

            D. metaphor and simile

The narrator in the poem could be considered ____________.

            A. unreliable and haunted by loss

            B. omniscient

            C. digressive and prone to use of jargon

            D. a religious martyr

The above poem would be considered part of which literary tradition?

            A. the Postmodern Movement

            B. Beat poetry

            C. Shakespearean

            D. the American Romantic Movement

Read the following excerpt from the poem “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Thayer, then answer questions 25, 26, 27, and 28 that follow.

Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;

Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.

Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,

Defiance gleamed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.

And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,

And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.

Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped-

"That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one," the umpire said.

From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,

Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.

"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand;

And it's likely they'd a-killed him had not Casey raised his hand.

With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shown;

He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;

He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew;

But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, "Strike two."

"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered fraud;

But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.

They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,

And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.

The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate;

He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.

And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,

And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;

The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,

And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;

But there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out.

Which of the following most accurately describes the author’s tone?

            A. admiration for a folk hero

            B. an indictment of arrogance and bias in sports

            C. a sense of uncertainty about the future of baseball

            D. parody of earlier sports poetry

The line: “’That ain’t my style’, said Casey” demonstrates the author’s __________.

            A. use of hyperbole

            B. poor grammar

            C. use of colloquial language

            D. playful use of an oxymoron

The line “And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey’s blow” is most likely designed to________.

            A. trick the reader into thinking that Casey has hit the ball

            B. foreshadow Casey’s failure

            C. fit within the complex meter and rhyme scheme of a Spenserian Sonnet

            D. serve as a denouement to the story’s action

The phrase “Like the beating of storm-waves…” is an example of what literary device?

            A. metaphor

            B. allegory

            C. irony

            D. simile

Use the map below to answer the question that follows.

The highlighted region in the map above illustrates the extent of which ancient empire?

            A. the Roman Empire, circa first century B.C.E.

                B. the empire of Charlemagne, circa ninth century C.E.

            C. the Egyptian empire, circa eleventh century B.C.E.

            D. the empire of Alexander the Great, circa fourth century B.C.E.

The fall of which great empire is generally associated with the end of antiquity?

            A. the Ottoman Empire

            B. the Roman Empire

            C. the Mongol Empire

            D. the British Empire

Which of the following was not a feature of ancient India?

            A. fluid social structure

            B. strongly influenced by Hinduism

            C. underwent waves of invasions from Persia and Asia

            D. divided into multiple regions

The birth of civilization is generally attributed to _____________.

            A. a transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture in early Mesopotamia

            B. the development of complex irrigation systems in early Babylon

            C. the beginning of the Bronze Age

            D. the maritime trading culture popularized the early Phoenicians

Which of the following was not a feature of European society under Feudalism?

            A. an emphasis on gold over land assets as currency

            B. granting of land use within a fief

            C. ceremonies of homage and fealty

            D. a vassal’s commitment to provide military service to a lord

All of the following Medieval events were highly influenced by Christianity, except _______.

            A. the sanctification of knighthood

            B. the sacking of Constantinople and other parts of Asia Minor

            C. the rise of universities

            D. the waning of the practice of alchemy as medicine

Which of the following was not a characteristic of the European Renaissance?

            A. a revival of learning based on classical sources

            B. development of highly realistic linear perspective in works of art

            C. great advances in the field of metalworking, such as the casting of bronze

            D. discarding of the Aristotelian “final cause” in favor of the scientific method

Which of the following is generally considered most important in limiting the power of kings and influencing the development of democracy?

            A. the Norman Conquest

            B. the Magna Carta

            C. the Treaty of Versailles

            D. writing of The Trew Law of Free Monarchies

The term “Laissez-faire” is typically associated with which economic system?

            A. free-market capitalism

            B. state socialism

            C. communism

            D. dirigisme

The civilization of the Maya Indians can best be described as _________.

            A. a polytheistic society located in South America known for both its architectural wonders as well as its

                emphasis on individualism and social equality

            B. a nomadic society located in lower North America that hunted bison and deer, and enjoyed great

                prosperity until it was devastated by European diseases

            C. a monotheistic society, which, at its height, spread throughout North and South America and was known

                for great advances in art and architecture

            D. a polytheistic society located in Central America that made great advances in science and mathematics,

                but collapsed due to unknown causes

Which of the following British colonies was founded by Puritans seeking to create a new, pure church in the Americas?

            A. Massachusetts

            B. Rhode Island

            C. Pennsylvania

            D. Delaware

The British acquired Florida as a result of their victory in which conflict?

            A. the War of 1812

            B. the French and Indian War

            C. the Spanish-American War

            D. the Mexican-American War

Which of the following was not an important reason for American colonization?

            A. freedom of religion

            B. commercial considerations

            C. overpopulation

            D. scientific research

The term “Middle Passage” refers to __________.

            A. a portion of the triangular trade route used in the Atlantic slave trade

            B. the route taken by Norse settlers traveling to North America and Greenland

            C. the course taken by Christopher Columbus in searching for a route to the Indies

            D. the central mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, leading to the Jamestown colony

Which of the following was not a major factor leading to the American Revolution?

            A. the forced quartering of British soldiers in colonial households

            B. excessive tariffs

            C. the “Intolerable Acts”

            D. failure of the British government to offer protection against the French

Which of the following was not a principle set forth in the Declaration of Independence?

            A. the unification of the 13 colonies as a new, sovereign nation

            B. Enlightenment concepts such as natural law and self-determination

            C. the dissolving of all allegiances to the British Crown

            D. a clear listing of the colonies’ reasons for rebellion

The U.S. Constitution differed from the Articles of Confederation in which of the following ways?

            A. it allowed the government to print and borrow money

            B. it provided for the common defense of the states

            C. it provided a strong central government and federal taxation

            D. it allowed the states to resolve issues regarding the western territories

Which of the following was an advantage the South had over the North during the Civil War?

            A. greater manpower

            B. more experienced military leadership

            C. superior economic resources

            D. superior firepower

Radical Reconstruction ended in 1876 because _________.

            A. freed Southern blacks were not given the right to vote

            B. the contested Presidential election led to withdrawal of Federal troops

            C. Andrew Johnson, the strongest supporter of the Radicals, was impeached

            D. groups known as “carpetbaggers” and “scalawags” opposed Reconstruction

Which of the following was not a product of the Industrial Revolution?

            A. development of new weaving and ironworking techniques

            B. vast expansion and improvement in roads and waterways

            C. decreased dependence on trade with other territories

            D. greatly increased prosperity and political power for the middle class

Which of the following most restricted Japanese immigration into the United States?

            A. the Gentleman’s Agreement of 1907

            B. the Displaced Persons Act of 1948

            C. the Refugee Relief Act of 1953

            D. the 1965 amendments to the McCarran-Walter Act 

Use the map below to answer the question that follows.

Which of the regions above was acquired by the United States as a result of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo?

            A. region A

            B. region B

            C. region C

            D. region D

Gaspar de Portola, governor of Baja California, led an expedition that established a military fort at San Diego in 1769.  This structure would best be described as a __________

            A. campo

            B. pueblo

            C. mission

            D. presidio

Which of the following food sources was most important to the Native Americans living in California?

            A. fish

            B. acorns

            C. corn meal

            D. deer and elk

Which of the following was not a factor contributing to dramatic population growth in California?

            A. the California land boom of the 1880s

            B. the Gold Rush of the 1850s

            C. the Great Depression of the 1930s

            D. the prohibition of slavery in California

The United States and California governments are similar in which of the following ways?

            A. they both provide for defense against external threats

            B. they both have an executive, judicial and legislative branch

            C. they both provide for a unified currency

            D. both may issue tariffs

Californians can directly challenge a law passed by the legislature, forcing the law to be approved by voters in an election before it goes into effect.  This process is called _______.

            A. initiative

            B. recall

            C. referendum

            D. veto

Which of the following California industries was most damaged by spending cutbacks in the 1970s?

            A. agriculture

            B. aerospace

            C. entertainment

            D. mining