ABCTE English Exam 178 Questions with Verified Answers
The history of English is divided into what three periods? - CORRECT ANSWER Early English
... [Show More] (Beginning-1066), Middle Enlgish (1066-1500), Modern English
Danelaw - CORRECT ANSWER a political demarcation established by King Alfred the Great in 868 that gave the eastern half of England to the Danes, but guaranteed that the English who lived there would be treated as full citizens... this preserved the English language
What type of literature was most commonly written in the Early English period? - CORRECT ANSWER anonymously written alliterative poetry, ex. Beowulf and The Wanderer
Who was Saint Bede? - CORRECT ANSWER a well known monk and author of a comprehensive account of English history, called the Father of English History
Early English Period - CORRECT ANSWER Beginning - 1066
Romans ruled Britain & allowed various Germanic tribes to trade but not settle
Romans were called back to Rome & left vulnerable tribes
Anglo-Saxons took rule
Danes and Norwegians began to attack & settled in the East
Danelaw allowed the Danes and Norwegians to settle in East & guaranteed that English there would be treated as full citizens
What historical event marks the transition from the Early English Period to the Middle English Period? - CORRECT ANSWER 1066 Norman invasion of England
Middle English Period - CORRECT ANSWER 1066 Norman invasion of England by William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy
1204 King John lost Normandy to Paris
1362 Bubonic Plague
1476 William Caxton brought the printing press to England
1485 Henry the VII ended the War of Roses and united England under the Tudor Dynasty, leading to political stability
What historical event brought about the first major social upheaval? - CORRECT ANSWER 1362 Bubonic Plague
Who was the most important author of the Middle English Period and why? - CORRECT ANSWER Geoffrey Chaucer, who wrote poems in English as his peers wrote in Latin and French
Great Vowel Shift - CORRECT ANSWER late 1300's and represented a change in the pronunciation of long vowels, ex. Mouse being pronounced moosemouse
What historical event led to the standardization of language? - CORRECT ANSWER 1476 William Caxton brought the printing press to England
What three historical events mark the transition from the Middle English Period to the Modern English Period? - CORRECT ANSWER 1. The Great Vowel Shift
2. William Caxton brought the printing press to England
3. Henry the VII ended the War of Roses and united England under the Tudor Dynasty
Inkhorn terms - CORRECT ANSWER a derogatory term for a word coined in English from Latin or Greek roots and meant to sound scholarly, surviving words include educate, mundane, celebrate, confidence, and verbosity
Modern English Period - CORRECT ANSWER Under Queen Elizabeth I, England began gaining new territories including the colonies that would become the USA, to which the English language spread
Etymology - CORRECT ANSWER the study of an origin of a word and the way that word's meaning has changed over time
Semantic shift - CORRECT ANSWER language change process by which the meaning of one word replaces another word
ex. Bead comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for prayer since people prayed on telling beads similar to Catholic rosaries
Ethnonym - CORRECT ANSWER language change process by which a word that identifies a group or nation to others becomes the word by which they are called
ex. Cockney from the phrase cock's egg, which was a negative term used by strong countrymen when referring to weaker townsmen, now means a person from London
Generalization - CORRECT ANSWER language change process by which a very specific word gains a more general meaning
ex. Holiday comes from holy-day, originally used to designate special religious holidays
Narrowing - CORRECT ANSWER language change process by which a word with a general meaning becomes very specific, ex. Hound from the word dog
Loss of motivation - CORRECT ANSWER language change process by which the original word loses their form because speakers no longer remember the significance of them
ex. Lord stemming from loaf-keeper
Metaphor (language change process) - CORRECT ANSWER language change process by which a concrete meaning gains abstract meaning
ex. Sharp, as in clever, comes from the concrete meaning as in sharp knife
Amelioration - CORRECT ANSWER the process by which a word's meaning improves over time, ex. Naughty is derived from naught (wicked, morally bad), has changed to mean mischievous
Pejoration - CORRECT ANSWER the process by which a word's meaning worsens over time, ex. Villain (thief or scoundrel) originally meant pleasant
Taboo words - CORRECT ANSWER the process by which a word perceived as dangerous is replaced by euphemisms, ex. Passed away instead of died
Calques - CORRECT ANSWER words and phrases that are translated word-for-word from the foreign language, ex. "it goes without saying" is derived from the French phrase "ca va sans dire"
Greek roots and affixes - CORRECT ANSWER Epi (on, at, beside), Temnein (to cut), Eu (good, well), Phanai (speech), Phor (to bear), Meta (beyond), Soph (wise), Moros (fool), Athropo (man), Logia (study), Sunkrasis (mixture), Gyne (woman), Mis (hate, wrong), Glotta (language, tongue), Poly (many)
Latin roots and affixes - CORRECT ANSWER Bene (good, well), Dicere (to speak), Con (with, together), Vincere (conquer), e (out), Ducere (to lead), Inter (between), Capere (to take, seize), Male (bad), Velle (to want), Mittere (to send), Ad (to, toward), Cedere (to go), Ante (before), Libra (scale), De (down), Sistere (to stand), Per (through), Cemere (to sift), Se (Apart)
Anglo-Saxon roots and affixes - CORRECT ANSWER Be (make, cause to be), For (completely), Fore (before, in front of), Some (characterized by)
Idioms - CORRECT ANSWER expression or constructions whose meanings do not logically follow the meaning of the individual words that make them up
ex. Couch potato, on the dot
Cliques - CORRECT ANSWER words to phrases drained of meaning though overuse, may or may not be idioms
ex. Pay the piper, play the devil's advocate, case pearls before swine
Adages - CORRECT ANSWER idioms using nouns
ex. Albatross (a constant, heavy burden, from "Rime of the Ancient Mariner),
Denotations - CORRECT ANSWER literal meanings of words
Connotations - CORRECT ANSWER the associated meanings a word may have beyond its literal meaning
Synonyms - CORRECT ANSWER words that are similar or the same in meaning
Antonyms - CORRECT ANSWER words that are opposite in meaning
Homonyms - CORRECT ANSWER words that are spelled and pronounced the same, but have different meanings
ex. Bark (tree bark) and bark (sound a dog makes)
Homophones - CORRECT ANSWER words that sound the same, but have different meanings and spellings
ex. Meat (food) and meet (join)
Homographs - CORRECT ANSWER words that are spelled the same, but have different meanings
ex. Produce (vegetables) and produce (to make)
Analogies - CORRECT ANSWER a comparison to show a relationship between two dissimilar words that are otherwise not alike, written as an equation
ex. Homophone : Synonym :: Sound : Meaning
Paraphrase - CORRECT ANSWER a restatement of a text that conveys the original meaning in different words, should be no more than two or three sentences long
Summarize - CORRECT ANSWER to condense a piece of text in order to convey the original points and structure in an abbreviated form, should be a single sentence
Expository writing - CORRECT ANSWER any type of writing that conveys information, introduces characters, examines relationships, describes concepts, explains difficult subject matter and/or analyzes ideas
Why do we read and why do we write expository text? - CORRECT ANSWER We read expository text to understand how other people respond to situations that we may never experience on our own and we write expository text to share our unique views of the world
What are the seven types of expository text? - CORRECT ANSWER Problem/Solution
Compare/Contrast
Process/Sequence
Cause/Effect
Hypothesis
Classification
Definition
Descriptive writing - CORRECT ANSWER used to describe a person, place, object, or event in a visual way for the reader
Narrative writing - CORRECT ANSWER tells a story or recounts a personal experience
Persuasive writing - CORRECT ANSWER attempts to change the opinion of the reader and to encourage the reader to take action
Point of View - CORRECT ANSWER refers to the author's feelings and attitudes about the topics being discussed
What are the five main purposes that an author typically writes for? - CORRECT ANSWER Inform
Persuade
Entertain
Describe
Tell a Story
Argument - CORRECT ANSWER in literary terms, a fair and rational presentation of issues and ideas presented in the hopes of persuading people to take action or change behavior
Inductive reasoning - CORRECT ANSWER observing a limited number of cases to reach a general conclusion, moves from the specific to the general
Deductive reasoning - CORRECT ANSWER using generalized insight to draw a conclusion about a specific situation, moves from the general to the specific
Syllogism - CORRECT ANSWER a form of deductive reasoning consisting of a series of three propositions with the first two implying the third, which is the conclusion (ex. All men are mortal, Brad Pitt is a man, Therefore Brad Pitt is mortal
What are the five types of arguments? - CORRECT ANSWER Cause/Effect
Analogy
Authority
Emotion
Character
What are the three types of evidence? - CORRECT ANSWER Empirical
Anecdotal
Logical
Empirical evidence - CORRECT ANSWER scientific proof is gathered through carefully monitored studies or direct observation
Anecdotal evidence - CORRECT ANSWER a single example, observation, or subjective report is used to support a statement, NOT scientifically valid
Logical evidence - CORRECT ANSWER a structured argument is made based on known statements, events, or conditions... the true answer is the only one that makes sense or seems reasonable
What three things should be considered when determining the merit of an argument and its evidence? - CORRECT ANSWER Author's purpose, experience, & information
Rhetorical features - CORRECT ANSWER the various persuasive devices or techniques used to effectively argue a case
Hyperbole - CORRECT ANSWER figure of speech that employs exaggeration to make a point, evoke humor, or heighten effect
Logic argument - CORRECT ANSWER appeals directly to the reader's intellect
Satire argument - CORRECT ANSWER a method of combining ridicule with a critical attitude in order to correct behavior
Diplomacy argument - CORRECT ANSWER uses flattery as a means of persuasion
Appeal to emotion argument - CORRECT ANSWER a rhetorical strategy that attempts to persuade the audience by engaging their emotions
Analogy argument - CORRECT ANSWER relies upon comparison to make its point
What are the three basic functions of language? - CORRECT ANSWER Inform
Persuade
Entertain
What are the five forms of exposition? - CORRECT ANSWER Basic Instruction
Categorization
Cause & Effect
Comparison & Contrast
Problem & Solution
Authorial Bias - CORRECT ANSWER when an author's stance reflects a personal rather than a critical stance
Opinion - CORRECT ANSWER a judgment or belief that someone holds as true
Prejudice - CORRECT ANSWER a type of opinion that is preconceived or held without reasonable grounds of support
Bias - CORRECT ANSWER a defined tendency to think in a certain way
Logic - CORRECT ANSWER The study of argumentation
Logical fallacies - CORRECT ANSWER faulty patterns of reasoning that lead to invalid arguments
Appeal to authority (logical fallacy) - CORRECT ANSWER relies on an authoritative source to provide evidence in an area outside his or her area of expertise
Red Herring (logical fallacy) - CORRECT ANSWER presents a misleading argument in order to distract attention from the real point being argued
Self-Contradiction (logical fallacy) - CORRECT ANSWER presents evidence that supports contradictory premises or that contradicts itself
Confusion of Fact and Opinion (logical fallacy) - CORRECT ANSWER mistakes a value judgment as objective fact
Equivocation (logical fallacy) - CORRECT ANSWER uses a word or term according to its multiple definitions while assuming that the word means the same in each context
Argumentum ad hominem (logical fallacy) - CORRECT ANSWER assumes that a person's claims are false because there is something objectable about that person
Straw man (logical fallacy) - CORRECT ANSWER assumes that disproving one theory or idea as false also disproves a related theory
False analogy (logical fallacy) - CORRECT ANSWER assumes that because two events or conditions are partially similar, they must be similar in all aspects
False dilemma (logical fallacy) - CORRECT ANSWER concludes from the presentation of two opposing points of view that no alternatives are available and one of the given options must be true
Slippery slope (logical fallacy) - CORRECT ANSWER infers that the existence of one event or condition inevitable leads to another
Argumentum ad populum (logical fallacy) - CORRECT ANSWER assumes that if a given belief is widely held, then it must be true
Argumentum ad consequentiam (logical fallacy) - CORRECT ANSWER supports a particular conclusion because of the consequences that such a claim or belief would entail
Begging the question (logical fallacy) - CORRECT ANSWER the premise of an argument assumes the truth of its conclusion
What are the five major literary critical approaches? - CORRECT ANSWER Formalist
New Historicism
Reader/Response
Feminist Analysis
Psychoanalytic Theory
Formalist (Literary Critical Approach) - CORRECT ANSWER literature has meaning within the text... pay close attention to the form, language, and detail... literature can be differentiated from other types of expression through its formal aspects
New Historicism (Literary Critical Approach) - CORRECT ANSWER literary text is connected to the time period in which it was created, can reflect the historical past and advance social interest
Reader/Response (Literary Critical Approach) - CORRECT ANSWER each reader brings unique background and knowledge to the interpretation of a text... because each reader interprets text differently there will be a wide variety of interpretations
Feminist Analysis (Literary Critical Approach) - CORRECT ANSWER broadly based on the politics of feminism... consider how the reader being a woman and/or how the author being a woman will affect the text
Psychoanalytic Theory (Literary Critical Approach) - CORRECT ANSWER both the author's psyche and the reader's psyche have impact on the interpretation of a text... a reader can only analyze the text as find as his or her conscious mind will permit
What are the five major movements in American literature? - CORRECT ANSWER Early American
Romantics, Transcendentalists, Fireside Poets
Realism
Harlem Renaissance
Modernism
Early American (literary movements) - CORRECT ANSWER
Romantics, Transcendentalists, Fireside Poets (literary movements) - CORRECT ANSWER Romantics - celebration of the individual
Transcendentalists - nature
Fireside poets - encouraged writers to use poetry as medium
Realism (literary movements) - CORRECT ANSWER Literary characters are representative of the time and region, writers use the vernacular to give a more realistic feel, writers resist the urge to use their imagination
Harlem Renaissance (literary movements) - CORRECT ANSWER works created by African American authors and artists lead to a new and dignified identity for African Americans, established a culture
Modernism (literary movements) - CORRECT ANSWER occurred between WWI and WWII, influenced by the Great Depression, reflected a time of loss and a search for new meaning and structure, this period is when drama became accepted
Authors associated with Early American literature - CORRECT ANSWER Jonathan Edwards, Anne Bradstreet, John Smith
Authors associated with Romantics literature - CORRECT ANSWER Edgar Allen Poe, Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson
Authors associated with Transcendentalists literature - CORRECT ANSWER Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman
Authors associated with Fireside Poets literature - CORRECT ANSWER Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Hone Green Leaf Whittier, William Cullen Bryant, Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell
Authors associated with Realism literature - CORRECT ANSWER Samuel Clemens, Henry James, William Dean Howells, Edith Wharton, Sarah Orne Jewett
Authors associated with Harlem Renaissance literature - CORRECT ANSWER Claude McKay, Zora Neale Hurston, Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes
Authors associated with Modernism literature - CORRECT ANSWER F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, William Carlos Williams, Eugene O'Neil
Name some major literary themes and archetypes - CORRECT ANSWER myths, fate, love, power, indivuality
Orality - CORRECT ANSWER the ability to read out loud
Commedy of manners - CORRECT ANSWER a witty and risqué satire of upper class etiquette and immoral behavior
Problem plays - CORRECT ANSWER addressed social problems, originated with George Bernard Shaw and Henrik Ibsen
Epic poetry - CORRECT ANSWER narrative poems that recount the courageous deeds of a hero
Oral tradition - CORRECT ANSWER passing by word of mouth from generation to generation
Lyric poetry - CORRECT ANSWER shorter poems communicating thoughts and feelings, often accompanied by music
Elegies - CORRECT ANSWER poems of lament and mourning
Ballads - CORRECT ANSWER narrative poems in short stanzas that are often sung
Metaphysical poetry - CORRECT ANSWER expressed highly philosophical ideas, introduced by John Donne
Neoclassicism - CORRECT ANSWER a revival of the style and attitude of ancient Greece, introduced by Ben Jonson
Mock epic - CORRECT ANSWER a structural imitation of an epic poem which uses a mundane event as the subject in order to be humorous
Imagism - CORRECT ANSWER a theory in poetry that emphasized precise presentations of images rather than descriptions
Gothic novels - CORRECT ANSWER highly dramatic romance set against a foreboding background, often containing supernatural elements, first reached popularity in the late 1700's
Ex. Frankenstein, Ann Radcliffe's The Italian
Realistic novels - CORRECT ANSWER gives the effect of realism by closely examining the loves of characters that have normal experiences
Ex. Flaubert, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy
Science fiction novels - CORRECT ANSWER novels with futuristic settings and scientific developments that direct the plot
Ex. H.G Wells The Island of Dr. Moreau, Time Machine, Jules Verne Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Stream of consciousness - CORRECT ANSWER narrative technique used to imitate the inner workings of the human mind by providing a continuous stream of thoughts, feelings, and memories
Satire - CORRECT ANSWER combines ridicule with a critical attitude in order to correct behavior
Parody - CORRECT ANSWER imitates a serious work for humorous or critical purposes
Narrative - CORRECT ANSWER tells a story
Pastoral - CORRECT ANSWER about nature and rural life
Allegory - CORRECT ANSWER extended metaphor in which the objects, characters, and actions have another meaning
Lyric - CORRECT ANSWER expresses the personal thoughts of a poet
Comedy - CORRECT ANSWER light and humorous dramatic works with happy endings
Farce - CORRECT ANSWER short comedy based on an improbable situation
Tragedy - CORRECT ANSWER serious drama that usually ends disastrously for the main character
Literary Canon - CORRECT ANSWER a list of literary works deemed by widespread consensus to be of the highest aesthetic quality
Name the five elements of plot - CORRECT ANSWER Exposition (introduces character, tone, setting)
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Resolution
Name the four types of conflict - CORRECT ANSWER Person vs. Nature
Person vs. Man
Person vs. Society
Person vs. Self
Protagonist - CORRECT ANSWER the main character around which the central conflict resolves, usually the reader is intended to sympathize with the protagonist
Antagonist - CORRECT ANSWER a person or thing in opposition to the main character
Dynamic character - CORRECT ANSWER a character who experiences internal changes
Character foil - CORRECT ANSWER a character whose traits help illuminate the protagonist, like a metal foil reflects light
Feet (poetry) - CORRECT ANSWER units of poetry
Meter (poetry) - CORRECT ANSWER measured rhythm of a piece of poetry
Scansion - CORRECT ANSWER the examination of the meter of a piece of poetry
Blank verse - CORRECT ANSWER a line with five stressed and five unstressed syllables
Couplet - CORRECT ANSWER a pair of lines that usually rhyme
Heroic couplet - CORRECT ANSWER combines lines of iambic pentameter that rhyme in pairs, rhyme scheme is aabbcc
Sonnet - CORRECT ANSWER fourteen line poem, usually in iambic pentameter, can be Italian (Petrachan) or English (Shakespeare), originated in Italy in the middle ages
Onomatopoeia - CORRECT ANSWER a word that is pronounced the same way it sounds, ex. Buzz
Metonymy - CORRECT ANSWER referring to something or someone by naming one of its attributes or correlatives
Synecdoche - CORRECT ANSWER a part of a thing that replaces the whole
What are some common mistakes that ESL learners make? - CORRECT ANSWER Word order
Using the correct article
Forgetting nouns
Repeating nouns
Exclusing helping verbs
Prepositions
What four characteristics determine a speaker's credibility? - CORRECT ANSWER Qualified
Neutral
Well evidenced
Well reasoned
Principles of decorum - CORRECT ANSWER that dictate propriety and appropriateness of behavior and language
Lincoln-Douglas Debate - CORRECT ANSWER two individuals debate the moral and ethical value of a resolution
Cross-Examination Debate - CORRECT ANSWER two teams of two people debate the merits of a proposed policy and define a resolution
Name the three main parts of an argument - CORRECT ANSWER premise
conclusion
warrant (the connection between premise and conclusion)
Name the five stages of writing - CORRECT ANSWER 1. Prewriting
2. Outlining
3. Composition
4. Revision & Editing
5. Proofreading
Transition words - CORRECT ANSWER segue between sentences and paragraphs while communicating to readers the logical connection between ideas
Microfiche - CORRECT ANSWER compact analog storage media that provides comprehensive research in small spaces
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) - CORRECT ANSWER Widely accepted format for writing research papers, has footnotes and bibliographies
Modern Language Association's Style Manual (MLA) - CORRECT ANSWER Academic style guide used in literary criticism, foreign language, comparative literature, English studies, and humanities, includes a works cited page
The Chicago Manual of Style - CORRECT ANSWER Used by publishers and editors, deals with questions of style, manuscript preparation, and usage
ACS Style Guide: A Manual for Authors and Editors - CORRECT ANSWER Intended for authors and editors working on papers in scientific disciplines
How can you prevent plagiarism in the classroom? - CORRECT ANSWER by requiring students to turn in multiple stages of work including a written proposal, rough draft, etc.
Faulty analogy - CORRECT ANSWER an argument based on a comparison of two things, ideas, events, or situations that are similar but not identical; this argument assumes without sufficient proof that if objects or processes are similar in some ways, then they are similar in other ways as well
Circular reasoning - CORRECT ANSWER an argument that restates the same point in a different way
Ad populum - CORRECT ANSWER the arguer appeals to the prejudices of people
Absurd reduction - CORRECT ANSWER oversimplification of an argument that is so conflated that it becomes absurd
Either/Or Reasoning - CORRECT ANSWER an oversimplification that reduces alternatives to only two choices, thereby creating a false dilemma
Sweeping generalization - CORRECT ANSWER attempting to draw conclusions that are too broad; making assumptions or conclusions that are all-encompassing but unjustified
Red herring - CORRECT ANSWER when writers avoid countering an opposing argument directly
Straw man - CORRECT ANSWER an attack on a view similar to but not the same as the one your opponent holds
Post hoc - CORRECT ANSWER a mistaken assumption that because one event follows another, then they have a necessary causal relationship
Slippery slope - CORRECT ANSWER wrongly assuming that doing one thing will unavoidably lead to doing another, often undesirable, thing - without using evidence for justification
Questionable cause - CORRECT ANSWER suggesting that a dubious or unlikely event caused another
Ad hominem - CORRECT ANSWER an attack on the person rather than on the argument or the issue
Begging the question - CORRECT ANSWER when the arguer assumes what they actually need to prove
Appeal to false authority - CORRECT ANSWER citing testimony from a questionable source or unrelated authority
Two wrongs don't make a right - CORRECT ANSWER diverting attention from the issue by introducing a new point [Show Less]