Freshman English (A)
Final Exam ‘04
Part I


NB - Mark the circle darkly. Do NOT use Tipex!

I. Decide the function of the underlined word(s) in the sentence:

A. subject   B. direct object   C. indirect object
D. predicate nominative   E. nominative adjective


A border collie that scientists say may be proof that dogs truly understand human (1) language laps up media (2) attention, but lets his owners do the talking.

1. Direct object of the verb “understand”.
2. Direct object of “laps up”. “Media” is used as an adjective here.


Rico, the German dog, (3) who outshone all human competitors in a popular TV talent show, remembers the names of more than 200 objects and can figure out which item his (4) master wants—even if he has never heard the word before.

3. Subject of the verb “outshone”. The antecedent is “Rico”.
4. Subject of “wants”. (The object of “wants” is “which item”.)


German researchers who have studied (5) Rico for several years say he shows a skill, normal in young children, to form a rough meaning of a new word.

5. Direct object of the verb in the adjective clause.

As they enthused at a news conference Thursday about him and the significance of his mental skills, he lay (6) uninterested and nearly motionless under a table—until a toy crocodile appeared.

6. Nominative adjective. The verb “lay” (past tense of “to lie”) is linking.

Then he barked, awaited instructions and took the (7) toy to photographers and reporters sitting nearby.

7. Direct object.

Rico can figure out which (8) object his master wants even if he has never heard the word before, researchers say.

8. Direct object of “wants”.

The findings, reported in the journal Science, may not surprise many dog owners. But they are (9) certain to re-ignite a debate over what language is and whether it is unique to humans.

9. Nominative adjective.

Rico's abilities seem to follow a process called fast mapping, seen when young (10) children start to learn to speak and understand language, they report.

10. Subject of adverb clause.


II. If the underlined phrase is a prepositional phrase or a clause, tell its function:

A. noun   B. adjective   C. adverb

If it is NOT a prepositional phrase or a clause, tell what kind of phrase it is:

A. participial   B. infinitive   C. gerund   D. appositive


EXAMPLE: The Queen of England enjoys swimming in her knickers.

of England” is a prepositional phrase functioning as an adjective, so, B.

swimming in her knickers” is a gerund phrase, so C.

This wasn’t as complicated as it looked. It’s a two-step process. First, decide whether it’s a prepositional phrase or a clause. If it is, then figure out its function in the sentence. If it’s not, tell what it is.



Arf! Arf! Art! Art!
Jack Russell terrier claws way to artistic fame.

By Christy Lemire
Associated Press
June 15, 2004
 
NEW YORK—You think Eddie, the Jack Russell terrier from Frasier, was talented? Ha! All he had (11) to do was sit there and look cute (12) on cue—and his show isn’t even on television anymore.

11. It’s an infinitive.
12. It’s a prepositional phrase functioning as an adverb (of time).


Tillie—now there’s a dog (13) with some real bite.

13. Prepositional phrase functioning as an adjective. What kind of dog?

The 5-year-old Jack Russell is an artist (14) who has had her paintings exhibited in New York, Los Angeles and Europe. She recently opened a gallery and store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn’s epicenter of all things artsy and hip.

14. It’s an adjective clause.

Her intense, instinctive scratch marks—in red, blue, yellow and black—have drawn comparisons to such abstract artists as Jackson Pollock and Cy Twombly.

You may be wondering, how does a creature with nonopposable thumbs accomplish such a hands-on craft? Well, she gets a little help from F. Bowman Hastie, her human companion, (15) who discovered her talent when she was just 6 months old.

15. It’s an adjective clause. (We could discuss this. It could be considered an appositive, in which case it’d be a noun clause.)

Hastie, a 35-year-old writer, noticed Tillie (16) pawing furiously at one of his notepads one day. “She really had a sense of focus and determination. She was homing in on the surface,” he says. “I was amazed by it.”

16. This is a participle. (I’d meant to underline from “pawing” to “day”, but what the heck.)

As an experiment, he put a piece (17) of carbon paper in front of her, and faster than you could say “Pablo Picasso,” an artist was born.

17. Prepositional phrase, adjective.

Now Tillie—whose full name is Tillamook Cheddar—has developed her technique over the years. Hastie takes a piece of pigmented paper and places it face-down on another sheet of paper that’s mounted onto a mat board. Tillie then takes this canvas in her mouth and carries it to her workspace, (18) where she nibbles and claws at it feverishly.

18. Adverb clause.

(19) Whatever is left on the canvas is her final creation—though she gets so carried away sometimes, she ends up destroying her own work.

19. Noun clause. It’s the subject of the principal clause. (Or, it’s the predicate nominative of the inverted sentence.)

At the recent opening of Tillie Ltd., though, she showed a far more cordial disposition. The 18-pound pup—who has white, wiry fur with brown-and-black markings around her mischievous, dark eyes—was more like a social butterfly.

She trotted (20) between the small, spare, concrete-floored storefront, where her original oil paintings mounted on the walls sell for $1,000, and the sidewalk outside, where visitors perused a table (21) piled with T-shirts featuring her designs. She greeted friends and fans by (22) wag-ging her tail and begging sweetly for the nuggets of cheese for which she’s named.

20. Prepositional phrase - adverb.
21. Participial phrase modifying “table”.
22. Gerund phrase, object of the preposition “by” (which was not underlined!).


“I didn’t own a Tillie, and I had to own one, and partly because I know the artist,” said 31-year-old Rebecca Weisberg of Manhattan, explaining why she spent $40 on an art box—a square lamp adorned with the dog’s bold marks in pink and white.

Hastie insists success hasn’t gone to Tillie’s head. In her downtime, she still takes part in normal canine activities at Brooklyn’s dog-friendly Prospect Park.

“She likes (23) jumping and catching balls, chasing squirrels,” says Hastie, (24) nursing a drink and schmoozing with visitors on the artist’s behalf. “Her process when she’s working is a combination of work instinct and play instinct. I don’t think she thinks, ‘I’m an artist. I’m making art.’”

23. Gerund phrase, direct object.
24. Participial phrase, modifying the noun “Hastie”.


Others, however, are taking her seriously. Tillie just returned from a trip to Belgium and the Netherlands, where her paintings were on display in solo exhibitions. She also has had her work shown at galleries (25) in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

25. Adjectival prepositional phrase modifying “galleries”. This one’s tricky, since it looks like an adver  B. But it’s not. Because it’s “Which galleries?” The ones in...

Art dealer Mike Pollack, who has sold some Tillies, expects that her more unusual items may do well, such as the 5-pound bags of dog food ($100 each) (26) that feature a limited edition, green-and-yellow print.

26. Adjective clause.

“More sophisticated art types have bought her stuff and think it’s going to be worth money,” says Pollack.

Hastie is looking forward to the day when Tillie is his main source of income.

“My only goal is for my dog to support me,” he says. “I’ve carried her for five years—that’s 35 dog years. She can carry me for the next 35 years.”



III. Decide whether the following sentences are correct or incorrect. Be careful. They are sneaky.

A. correct   B. incorrect

27. Originally, tools were used by the people that were made of stone and organic materials.

... people used tools that were made of... (Misplaced modifier.)

28. Later, people made tools of copper and other metals.

29. People who were more influential were buried in graves that were larger and more ornate.

People who had been...

30. Early civilizations built ships for trade along the Nile River that were large and efficient.

...built large, efficient ships...

31. The tour guide wouldn’t let nobody explore alone.

...wouldn’t let anybody...

32. Charlotte said she didn’t want no one to get lost.

...didn’t want anyone...

33. Because of the bright sun outside, we couldn’t see anything when we first entered the tomb.

34. Everyone accept Stéphane took pictures of the tomb.

...except...

35. The reason he didn’t was because the batteries for his flash had run down.

The reason he didn’t was that... (Noun clause)

36. Luckily, the hotel where we were at had a gift shop.

We were lucky the hotel we were (staying) at had...

37. The pyramids were different than what I’d expected.

...different from what...

38. The tourists put the photos of the pyramids in a drawer.

...into a drawer

39. The pyramids looked like giant triangles.

40. Matthieu and Boris boarded there bus.

...boarded their bus.

41. The bizarre idea came to William as he lay on his bed.

42. They decided how high the tax rate must rise.

43. The team plays it’s best at home.

...plays its best... (Some English people might say: "...play their best..." Which makes no sense but hey. They invented the language.

44. The field is theirs to play on until they get three outs.

45. It’s the infielders who throw players out at bases.

46. The three players who struck out were Simon, Margaux, and me.

...Simon, Margaux, and I.

47. The coach showed Yves and I the batting order.

...Yves and me...

48. It was he who took my glove.

49. Neither Roxanne nor Noémi want to miss the fireworks.

...wants...

50. Each of the ten kings have reason to worry.

Each of the ten kings has reason...

51. Neither the Queen nor I are particularly happy today.

Neither the Queen nor I am...

52. Either Anaelle or Karine will bring their city map today.

...will bring her city map...

53. It is the statue or that tall tree that is casting their shadow on the sidewalk.

...casting its shadow...

54. The drivers should know that you can only turn left there.

...that one can... (or, that they can)

55. The taxi and the truck made its way through the busy traffic.

...made their way...

56. Either Sacha or Aubrey will spend their vacation visiting relatives.

...will spend his vacation...

57. Every one of the towns has a city hall at their center.

...a city hall at its center.

58. Some of the homes have fences around their yards.

59. Everyone in that town keeps his own lawn neat.

60. Our ninth graders are the most unique students in Switzerland.

...the most interesting... the most bizarre...

Happy summer. READ every day!