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8th Grade Semester 2 Exam
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
Understanding the Reading
____ 1. The main goal of persuasive writing is to
a. affect the thoughts and actions of readers.
b. explain a step-by-step process.
c. describe an idea from the writer’s imagination.
____ 2. When writing a persuasive essay, what is the best way to
support your position?
a. Avoid mentioning any opinions.
b. Include opinions that are relevant and informed.
c. Present facts as if they are opinions.
____ 3. The best way to strengthen a persuasive argument is to
a. present evidence supporting both sides of the issue.
b. attack the character of those holding the opposite view.
c. convincingly respond to a specific opposing claim.
____ 4. In a persuasive essay, where is the most effective place to
put your strongest point?
a. in the title
b. in either the introduction or conclusion
c. in the body of your essay
____ 5. When revising persuasive writing, your first step should be to
a. set your work aside for a day.
b. use your computer’s spell-checker feature to find errors.
c. incorporate the comments of a peer reviewer.
____ 6. A letter to the editor is more likely to be published if it
a. contains highly emotional outbursts.
b. is written in correct business letter form.
c. focuses on a topic about which the newspaper’s readers know little.
____ 7. A book review helps readers choose a book by
a. telling how well the book is selling.
b. telling the author’s life story.
c. summarizing the contents and evaluating the book.
Identifying Fact and Opinion
____ 8. Which of the following statements appears to be a fact?
a. Buttermilk is just as delicious as ginger ale.
b. Buttermilk contains fewer calories than ginger ale does.
c. Buttermilk tastes better with cookies than ginger ale does.
____ 9. In which sentence is the underlined word the subject?
a. There is a flashlight in the closet.
b. There is a flashlight in the closet.
c. There is a flashlight in the closet.
____ 10. Neither my brothers nor my mother ____ home.
a. is
b. are
c. were
____ 11. My German shepherd doesn’t follow my commands; ____, I’m
putting him in obedience school.
a. likewise
b. therefore
c. nevertheless
____ 12. To ____ should I address this air-mail envelope?
a. whose
b. whom
c. who
____ 13. Abraham Lincoln is the subject about ____ I’m writing.
a. who
b. whose
c. whom
____ 14. The movie star blew kisses to the other fans and ____ .
a. us
b. we
c. our
Making Subjects and Verbs Agree
____ 15. Select the letter of the sentence in which the underlined
verb agrees with the subject.
a. The library contains many reference sources.
b. This dictionary contain over 200,000 words.
c. Encylopedias contains short factual articles.
____ 16. Select the letter of the sentence in which the underlined
verb agrees with the subject.
a. Many people visits Washington, D.C., each year.
b. Tourists visit the Lincoln Memorial.
c. I visits the Smithsonian Institution.
____ 17. Select the letter of the sentence in which the underlined
verb agrees with the subject.
a. In the woods is a ramshackle cabin.
b. Here by the bushes are an abandoned well.
c. All the windows, except for one, is broken.
Collective Nouns, Indefinite Pronouns, and Compound Subjects
____ 18. Select the letter of the sentence in which the underlined
verb agrees with the subject.
a. At camp, two weeks feels like a short time.
b. Everybody feel right at home here.
c. Camp Ossaga feel like a warm, welcoming place.
____ 19. Select the letter of the sentence in which the underlined
verb agrees with the subject.
a. Our family arrive at the picnic area.
b. A thunderstorm arrives soon after us.
c. The end of the festivities arrive too quickly.
____ 20. Select the letter of the sentence in which the underlined
verb agrees with the subject.
a. Customers at the newsstand has thumbed through the magazines.
b. Someone have removed all the subscription cards.
c. Several of these magazines have ripped pages.
____ 21. Select the letter of the sentence in which the underlined
verb agrees with the subject.
a. Mr. and Mrs. Lepki lives at 189 North Wellington Street.
b. No one lives in the house across from them.
c. Somebody live in the apartment next door.
____ 22. Select the letter of the sentence in which the underlined
verb agrees with the subject.
a. Both cats and dogs need rabies shots.
b. Those poodles with the long fur needs a trim.
c. The terrier or the Labradors needs an owner.
____ 23. Select the letter of the sentence in which the underlined
verb agrees with the subject.
a. Either Jennifer or Lynelle skis well.
b. The girls skis down the slope.
c. Lynelle and Cherise skis home from school?
____ 24. Select the letter of the sentence in which the underlined
verb agrees with the subject.
a. Minneapolis and St. Paul is twin cities.
b. Camping or hiking are fun in Minnesota.
c. Lake Winnibigoshish and Bowstring Lake are scenic places.
Sentence Combining: Prepositional Phrases
For each pair of sentences, select the letter of the choice that best
combines the sentences.
____ 25. A letter arrived today. It was from the telephone company.
a. A letter arrived today and it was from the telephone company.
b. A letter from the telephone company arrived today.
c. A letter arrived from the telephone company and it arrived today
____ 26. The batter hit the ball. The ball went into the stands.
a. The batter hit the ball and the ball went into the stands.
b. The batter hit the ball into the stands.
c. The ball went into the stands after the batter hit it.
Sentence Combining: Appositives
For each pair of sentences, select the letter of the choice that best
combines the sentences.
____ 27. The police officer soothed the frightened child. The police
officer was a thoughtful man.
a. The police officer, a thoughtful man, soothed the frightened child.
b. The police officer soothed the frightened child; he was a thoughtful
man.
c. The police officer soothed the frightened child, and he was a
thoughtful man
____ 28. Danny’s mother is Dr. Edith Aquino. Danny’s mother is the
dean of the new university.
a. Danny’s mother, Dr. Edith Aquino, is the dean of the new university.
b. Danny’s mother is Dr. Edith Aquino, and she is the dean of the new
university.
c. Danny’s mother is Dr. Edith Aquino; she is the dean of the new
university.
Sentence Combining: Adjective and Adverb Clauses
For each pair of sentences, select the letter of the choice that best
combines the sentences.
____ 29. Trumpets sounded loudly. They sounded as the king arrived.
a. Trumpets sounded loudly as the king arrived.
b. Trumpets sounded loudly, and the king arrived.
c. As the trumpets sounded loudly, the king arrived.
____ 30. Dr. Feld questioned her patient. The patient complained of
chest pains.
a. Dr. Feld questioned her patient, and then the patient complained of
chest pains.
b. Dr. Feld questioned her patient complaining of chest pains.
c. Dr. Feld questioned her patient, who complained of chest pains.
Matching
Kinds of Sentences
Select the letter of the term that describes each sentence.
a. declarative sentence c. exclamatory sentence
b. interrogative sentence d. imperative sentence
____ 31. How thrilling it is to get a star’s autograph!
____ 32. Never cross the street without looking first.
____ 33. What time does the next bus to New York City leave?
____ 34. The swim team will meet for practice five times a week.
____ 35. What a difficult crossword puzzle this is!
____ 36. Fill the pot halfway with hot water.
Subjects and Predicates
Select the letter of the term that best describes the underlined part of each
sentence.
a. simple subject d. complete predicate
b. simple predicate e. compound subject
c. complete subject f. compound predicate
____ 37. Two red lights flashed on top of the radio tower.
____ 38. With a flourish, Ken flipped and caught the pizza dough.
____ 39. The scent of strong perfume filled the room.
____ 40. The mare and her foal sought shelter inside the barn.
____ 41. My father gave me a mountain bike for my birthday.
____ 42. The cashier on the left will ring up your order.
____ 43. That faucet is leaky and needs repair.
____ 44. A statue of George Washington stands in the town square.
____ 45. Fleecy white clouds floated across the sky.
Conjunctions, Conjunctive Adverbs, and lnterjections
Select the letter of the term that describes the underlined word or words in
each sentence.
a. coordinating conjunction c. conjunctive adverb
b. correlative conjunction d. interjection
____ 46. Oops! That crunching sound must have been your contact lens.
____ 47. The figure skaters spun and twirled gracefully on the ice.
____ 48. Neither the library nor the bookstore has Stephen King’s
latest novel.
____ 49. Yes, we forgot to take the chicken out of the freezer.
____ 50. Jackson is taking piano lessons, but he has no musical talent.
Essay
51. Using Different Types of Sentences
Write an advertisement for an imaginary new product. Include at least one
example of each of these kinds of sentences: declarative, interrogative,
imperative, and exclamatory. Also, use at least one compound subject, one
compound predicate, and one compound sentence. In the sentences with compound
subjects and predicates, underline each simple subject once and each simple
predicate twice.
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