ACCESS ACCESS Grammar and Language Structure 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In ACCESS reading and writing tasks, what does 'cohesion' in a written response refer to?
- Correct spelling of academic vocabulary
- The use of linking words and pronouns to connect ideas clearly across sentences (Correct answer)
- Writing only one paragraph per response
- Matching every sentence to a specific grammar rule
Correct answer: The use of linking words and pronouns to connect ideas clearly across sentences
Cohesion refers to how well a text holds together through devices like transition words, pronouns, and repetition that connect sentences and ideas.
Question 2: Why do ACCESS prompts at higher proficiency levels often use the passive voice in directions (e.g., 'the book was written by...')?
- To confuse lower-level students
- To expose ELLs to academic register and grammatical structures common in formal English texts (Correct answer)
- Because passive voice is simpler than active voice
- To test whether students can convert passive to active voice
Correct answer: To expose ELLs to academic register and grammatical structures common in formal English texts
The passive voice is common in academic texts, and including it in higher-level ACCESS prompts reflects the grammatical demands of academic English that proficient ELLs need to understand.
Question 3: Which type of error is most commonly associated with ELLs at ACCESS Level 2 in their writing?
- Overuse of subordinate clauses
- Omission of articles (a, an, the) and incorrect preposition use (Correct answer)
- Excessive use of formal academic vocabulary
- Writing overly long complex paragraphs
Correct answer: Omission of articles (a, an, the) and incorrect preposition use
Beginning ELLs at Level 2 frequently omit articles and misuse prepositions because these small grammatical words do not have direct equivalents in many other languages.
Question 4: On ACCESS writing tasks, what does it mean when a rubric criterion references 'syntactic complexity'?
- The number of words per sentence
- The variety and sophistication of sentence structures used (Correct answer)
- Whether the student writes in cursive or print
- The correct use of punctuation marks
Correct answer: The variety and sophistication of sentence structures used
Syntactic complexity on ACCESS rubrics refers to a student's ability to use varied and sophisticated sentence structures, including compound, complex, and embedded clauses.
Question 5: What is the function of a 'discourse connector' in English writing, as evaluated on ACCESS?
- A punctuation mark between two sentences
- A word or phrase that signals relationships between ideas, such as 'however,' 'therefore,' or 'in contrast' (Correct answer)
- A vocabulary word with Greek or Latin roots
- A grammatical rule about noun placement
Correct answer: A word or phrase that signals relationships between ideas, such as 'however,' 'therefore,' or 'in contrast'
Discourse connectors are transitional words or phrases that signal logical relationships between ideas, helping readers follow the organization and argument of a text.
Question 6: When ACCESS writing prompts ask students to 'compare and contrast,' which grammatical structures are most useful for ELLs to demonstrate?
- Imperative sentences and commands
- Comparative adjectives, conjunctions like 'while/whereas,' and parallel structure (Correct answer)
- Only simple present tense statements
- Interrogative sentences and rhetorical questions
Correct answer: Comparative adjectives, conjunctions like 'while/whereas,' and parallel structure
Compare-and-contrast writing relies on comparative adjectives ('larger than'), contrasting conjunctions ('whereas,' 'while'), and parallel grammatical structure to show similarities and differences.
ACCESS ACCESS Grammar and Language Structure 2
In ACCESS reading and writing tasks, what does 'cohesion' in a written response refer to?