Name Score = /10

no electronic devices, 5 minutes

Weaving it Together: Unit 6 Test

Skimming and Scanning: Scan and skim the reading for the information you need to answer the questions. Do not write complete sentences. You have 5 minutes. When your teacher says that the time is up, hand in this paper. (2 points each = 10 points)

  1. According to the article, what is the most obvious form of language change?
  1. Write one example of a recent new English word.
  1. Write two examples of words English has borrowed from other languages.
  1. What did the word holiday used to mean?
  1. What word started as a verb but evolved into a noun?

How Languages Change

1Although we usually don’t notice it, language changes all the time. We make up new words and stop using old ones. We find new uses for existing words. We even sometimes bring back words that have fallen into disuse and start using them again. This happens constantly in all languages and has been happening throughout history.

2Perhaps the most obvious form of change is the appearance of a new word. New words come from several sources and emerge for different reasons. First, someone may invent a new word and other people start to use it. For example, the word selfie—a picture that you take of yourself with your camera phone—is new. It was first used in 2002 in Australia, and by 2012 it was popular all over the world. New words also appear when there is something new that needs a name, often something new in science or technology, such a byte or modem. Not all new words stick. In a dictionary of new words that came into existence in English in the year 1986, almost none of the words listed was in use thirty years later.

3We also take words from other languages. This process is called borrowing, which is a strange term since we never give the words back! English has borrowed words from dozens of languages. Usually this happens when no English word exists, for example, for a food, idea, or custom from another culture. When this happens, the pronunciation often changes so that the words sound more English. That is how English got algebra (Arabic), pizza (Italian), cookie (Dutch), and, more recently, sudoku (Japanese). Borrowing goes in the other direction too, with many other languages borrowing words from English, for example, the Spanish word beísbol from baseball or the Japanese word aisukurin from ice cream.

4Change also occurs when familiar words are used for new purposes. We choose the word that seems the best fit for the purpose. So, for example, the word virus refers to a problem that moves from one computer to another, just like a virus that causes disease. An older example is the word holiday, which used to refer only to a day of religious importance, or “holy day.” However, these holidays later became connected to the days when people did not have to work, so today, holiday no longer has any religious meaning. It just means a day off from work.

5It is also possible to extend the use of a word to new categories, for example, from a verb to a noun, or noun to a verb. So, although run is a verb, many people say they are going for a run, making run into a noun. The new meaning of the word text—a written message sent by cell phone—began as a noun, but today, instead of sending a text, most people simply text. Text is now a verb.

6Finally, changes in attitudes have led to changes in the words that we use. We have become more sensitive to the rights and needs of certain individuals, so expressions that have negative meanings are no longer acceptable. We don’t say old people. Instead, we say senior citizen. A hundred years ago, a man who could not walk was called a cripple. Today, this negative term is no longer used. We would say instead that the man has a disability.

Name Score = /40

no electronic devices, 40 minutes+ ______/10 = ______/50

Weaving it Together: Unit 6 Test

Multiple choice: Refer to the reading “How Languages Change.” Choose the correct answer for each question. (1 point each)

_____ 1. How many ways in which a language may change are given in paragraph 1?

a.2

b.3

c.4

_____2. What is the word selfie an example of?

a.an old word used in a new way

b.an invented new word

c.a word that is needed to describe a piece of new technology

_____3. Which of the following statements is true about new words that enter the language?

a.They are seldom used for many years.

b.They are often used for many years.

c.They are almost always used for many years.

_____4. What is language borrowing?

a.when we take a word from one language and use it in another language – but only for a short time

b.when we take a word from another language and it becomes a permanent part of our language

c.when we change the pronunciation of a word from another language so that it sounds like a word from our language

_____5. Which of the following words entered the English language most recently?

a.“virus,” meaning a problem passed from one computer to another

b.“holy day,” meaning a day of religious importance

c.“holiday,” meaning a day of no work

_____6. According to paragraph 5, which of the following sentences shows the use of a word in a new way?

a.I love to run.

b.I’ll send you a text.

c.I’ll text you later.

_____7. According to paragraph 6, why do we stop using certain words?

a.We realize that some words are negative and may be hurtful.

b.We don’t want to hurt the feelings of older people.

c.We are more respectful of women’s rights today.

_____8. What does them refer to in this sentence from paragraph 1: We even sometimes bring back words that have fallen into disuse and start using them again?

a.Language

b.Words

c.We

_____9. In paragraph 3, what does this refer to: Usually this happens when no English word exists, for example, for a food, idea, or custom from another culture?

a. Inventing a new word

b. Borrowing a word

c. Changing a familiar word

_____10. In older English texts, you might see a sentence like this:

Man has been inventing new words for his language since the beginning of his existence.

Nowadays, the sentence might be rewritten like this:

People have been inventing new words for their language since the beginning of their existence.

Which paragraph offers the best reason for this change?

  1. Paragraph 2: appearance of new words
  2. Paragraph 4: changing familiar words for new purposes
  3. Paragraph 6: changing attitudes to be more sensitive to rights and equality

Short Answer: Write your answer clearly as one complete sentence. Use your own words. 5 points maximum.

What is the main idea of the reading “How Languages Change”?

______

PART 1: VOCABULARY: Choose the best word to complete each blank. 1 point each.

borrowed / decoded / dipped / disappeared / eliminated
intercepted / preserved / substituted / threatened / transmitted

1. Bill______his toe in the water, then decided the lake was too cold for him to swim.

2. They ______messages to each other across the crowded room by using hand gestures and eye movements.

3. The dinosaurs ______from our planet about 65 million years ago.

4. The old house had been beautifully ______. It looked like it had just been built.

5. The children ______the message. They realized that A = Z, B = Y, etc.

6. Molly ______to go to the police if her next-door neighbor didn’t turn off the loud music.

7. Using technology that allowed them to listen in on cell phone conversations, the FBI ______many phone calls between the mafia boss and the senator.

8. When the art gallery ______a fake painting for a real one, nobody noticed.

9. Because English is a universal language, many US schools have ______foreign language study from their curriculum.

10. Since you ______my car and crashed it, you’re going to have to pay to get it fix.

Vocabulary Section 2: Matching. Match the vocabulary word with its definition or synonym. (1 point each = 15 points)

1. invisible
2. reliable
3. undecipherable
4. crack the code
5. device
6. universal
7. borrow
8. threatening
9. fine
10. eliminate
11. concern
12. inevitable
13. preserve
14. pop up
15. disappear /
  1. A punishment in which you must pay money for what you did wrong
  2. A small machine, such as a cell phone
C. To take and use something which belongs to someone else
D. To go away
E. Describes a code which cannot be cracked or broken
F. To get rid of, to take away
G. Unable to be seen
H. To decode or decipher hidden messages
I. Certain to happen, unavoidable
J. To save and protect something for its historical or cultural value
K. To appear
L. Applicable to all, describes something that works for everything
M. Trustworthy, guaranteed not to fail
N. Having a hostile or deliberately frightening quality or manner
O. Worry

Answer Key – For instructors only!

Skimming and scanning – Instructions for the teacher: Give students page 1 and pages 2-3 (reading) first. Do not give the rest of the test. Time the students (using a visible timer, like on an Internet website that you project for the students, is most fair) and allow 5 minutes for page 1. Then, collect page 1. Students may keep the reading. Hand out the rest of the test and allow 55 minutes for completion.

  1. The appearance of a new word
  2. Selfie, byte, modem
  3. Algebra, pizza, cookie, sudoku
  4. Holy day
  5. Run

Multiple choice

  1. C
  2. B
  3. A
  4. B
  5. A
  6. C
  7. A
  8. B
  9. B
  10. C

Short answer: Something close to:

Words and how we use them are constantly changing. New words appear while others fade away. Language changes with new developments in the culture but also with a changing view of others and ourselves.

Vocab section 1

1. dipped

2. transmitted

3. disappeared

4. preserved

5. decoded

6. threatened

7. intercepted

8. substituted

9. eliminated

10. borrowed

Vocab section 2

  1. G
  2. M
  3. E
  4. H
  5. B
  6. L
  7. C
  8. N
  9. A
  10. F
  11. O
  12. I
  13. J
  14. K
  15. D

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