Title: CBM Quiz example
Course: Activity examples > Section: Quizzes

This quiz demonstrates Certainty-based marking.

Q: Which sentence is correct?
- John gave the book to Susan and I. (No!! Many people think this is correct because we would say "Susan and I gave the book to John" But in that sentence, "I" am the subject, so that's right. If you remove Susan from the first sentence, we can't say "John gave the book to I", can we? The person is the object, not the subject. Think again. (Also - look up Hypercorrection.))
- John gave the book to Susan and me (Yes! Correct! Do you know WHY it is "me" and not "I"?)
- John gave the book to me and Susan (It's not grammatically wrong to say "me and Susan" but it's not really polite: you should always put other people before yourself, so think again!)
A: John gave the book to Susan and me

Q: What's this?
- It is an eroteme. (No it isn't. An eroteme is a fancy name for a question mark and this is not a question mark.)
- It is an interrobang. (Yes! See (the always reliable and helpful) Wikipedia)
- It is a guillemet. (No it isn't. Guillemets are angle quotes, indicating speech. So think again...)
A: It is an interrobang.

Q: Which sentence is correct?
- The amount of registered Moodle sites in the world is constantly increasing. (No. You don't use amount when you can count it - when it is quantifiable.)
- The amount of registered Moodle sites in the world is consistently increasing. (Wrong on two counts: it's not "amount" and who are we to presume "consistently"?)
- The number of registered Moodle sites in the world is constantly increasing. (Yes! But do you know why it isn't amount?)
A: The number of registered Moodle sites in the world is constantly increasing.

Q: What is grammatically wrong with this famous Star Trek quote:

...to boldly go where no man has gone before...
- Nothing - it looks good to me. (Correct! Despite the arguments of grammarians over the years, there is nothing wrong with splitting infinitives. See that huge source of reliable information - Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split_infinitive)
- Ugh! The most famous split infinitive in history - you shouldn't have anyting between "to" and "go". (Nothing wrong with split infinitives in English, although grammarians over the centuries have argued this out. See that huge source of reliable information Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split_infinitive.)
- It is sexist (Well - it would be nice if they had added "and woman" too, but that doesn't actually make it grammatically incorrect. Think again...)
A: Nothing - it looks good to me.

Q: Which is correct?
- I must do my grammar practice. (Yes; well done. Practice is always "c" when it is a noun, and in American English, when it is a verb too. In UK English the spellings differ.)
- I must do my grammer practice (Grammer? Look again!!!)
- I must do my grammar practise. (No. You use "s" if you are using UK English and it is a verb - you can practiSe but you do practiCe. If you are American you use "c" for both anyway.)
A: I must do my grammar practice.

Q: What is wrong in this sentence?

Now we have  less employees we are making less money.
- Nothing. (Sorry -there IS something wrong this time!)
- It should be "fewer" employees. (Yes! If you can count them then you say "fewer". I will have fewer chocolates and less cake! (Think back to "amount" and "number".))
- It should be "Now AS ..." and not "Now THAT..." (No. Think again...)
A: It should be "fewer" employees.

Q: What is wrong with this sentence?

Jack is making good progress in his French lessons, he should reach his target grade by summer.
- Nothing! (again) (Noooo.... You could possibly get away with it, but Pedants Anonymous would have your number....)
- The comma is not right. (Yes. A comma is not strong enough to divide up those two statements. They could be two separate sentences -or you could use a semi-colon.)
- You should spell "summer" with a capital "S". (No need - think again.)
A: The comma is not right.

Q: Which is correct?
- I was sat next to John in the exam (Not necessarily! Depends on what you mean...)
- I was sitting next to John in the exam. (Not necessarily! Depends on what you mean.)
- Both are correct. (Yes. But do you know the difference? Most people say "I was sat" when they actually mean "I was sitting". If you sat down of your own accord, you say "I was sitting". If someone such as an examination officer placed you in a particular seat, you say "I was sat".)
A: Both are correct.

Q: Which of these is an example of a dangling participle?
- Walking back home yesterday, a tree nearly fell on my head. (Yes! Was the tree walking home? No!)
- (Winston Churchill) "That is a rule up with which I will not put." (No. He is talking about the nonsense of NOT putting prepositions at the ends of sentences.)
- This is just between you and I. (No. This is wrong (see question 1) but it is not a dangling participle.)
A: Walking back home yesterday, a tree nearly fell on my head.

Q: Where does the ' go?
- I have hung the children's clothes out to dry. (Yes well done.)
- I have hung the childrens' clothes out to dry. (No! Were you thinking that apostrophes go at the end when your word is plural? True -but this word changes completely in the plural. So think again!)
- I have hung the children's' clothes out to dry. (We only need ONE apostrophe - so you have to make a choice here.)
A: I have hung the children's clothes out to dry.