Thank you for all the responses. We are going to report the sample question as being incorrect. I was certain it was but since I am new to the profession I was shocked to find a "wrong" answer. We also have explained to the student that he was in fact correct.
Since my posting, we found another sample question that was clearly incorrect. This one was claiming that the correct answer for the example given was a metaphor (even thought it did not compare anything at all) and the example was alliteration. We told the student they are correct and reported that problem on that one right away.
I am a new to teaching (I am currently student teaching and will graduate from Kansas State University in May) and I am sincerely hoping that these answers were just keyed in to the system incorrectly and that the actual 8th Grade Kansas State Assessment questions are accurate! This really concerns me. The students will take the actual state assessments in two weeks.
I am glad that I found this group and I was able to post my concern and run it by all of you. I was able to post the question and get responses and then show my cooperating teacher the responses to back up my thoughts and get this sample question reported. Thank you, again to all that responded. This experience has really opened my eyes. I am sincerely grateful to have found this group.
Interesting topic. I wrote a short article on the subject in 1965.
As I looked at your formula, I was reminded that I once heard what I suppose would be the most complicated passive possible. A department chair said "The course should have been being taught by a biochemist all along."
Gerald
Sent from my iPad
Interesting! Passive voice is something that only transitive verbs can have, but I've never considered active voice to be limited to transitive verbs. I've always considered all
verbs that are conjugated with the formula "Tense + Modal (have + -en) (be + -ing) Main Verb" to be active voice, and verbs conjugated with the formula "Tense + Modal (have + -en) (be + -ing) + be + -en + Main Verb" to be passive voice. Otherwise, wouldn't
many verbs have no voice at all? Maybe that doesn't matter.
Hats off to any 8th grade teachers who wade into this question with their students. :)
Beth
Dr. Beth Rapp Young
Associate Professor, English
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University of Central Florida
"Reach for the Stars"
Beth,
If you consider "surprised" to be adjectival, then doesn't that make "was" a linking verb? In that case, there is no action verb, and thus no active voice.
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