This assessment consists of ten multiple choice questions. Select the best answer to each question. If you are not sure of the correct answer, take your best guess. Each question has only one correct answer.

1. Which of the following is an example of code-switching?

  • Speaking African-American English at home but Standard English at school
  • Using Standard English in writing but African-American English when speaking
  • Using African-American English at school but Haitian Creole at home
  • Using components of both African-American English and Standard English in the same conversation
  • All of the above are examples of code-switching.

2. Which of the following is an example of diglossia?

  • Speaking African-American English at home but Standard English at school
  • Using Standard English in writing but African-American English when speaking
  • Using African-American English at school but Haitian Creole at home
  • Using African-American English when speaking with friends but Standard English when speaking to teachers
  • All of the above are examples of diglossia.

3. Which of the following statements about African-American English and Standard English is true?

  • Standard English is more precise than African-American English.
  • African-American English is unable to express some of the concepts expressed in Standard English.
  • Standard English and African-American English express the same grammatical categories.
  • Speakers of Standard English usually understand exactly what speakers of African-American English intend.
  • None of the statements above is true.

4. Which of the following statements is true based on research findings?

  • People who “sound white” and “sound black” tend to earn about the same amount of money.
  • Black people who “sound white” tend to earn more money than white people who “sound black.”
  • White people who “sound black” tend to earn more money than black people who “sound white.”
  • Most people cannot easily tell whether someone is Black or white based only on hearing their speech on the telephone.
  • White people who “sound black” tend to earn about the same amount of money as white people who don’t “sound black.”

5. Which of the following statements about children who speak African-American English is true?

  • Children who speak AAE are over-diagnosed as having a communication impairment.
  • Children who speak AAE are over-referred to special education programs.
  • More male children who speak AAE are referred to special education programs than female children who speak AAE.
  • None of these three statements is true.
  • All three statements are true.

6. Which of the following statements about the use of African-American English in Miami is true?

  • African-American English is spoken at home by some people in most parts of Miami.
  • African-American English is more or less evenly dispersed throughout Miami.
  • African-American English is probably not the predominant variety of English spoken at home by the majority of native English speakers in Miami.
  • African-American English is probably the predominant variety of English spoken at home by the majority of native English speakers in Miami.
  • African-American English is spoken by a minority of first-language English speakers in Miami.

7. When did the Great Migration take place?

  • From the 1870s to the 1950s
  • From the 1910s to the 1970s
  • From the 1860s to the 1980s
  • From immediately after the Civil War to the early 1900s
  • From immediately after the Civil War up to the present time

8. What effect did the Great Migration have on where African-American English is spoken in the United States?

  • It resulted in African-American English being spoken on the west coast of the United States.
  • It resulted in African-American English being spoken in large industrial cities in the northeastern United States.
  • It results in African-American English being spoken in large midwestern cities such as Chicago and Detroit.
  • It transformed African-American English from a language variety spoken primarily in rural areas to a language variety spoken in many large cities throughout the United States.
  • All of the statements above are true.

9. Which of the following is the best way of explaining the use of been in the African-American English sentence I been done told ’em dat.

  • The word been corresponds to Standard English have been.
  • The word been is the past participle of be.
  • The word been indicates that the action happened a long time ago (in the remote past).
  • The world been indicates that the action is completed.
  • None of the explanations above would be appropriate.

10. How should a teacher respond to an ESL student’s objection that the sentence He be calling me all the time as spoken by an African-American violates the rules of English grammar?

  • Confirm the student’s objection that this is not proper English.
  • Avoid answering the student’s question because the matter is too sensitive to discuss in class.
  • Explain that this is just something that some Black people say, and quickly move on.
  • Tell the student that this sentence follows the rules of African-American English grammar and explain what it means in AAE.
  • Any of the responses above would be appropriate.