Skip to content

End-of-Year Exam — Chapters 5–8 (+ Cumulative)

Covers: Chapters 5–8 primarily; cumulative Chs 1–4 | Total: 100 pts | Time: 75 min | ACTFL Target: Novice Mid → Novice High

Format

  • Part A: Multiple Choice — 15 × 2 pts = 30 pts
  • Part B: Fill in the Blank — 10 × 3 pts = 30 pts
  • Part C: Translation — 5 × 2 pts = 10 pts
  • Part D: Short Writing — 1 paragraph × 15 pts = 15 pts
  • Part E: Extended Essay — 1 essay × 15 pts = 15 pts

Part A — Multiple Choice (30 points)

1. Mitákuye Oyásʼiŋ means:

A) My name is
B) Seven Council Fires
C) All my relations
D) The good life
Answer: C

2. Wačháŋtognaka is the Dakota virtue of:

A) Generosity
B) Bravery
C) Wisdom
D) Truth
Answer: A

3. The season waníyetu means:

A) Spring
B) Summer
C) Fall
D) Winter
Answer: D

4. Bdóte refers to:

A) The Missouri River
B) The confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers — the Dakota spiritual and geographic center
C) The Black Hills
D) Lake Superior
Answer: B

5. The 1851 Treaty of Traverse des Sioux:

A) Granted Dakota citizenship
B) Ceded most of southern and western Minnesota, leaving a narrow strip along the Minnesota River
C) Established reservation boundaries that still exist
D) Gave Dakota people permanent hunting rights
Answer: B

6. What occurred in Mankato, Minnesota on December 26, 1862?

A) The signing of the 1862 peace treaty
B) The battle of Mankato
C) The mass execution of 38 Dakota men — the largest mass execution in U.S. history
D) The establishment of the Dakota reservation
Answer: C

7. Iktómi in Dakota oral tradition is:

A) A sacred healing ceremony
B) The sun deity
C) The spider trickster whose stories carry moral teachings
D) A type of ceremonial song
Answer: C

8. The phrase for 'east' in Dakota:

A) Wazíyata
B) Itókaga
C) Wiyóhiŋyaŋpa
D) Wiyóhpeyata
Answer: C — Wiyóhiŋyaŋpa (where the sun comes from)

9. Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka means:

A) Sacred pipe
B) Great Mystery / Great Spirit
C) Seven Grandfather Teachings
D) All my relations
Answer: B

10. The Code of Indian Offenses (1883) is significant because:

A) It established tribal courts
B) It criminalized Native ceremonies, dances, and traditional healing practices
C) It guaranteed religious freedom
D) It returned stolen land
Answer: B

11. Wokiksuye means:

A) Treaty
B) Sovereignty
C) Remembrance / commemoration
D) Oral tradition
Answer: C (as in the Wokiksuye memorial ride)

12. The direction Wazíyata (north) is associated with:

A) New beginnings and dawn
B) Warmth and growth
C) The cold winds, wisdom, and rest
D) Reflection and endings
Answer: C

13. After the 1862 war, Dakota people who were not executed were:

A) Imprisoned at Fort Snelling then exiled to Crow Creek, South Dakota
B) Allowed to remain in Minnesota on reduced land
C) Relocated to Canada
D) Given U.S. citizenship
Answer: A

14. The moon čhaŋwápe-kasná-wi refers to:

A) The leaf-falling / harvest moon (October equivalent)
B) The planting moon
C) The berry moon
D) The ice-forming moon
Answer: A

15. Which statement best describes contemporary Dakota language revitalization?

A) Dakota is no longer spoken by anyone
B) Revitalization is unnecessary because English serves all needs
C) Dakota communities actively maintain immersion programs, master-apprentice partnerships, and language nests to pass the language to new generations
D) Revitalization is complete — everyone is fluent again
Answer: C

Part B — Fill in the Blank (30 points)

  1. All seven Dakota virtues include wačháŋtognaka (generosity), ohítika (bravery), and _______ (wisdom).
  2. The cardinal direction for west in Dakota: ___
  3. The Dakota trickster figure in oral tradition: ___
  4. "All my relations" in Dakota: ___
  5. The treaty that ceded most of southern Minnesota in 1851: Treaty of ___
  6. The number of Dakota men executed in Mankato on December 26, 1862: ___
  7. Wóoyake means: ___
  8. The four directions: East _______, West _______, North _______, South _______
  9. The Dakota word for "nation / people": ___
  10. "I will speak Dakota" using future -kte: Dakhotiyapi _______ kte.
Part B Answers
  1. ksapá | 17. Wiyóhpeyata | 18. Iktómi | 19. Mitákuye Oyásʼiŋ
  2. Traverse des Sioux | 21. 38 | 22. Story / oral narrative
  3. Wiyóhiŋyaŋpa | Wiyóhpeyata | Wazíyata | Itókaga | 24. Oyáte | 25. wičhóie eyá (or context-appropriate verb)

Part C — Translation (10 points)

Dakota → English (2 pts each):

  1. Wiyóhiŋyaŋpa etáŋhaŋ áŋpetu kiŋ hí.
  2. Makóčhe kiŋ uŋkítawapi.
  3. Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka ečhéčhel oyáte kiŋ wičhayuhapi.

English → Dakota (2 pts each):

  1. It is winter now. (Use: waníyetu, hčá/now)
  2. All my relations. (The core closing phrase)
Part C Answers
  1. The day / light comes from the east.
  2. The land is ours / belongs to us.
  3. Great Mystery holds / cares for the people in that way.
  4. Waníyetu hčá. (or: Waníyetu yélo/ye — it is winter)
  5. Mitákuye Oyásʼiŋ.

Part D — Short Writing (15 points)

Prompt: Write 5–7 Dakota sentences describing a season (wétȟo, blokétu, ptaŋyétu, or waníyetu). Include: the season name, at least one moon name for that season, a weather or nature observation, a traditional activity, and a future tense sentence. Provide English translations.

Scoring: 3 pts Dakota accuracy + 3 pts vocabulary range + 3 pts grammar (SOV, -kte) + 3 pts cultural content + 3 pts coherence

Part E — Extended Essay (15 points)

Choose ONE prompt. Write 10–15 sentences. Underline at least 8 Dakota words or phrases. Assessed on language accuracy AND historical/cultural depth.

Option A — Language and Worldview:
How does the Dakota language encode a different understanding of the world than English? Use examples from at least THREE chapters (e.g., SOV order, stative verbs, passive name construction, makóčhe as homeland, Mitákuye Oyásʼiŋ). What surprised you most, and what did it teach you about how language shapes thought?

Option B — The 1862 War and Its Aftermath:
Describe the events of 1862–1863 in Dakota history. What were the causes of the U.S.-Dakota War? What happened at Fort Snelling and Mankato? How does the language — particularly wokiksuye (remembrance) and Mitákuye Oyásʼiŋ (all my relations) — help us understand how Dakota people carry this history? What is the Wokiksuye memorial ride and why does it matter today?

Option C — Language Revitalization:
Why does Dakota language revitalization matter? Connect your answer to vocabulary from at least THREE chapters — including Mitákuye Oyásʼiŋ (Ch. 5), oral tradition and Wóoyake (Ch. 7), and Oyáte (Ch. 8). What role does language play in sovereignty, healing, and cultural continuity? What is one thing you will carry from this course?

ACTFL End-of-Year Proficiency Self-Assessment

Speaking

Description
☐ Novice Low I can say Háu/Haŋ, count to 10, give my name
☐ Novice Mid I can describe daily activities using SOV; use -kte and -šni
☐ Novice High I can talk about seasons, directions, values, and land; respond to simple questions
☐ Intermediate Low I can discuss treaty history, narrate a simple story, sustain a short conversation

Writing

Description
☐ Novice Low I can write isolated Dakota words and my name
☐ Novice Mid I can write short SOV sentences with future and negation
☐ Novice High I can write short paragraphs on seasons, values, land
☐ Intermediate Low I can write connected paragraphs; discuss history; use multiple tenses

Cultural Knowledge

Description
☐ Beginning I know basic greetings and the tiyóšpaye
☐ Developing I understand the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, SOV grammar, and stative verbs
☐ Proficient I can explain 1862, treaty rights, and language features in cultural context
☐ Advanced I can connect language, history, and sovereignty in depth using Dakota vocabulary

See also: ACTFL Proficiency Reference | Glossary