Skip to content

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

Covers: Chapters 5–8 primarily; cumulative review of Chapters 1–4
Total Points: 100
Time: 75 minutes
ACTFL Target: Novice Mid → Novice High (stretch: Intermediate Low)

Exam Format

  • Part A: Multiple Choice — 15 questions × 2 pts = 30 pts
  • Part B: Fill in the Blank — 10 items × 3 pts = 30 pts
  • Part C: Translation (Ojibwe → English + English → Ojibwe) — 5 items × 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. What does the suffix -win do in Ojibwe?

A) Marks animate plural
B) Indicates past tense
C) Turns a verb root into an abstract noun
D) Marks negation
Answer: C

2. Which of the Seven Grandfather Teachings means 'honesty'?

A) Nibwaakaawin
B) Zaagi'idiwin
C) Gwayakwaadiziwin
D) Debwewin
Answer: C

3. The Ojibwe moon Manoominike-giizis references:

A) Wild rice harvesting
B) Maple sugaring
C) Bear hibernation
D) First snowfall
Answer: A

4. Water (nibi), fire (ishkode), and wind (noodin) are all animate in Ojibwe. This reflects:

A) A grammatical error in the language
B) That these are dangerous and should be feared
C) An Anishinaabe worldview in which these are living beings with spirit and agency
D) That only natural forces are animate
Answer: C

5. What does Aabiding mean at the start of an Ojibwe story?

A) And then
B) Once / one time / once upon a time
C) The end
D) Long ago they say
Answer: B

6. Which treaty established the off-reservation hunting, fishing, and gathering rights still exercised by Ojibwe people today?

A) The 1837 Treaty
B) The 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie
C) The 1887 Dawes Act
D) The 1978 AIRFA
Answer: A

7. The locative suffix -ing converts a noun into:

A) A verb
B) A location ('in/at/on')
C) An abstract noun
D) A possessive
Answer: B

8. The Ojibwe word for 'sacred traditional story' (told only in winter) is:

A) Inaajimowin
B) Aadizookaan
C) Nagamowin
D) Ikidowin
Answer: B

9. Dabaadendiziwin means:

A) Courage
B) Wisdom
C) Humility
D) Love
Answer: C

10. Gichi-gami is the Ojibwe name for:

A) Lake Michigan
B) Lake Huron
C) Lake Superior
D) Lake Erie
Answer: C

11. The American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA) was passed in:

A) 1934
B) 1968
C) 1978
D) 1990
Answer: C

12. How do you say 'I will speak Ojibwe' in Ojibwe future tense?

A) Nigiigid Ojibwemowin
B) Anishinaabemowin inga-giigid
C) Gaawiin nigiigidossii
D) Ojibwemowin giigidowag
Answer: B

13. The Lac Courte Oreilles v. Voigt (1983) case affirmed which right?

A) Right to tribal colleges
B) Right to ceremonial peyote use
C) Ojibwe spearfishing and gathering rights under the 1837 Treaty
D) Right to vote in state elections
Answer: C

14. Weather events in Ojibwe are expressed as VII verbs because:

A) Weather phenomena are inanimate — they are processes, not animate agents
B) All natural events use VII
C) Weather verbs have no subject
D) VII is the simplest verb class
Answer: A

15. Which of the following best describes the Anishinaabe understanding of aki (land)?

A) Land as private property to be owned
B) Land as a national resource to be managed by government
C) Land as a living relative — animate, relational, not ownable
D) Land as the backdrop for human activity
Answer: C

Part B — Fill in the Blank (30 points)

  1. All seven Grandfather Teachings: __, __, __, __, __, __, ___

  2. The Ojibwe word for "it snows": ___

  3. "We live in a good way" in Ojibwe: Mino-bimaatisiiwin ___.

  4. The four sacred elements in Anishinaabe tradition: __, __, __, __

  5. The narrative opening word: ___; the narrative closing phrase: ___

  6. The Ojibwe word for "great sea" / Lake Superior: ___

  7. "This is Anishinaabe land" in Ojibwe: ___ omaa.

  8. The four cardinal directions in Ojibwe:
    East: ___ | West: ___ | North: ___ | South: ___

  9. "Let us help one another": ___

  10. "I will live / I will carry on" (future tense): ___

Part B Answers
  1. Nibwaakaawin, Zaagi'idiwin, Minaadendamowin, Aakode'ewin, Gwayakwaadiziwin, Dabaadendiziwin, Debwewin
  2. Zoogipon
  3. izhi-bimaadiziyaang
  4. Ishkode (fire), Nibi (water), Aki (earth), Noodin (wind)
  5. Opening: Aabiding | Closing: Mii i'iw (or Mii dash)
  6. Gichi-gami
  7. Anishinaabe-akiing
  8. East: waabanong | West: ningaabiianong | North: giiwedinong | South: zhaawanong
  9. Wiidookodaadimin
  10. Inga-bimaadiz

Part C — Translation (10 points)

Translate to English (items 26–28) or Ojibwe (items 29–30). 2 points each.

Ojibwe → English:

  1. Aabiding, inini bimaadizi ziibiing. Mii dash makwa bi-izhaa.

  2. Anishinaabe-akiing omaa. Ojibweg omaa bimaadiziwag noongom.

  3. Nibwaakaawin miinawaa dabaadendiziwin — mii go ezhi-anishinaabewiyang.

English → Ojibwe:

  1. It is snowing today. (Use: zoogipon, noongom)

  2. Thank you. I will speak Ojibwe. (Use: miigwech, inga-giigid, anishinaabemowin)

Part C Answers
  1. Once, a man lived by the river. And then a bear came.
  2. This is Anishinaabe land. Ojibwe people are still living here today.
  3. Wisdom and humility — that is how we are Anishinaabe.
  4. Zoogipon noongom.
  5. Miigwech. Anishinaabemowin inga-giigid.

Part D — Short Writing (15 points)

Prompt: Write 5–7 Ojibwe sentences describing a season (ziigwan, niibino, dagwaagin, or biboon). Include: the season name, at least one moon name for that season, weather vocabulary, one traditional activity, and a future tense sentence about what you will do. Provide English translations.

Scoring: 3 pts accuracy (Ojibwe) + 3 pts vocabulary range + 3 pts grammar (VAI, VII, future tense) + 3 pts cultural content + 3 pts coherence

Sample Answer

Dagwaagin bimaadizi. (It is fall/autumn.)
Manoominike-giizis noongom. (It is the Wild Rice Moon now.)
Gashkadino-giizis, mashkawaa. (In the Freezing Moon, it freezes.)
Nimanoominike. (I harvest wild rice.)
Miigwech manoomin — bimaadizid. (Thank you wild rice — living one.)
Inga-manoominike miinawaa dagwaagin. (I will harvest rice again next fall.)

Part E — Extended Essay (15 points)

Choose ONE prompt. Write 10–15 sentences. Include at least 8 Ojibwe words or phrases used correctly (underline them). Your essay will be assessed on both language accuracy and depth of cultural/historical understanding.

Option A — Language and Worldview:
How does the Ojibwe language encode a different understanding of the world than English? Use specific examples from at least THREE chapters (e.g., animacy, pronouns, -win suffix, verb types, color as verbs, place names). What has surprised you most about how Ojibwe works, and what has it taught you about how language shapes thought?

Option B — Land and Sovereignty:
Explain the relationship between Anishinaabe people and aki (land) as expressed through Ojibwe language, treaty rights, and the concept of animacy. Use vocabulary from Chapter 8 and at least two other chapters. How does understanding this relationship change how you see environmental issues like pipeline opposition, wild rice protection, or climate change?

Option C — Language Revitalization:
Ojibwe is a living language being actively revitalized. What does language revitalization mean, and why does it matter? Connect your answer to vocabulary from at least THREE chapters — including the Seven Teachings (Ch. 5), ceremony and story (Ch. 7), and the concept of mino-bimaatisiiwin (the good life). What is one thing you will carry from this course into your life?

ACTFL End-of-Year Proficiency Assessment

Rate yourself honestly. Circle or check the description that best fits your current ability.

Speaking

Description
☐ Novice Low I can say isolated words: Aaniin, Miigwech, numbers 1–10
☐ Novice Mid I can use memorized phrases in context; I can introduce myself, count, describe a noun's color
☐ Novice High I can produce short phrases spontaneously; I can respond to simple questions; I can describe my day
☐ Intermediate Low I can sustain a short conversation on familiar topics; I can tell a simple story; I have some past/future tense

Writing

Description
☐ Novice Low I can write isolated words and my name in Ojibwe
☐ Novice Mid I can write short sentences and lists with some errors
☐ Novice High I can write short paragraphs on familiar topics; meaning is clear despite errors
☐ Intermediate Low I can write connected paragraphs; I use past and future tense; I make some errors but communicate effectively

Cultural Knowledge

Description
☐ Beginning I know basic facts about Ojibwe culture (clans, greetings)
☐ Developing I understand animacy, the Seven Teachings, and the seasonal calendar
☐ Proficient I can connect Ojibwe language features to Anishinaabe worldview and history
☐ Advanced I can explain treaty rights, boarding school history, and language revitalization in depth, with Ojibwe vocabulary

Exam Score Interpretation

Score ACTFL Estimate Meaning
90–100 Novice High / approaching Int. Low Exceeded year-end target — excellent work
75–89 Solid Novice High Met year-end target
60–74 Novice Mid–High Good progress; some year-end gaps
Below 60 Novice Low–Mid Review recommended; core vocabulary and grammar gaps remain

See also: ACTFL Proficiency Reference | Glossary