Voiding a sentence-transformation item that imports an English passive
A 2-mark grammar item in the Santali trial paper asks students to transform 'The hunter killed the deer in the forest' so that the sentence begins with 'The deer'. The item is printed in Santali, but the moderation meeting uses an English gloss. Script A writes the English passive: 'The deer was killed by the hunter in the forest.' Script B writes: 'The deer died by the hunter’s killing in the forest.' Script C writes: 'In the forest, the hunter killed the deer.' The marking scheme says: 'Accept any grammatical transformation that preserves meaning.' One teacher argues that Santali does not build passives with a 'by'-phrase the way Bengali or English does, so A should be rejected. Another says A is a correct English sentence and the item is effectively testing English. You must decide whether the item is valid, how to mark the three scripts, and what to tell the paper-setter.
1. Is the item valid? How would you mark A, B and C?
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The item is not valid as written. It asks for a passive-like transformation in a paper whose target language is Santali, but the prompt does not specify the Santali structure. If Santali expresses the equivalent with an active clause, an impersonal form, or a focus construction rather than an English-style passive, then A is not a Santali answer; it is an English answer. B is ungrammatical in English and not a recognised Santali pattern. C preserves meaning but fails the instruction to begin with 'The deer'.
Marking decision: do not award full marks to A simply because it is good English. Either (a) void the item and award 2 marks to all candidates, or (b) accept C as the only script that is grammatical and meaning-preserving, and award it 1/2 because it does not follow the opening constraint. A and B get 0. The safer whole-paper decision is to void, because the item tests the wrong language.
Message to the setter: name the target structure in the prompt and give one worked example.
2. Rewrite the item as a Santali grammar question that tests sentence transformation without importing a Bengali/English passive.
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Revised item: 'Begin the sentence with the location: "In the forest, the hunter killed the deer." Then say what has changed in emphasis.' (2 marks: 1 for the grammatical sentence, 1 for a correct statement that the forest is now foregrounded.)
This tests a real transformation-fronting a locative phrase-without requiring a passive. It also has a metalanguage component, so students must notice the effect, not just manipulate words. If the syllabus requires negative transformation, an alternative is: 'Make the sentence negative without changing the tense.' That is unambiguous and can be marked from a single correct form. Either version should be piloted with two Santali teachers before printing.
3. What rubric wording would prevent this dispute next year?
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Replace 'any grammatical transformation' with: 'Award 1 mark for a grammatical sentence in Santali that preserves the original meaning; award 1 mark only if the required opening element is present. Do not award marks for an English passive or for a Bengali calque. Accept the following patterns: [list two Santali patterns].' Add a note: 'If the target structure is not attested in the prescribed grammar, the item must be withdrawn at moderation.' This shifts the dispute from individual teacher preference to a checkable list, and it protects candidates from being penalised for a structure the paper never taught.