STANDARDIZED TESTING _ Every educated person has at some point been touched—if not deeply affected— by a standardized test. For almost a century, schools, universities, businesses, and governments have looked to standardized measures for economical, reliable, and valid assessments of those who would enter, continue in, or exit their institutions Proponents of these large-scale instruments make strong claims for their usefulness when great numbers of people must be measured quickly and effectively. Those claims are well supported by reams of research data that Comprise construct vali- dations of their efficacy, And so we have become a world that abides by the re- | sults of standardized tests as if they were sacrosanct. The rush to carry out standardized testing in every walk of life has not gone unchecked. Some psychometricians have stood up in recent years to caution the public against reading too much into tests that require what may be a narrow band of specialized intelligence (Sternberg, 1997; Gardner, 2000; Kohn, 2000), Organizations such as the National Center for Fair and Open Testing (www.fairtest.org) have reminded us that standardization of assessment procedures creates an illusion of validity, Strong claims from the giants of the testing industry, they say, have pulled the collective wool over the public’s eyes and in the process have incorrectly mar- ginalized thousands, if not millions, of children and adults worldwide, These socio- economic issues in standardized testing are discussed in Chapter 5. Whichever side is “right”—and both sides have legitimate cases—it is impor- tant for teachers to understand the educational institutions they are working in,and an integral part of virtually all of those institutions is the use of standardized tests So it is important for you to understand what standardized tests are, what they are not, how to interpret them, and how to put them into a balanced perspective in which we strive to accurately assess all learners on all proposed objectives. We can learn a great deal about many learners and their competencies through standardized forms of assessment. But some of those learners and some of those objectives may not be adequately measured by a sit-down, timed, multiple-choice format that is likely to be decontextualized. ‘This chapter has two goals: to introduce the process of constructing, vall- dating, administering, and interpreting standardized tests of language; and tocHaerer 4 Siandardized Testing 67 acquaint you with a variety of current standardized tests that claim to test overall language proficiency. It should be clear from these goals that in this chapter we are not focusing cen- trally on classroom-based assessment, Don’t forget, however, that standardized tests affect all classrooms, and some of the practical steps that are involved in creating standardized tests are directly transferable to designing classroom tests. WHAT IS STANDARDIZATION? A standardized test presupposes certain standard objectives, or criteria, that are held constant across one form of the test to another. The criteria in large-scale standardized tests are designed to apply to a broad band of competencies that are usually not exclusive to one particular curriculum.A good standardized test is the product of a thorough process of empirical research and development. It dictates standard procedures for administration and scoring. And finally, it is typical of a norm-referenced test, the goal of which is to place testtakers on a continuum across asange of scores and to differentiate testtakers by their relative ranking. Most elementary and secondary schools in the United States have standardized achievement tests to measure children’s mastery of the standards or competencies that have been prescribed for specified grade levels. These tests vary by states, counties, and school districts, but they all share the common objective of econom- ical large-scale assessment, College entrance exams such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT®) are part of the educational experience of many high school seniors seeking further education. The Graduate Record Exam (GRE*) is a required stan- dardized test for entry into many graduate school programs. Tests like the Graduate ‘Management Admission ‘Test (GMAT) and the Law School Aptitude Test (LSAT) spe- cialize in particular disciplines. One genre of standardized test that you may already be familiar with is the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL"), produced by the Educational ‘Testing Service (ETS) in the United States and/or its British coun- terpart, the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), which features standardized tests in affiliation with the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES). They are all standardized because they specify a set of compe- tencies (or standards) for a given domain, and through a process of construct vali- dation they program a set of tasks that have been designed to measure those competencies, ‘Many people are under the incorrect impression that all standardized tests con- sist of items that have predetermined responses presented in a multiple-choice format. While it is true that many standardized tests conform to a multiple-choice format, by no means is multiple-choice a prerequisite characteristic. It so happens that a multiple-choice format provides the test producer with an “objective” means for determining correct and incorrect responses, and therefore is the preferred mode for large-scale tests. However, standards are equally involved in certain human- scored tests of oral production and writing, such as the ‘Test of Spoken English TSE") and the Test of Written English (TWE®), both produced by ETS.68 cHarten 4 Standardized Testing ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF STANDARDIZED TESTS Advantages of standardized testing include, foremost, a ready-made previously vali- dated product that frees the teacher from having to spend hours creating a test Administration to large groups can be accomplished within reasonable time limits In the case of multiple-choice formats, scoring procedures are streamlined (for either scannable computerized scoring or hand-scoring with a hole-punched grid’ for fast turnaround time. And, for better or for worse, there is often an air of face validity to such authoritative-looking instruments. Disadvantages center largely on the inappropriate use of such tests, for example, using an overall proficiency test as an achievement test simply because of the convenience of the standardization. A colleague told me about a course director who, after a frantic search for a last-minute placement rest, administered a multiple- choice grammar achievement test, even though the curriculum was mostly listening and speaking and involved few of the grammar points tested. This instrument had the appearance and face validity of a good test when in reality it had no content validity whatsoever. Another disadvantage is the potential misunderstanding of the difference between direct and indirect testing (see Chapter 2). Some standardized tests include tasks that do not directly specify performance in the target objective. For example. before 1996, the TOEFL included neither a written nor an oral production section. yet statistics showed a reasonably strong correspondence between performance on the TOEFL and a student's written and—to a lesser extent—oral production. The comprehension-based TOEFL could therefore be claimed to be an indirect test of production. A test of reading comprehension that proposes to measure ability to read extensively and that engages testtakers in reading only short one- or two- paragraph passages is an indirect measure of extensive reading. ‘Those who use standardized fests need to acknowledge both the advantages and limitations of indirect testing. In the pre-1996 TOEFL administrations, the expense of giving a direct test of production was considerably reduced by offering only comprehension performance and showing through construct validation the appropriateness of conclusions about a testtaker’s production competence Likewise, short reading passages are easier to administer, and if research validates the assumption that short reading passages indicate extensive reading ability, then the use of the shorter passages is justified. Yet the construct validation statistics that offer that support never offer a 100 percent probability of the relationship, leaving room for some possibility that the indirect test is not valid for its targeted use. ‘A more serious issue lies in the assumption (alluded to above) that standardized tests correctly assess all learners equally well. Welkestablished standardized tests usually demonstrate high correlations between performance on such tests and target objectives, but correlations are not sufficient to demonstrate unequivocally the acquisition of criterion objectives by ail testtakers, Here is a nomlanguage example. In the United States, some driver's license renewals require taking a paper- and-pencil multiple-choice test that covers signs, safe speeds and distances, laneCHAPTER Standardized Testing 69 changes, and other“rules of the road Correlational statistics show a strong relationship between high scores on those tests and good driving records, so people who do well on these tests are a safe bet to relicense, Now, an extremely high correlation (of per haps .80 or above) may be loosely interpreted to mean that a large majority of the dei- vers whose licenses are renewed by virtue of their having passed the little quiz are good behind-the-wheel drivers. What about those few who do not fit the model? That small minority of drivers could endanger the lives of the majority, and is that risk worth taking? Motor vehicle registration departments in the United States seem to think so, and thus avoid the high cost of behindthe-wheel driving tests Are you willing to rely on a standardized test result in the case of af the learners in your class? Of an applicant to your institution, or of a potential degree candidate exiting your program? These questions will be addressed more fully in Chapter 5, but for the moment, think carefully about what has come to be known as high-stakes testing, in which standardized tests have become the only criterion for inclusion or exclusion. The widespread acceptance, and sometime misuse, of this gate-keeping role of the testing industry has created a political, educational, and moral maelstrom. DEVELOPING A STANDARDIZED TEST While it is not likely that a classroom teacher, with 4 team of test designers and researchers, would be in a position to develop a brand-new standardized test of large-scale proportions, it isa virtual certainty that some day you will be in a posi- tion (a) to revise an existing test, (b) to adapt or expand an existing test, and/or (©) to create a smaller-scale standardized test for a program you are teaching in. And even if none of the above three cases should ever apply to you, it is of paramount importance to understand the process of the development of the standardized rests that have become ingrained in our educational institutions. How are standardized tests developed? Where do test tasks and items come from? How are they evaluated? Who selects items and their arrangement in a test? How do such items and tests achieve consequential validity? How are different forms of tests equated for difficulty level? Who sets norms and cut-off limits? Are security and confidentiality an issue? Are cultural and racial biases an issue in test development? All these questions typify those that you might pose in an attempt to understand the process of test development. In the steps outlined below, three different standardized tests will be used to exemplify the process of standardized test design: (A) The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), Educational ‘Testing Service (ETS), (B) The English as a Second Language Placement Test (ESLPT), San Francisco State University (SFSU), (© The Graduate Essay Test (GET), SFSU.0 Ee 70 cuarrers Standardized Testing ‘The first is a test of general language ability or proficiency. The second is a place ment test at a university. And the third is a gate-keeping essay test that all prospec- tive students must pass in order to take graduate-level courses. As we look at the steps, one by one, you will sce patterns that are consistent with those outlined is the previous two chapters for evaluating and developing a classroom test. 1. Determine the purpose and objectives of the test. Most standardized tests are expected to provide high practicality in administration and scoring without unduly compromising validity, The initial outlay of time and money for such a test is significant, but the test would be used repeatedly. It is therefore impor- tant for its purpose and objectives to be stated specifically, Let's look at the three tests. (A) The purpose of the TOEFL is “to evaluate the English proficiency of people whose native language is not English” (TOEFL Test and Score Maral, 2001, p. 9). More specifically, the TOEFL is designed to help institutions of higher learning make “valid decisions concerning English language proficiency in terms of [their] own requirements" (p. 9). Most colleges and universities in the United States use TORFL scores to admit or refuse international applicants for admission. Various cutoff scores apply, but most institutions require scores from 475 to 525 (paper-based) or from 150 to 195 (computer-based) in order to consider students for admission. The high-stakes, gate-keeping nature of the TOEFL is obvious. (B) The ESLPT, referred to in Chapter 3, is designed to place already admitted students at San Francisco State University in an appropriate course in academic writing, with the secondary goal of placing students into courses in oral production and grammarediting. While the test's primary purpose is to make placements, another desirable objective is to provide teachers with some diagnostic information about their students on the first day or (wo of class,"The ESLPT is locally designed by university faculty and staff. (© The GET, another test designed at SFSU, is given to prospective graduate students—both native and non-native speakers—in all disciplines to determine whether their writing ability is sufficient to permit them to enter graduate-level courses in their programs. It is offered at the beginning of each term, Students who fail or marginally pass the GET are technically incligible to take graduate courses in their field. Instead, they may elect to take a course in graduate-level writing of research papers. A pass in that course is equivalent to passing the GET. As you can see, the objectives of each of these tests are specific. The content of each test must be designed to accomplish those particular ends. This first stage of goal-setting might be seen as one in which the consequential validity of the test is fore- most in the mind of the developer: each test has a specific gate-keeping function to perform; therefore the criteria for entering those gates must be specified accurately. 2. Design test specifications. ‘Now comes the hard part. Decisions need to be made on how to go about structur- ing the specifications of the test. Before specs can be addressed, a comprehensive Eeecuarrer4 Standardized Testing 71 program of research must identify a set of constructs underlying the test itself. This stage of laying the foundation stones can occupy weeks, months, or even years of effort. Standardized tests that don’t work are often the product of shortsighted con- struct validation, Let's look at the three tests again, (A) Construct validation for the TOEFL is carried out by the TOEFL staff at ETS under the guidance of a Policy Council that works with a Committee of Examiners that is composed of appointed external university faculty, linguists, and assessment specialists. Dozens of employees are involved in a complex process of reviewing cur- rent TOEFL specifications, commissioning and developing test tasks and items, assem- bling forms of the test, and performing ongoing exploratory research related to formulating new specs. Reducing such a complex process to a set of simple steps runs the risk of gross overgeneralization, but here is an idea of how a TOEFL is created. Because the TOEFL is a proficiency test, the first step in the developmental process is to define the construct of language proficiency. First, it should be made clear that many assessment specialists such as Bachman (1990) and Palmer G@achman & Palmer, 1996) prefer the term ability w proficiency and thus speak of language ability as the overarching concept. The latter phrase is more consistent, they argue, with our understanding that the specific components of language ability must be assessed. separately. Others, such as the American Council on Teaching Foreign Languages (ACTFL), still prefer the term proficiency because it connotes more of a holistic, unitary trait view of language ability (Lowe, 1988). Most current views accept the ability argument and therefore strive to specify and assess the many components of language. For the purposes of consistency in this book, the term proficiency will nevertheless be retained, with the above caveat. How you view language will make a difference in how you assess linguage pro- ficiency: After breaking language competence down into subsets of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, each performance mode can be examined on a con- tinuum of linguistic units: phonology (pronunciation) and orthography (spelling), words (lexicon), sentences (grammar), discourse, and pragmatic (sociolinguistic, contextual, functional, cultural) features of language How will the TOEFL sample from all these possibilities? Oral production tests can be tests of overall conversational fluency or pronunciation of a particular subset of phonology, and can take the form of imitation, structured responses, or free responses. Listening comprehension tests can concentrate on a particular feature of language or on overall listening for general meaning. Tests of reading can cover the range of language units and can aim to test comprehension of long or short pas- sages, single sentences, or even phrases and words. Writing tests can take on an open-ended form with free composition, or be structured to elicit anything from correct spelling to discourse-level competence. Are you overwhelmed yet? From the sea of potential performance modes that could be sampled in a test, the developer must select a subset on some systematic basis. To make a very long story short (and leaving out numerous controversies), the TOEFL had for many years included three types of performance in its organizational specifications: listening, struc- ture, and reading, all of which tested comprehension through standard multiple-choice72 carrer 4 Standardized Testing tasks. In 1996 a major step was taken to include written production in the computer- based TOEFL by adding a slightly modified version of the already existing Test of Written English (TWE). In doing so, some face validity and content validity were improved along with, of course, significant increase in administrative expense! Each of these four major sections is capsulized in the box below (adapted from the descrip- tion of the current computerbased TOEFL at www.toeflorg), Such descriptions are not, strictly speaking, specifications, which are kept confidential by ETS. Nevertheless, they can give a sense of many of the constraints that are placed on the design of actual | TOEFL specifications, | TOEFL® specifications Listening Section. The listening section measures the examinee’s ability to understand English as itis spoken in North America, Conversational features of the language are stressed, and the skills tested include vacabulary and idiomatic expression as well as spe- cial grammatical constructions that are frequently used in spoken English. The stimulus material and questions are recorded in standard North American English. The listening section includes various stimuli, such as dialogues, short conversations, academic discussions, and mini-lectures, and poses questions that test comprehension of ‘main ideas, the order of a process, supporting ideas, important details, and inierences, as well as the ability to categorize topics/objects The test developers have taken advantage of the multimedia capability of the computer by using photos and graphics to create context and support the content of the lectures, producing stimuli that more closely approximate “real-world” situations in which people do more than just listen to voices. The listening stimuli are often accompa nied by either context-setting or content-based visuals, All dialogues, conversations, aca~ demic discussions, and mini-lectures include context visuals fo establish the setting and role of the speakers. Content-based visuals are often used to complement the topics of the mini-lectures, } Structure Section. The structure section measures an examinee’s ability to recognize language that is appropriate for standard written English. The language tested is formal | rather than conversational. The topics of the sentences are associated with general acade- mic discourse so that individuals in specific fields of study or from specific national or linguistic groups have no particular advantage. ‘Two types of questions are used: questions in which examinees must (1) complete an incomplete sentence using one of four answers provided and (2) identify one of four un= derlined words or phrases that would not be accepted in English. The two question types are mixed randomly rather than being separated into two subsections as in the paper | based TOEFL test. Reading Section. The reading section measures the ability to read and understand short passages similar in topic and style to academic texts used in North American col- leges and universities. Examinees read a variety of short passages on academic subjects and answer several questions about each passage. Test items refer to what is stated or im- plied in the passage, as well as to words used in the passage. To avoid creating an advan- tage for individuals in any one field of study, sufficient context is provided so that no specific familiarity with the subject matter is required to answer the questions.CHAPTER 4 Standardized Testing 73 The reading section consists of four to five passages of 250-350 words, with 10-14 questions per passage, This section is not computer-adaptive, so examinees can skip questions and return to previous questions. The questions in this section assess the com- prehension of main ideas, inferences, factual information stated in a passage, pronoun referents, and vocabulary (direct meaning, synonym, antonym). In all cases, the questions can be answered by reading and understanding the passages. This section consists of (1) traditional multiple-choice questions, (2) questions that require examinees to click on a word, phrase, sentence, or paragraph to answer, and (3) questions that ask examinees to “insert a sentence” where it fits best Writing Section. The writing section measures the ability to write in English, including the ability to generate, organize, and develop ideas, to support those ideas with examples or evidence, and to compase a response to one assigned topic in standard written En- glish. Because some examinees may not be accustomed to composing an essay on com puter, they are given the choice of handwriting or typing the essay in the 30-minute time limit. The rating scale for scoring the essay, ranging from 0 to 6, is virtually the same as that of the Test of Written English [see Chapter 9 of this book]. A score of 0 is given to. papers that are blank, simply copy the topic, are written in a language other than English, consist only of random keystroke characters, or are written on a topic different from the one assigned. Each essay Is rated independently by two trained, certified readers. Neither reader knows the rating assigned by the other. An essay will receive the average of the two rat- ings unless there is a discrepancy of more than one paint: in that case, a third reader will independently rate the essay. The essay rating is incorporated into the Structure/Writing, scaled score, and constitutes approximately 50 percent of that combined score, (B) The designing of the test specs for the ESLPT was a somewhat simpler task because the purpose is placement and the construct validation of the test consisted of an examination of the content of the ESL courses, In fact, in a recent revision of the ESLPT (imao et al., 2000; Imao, 2001), content validity (coupled with its atten- dant face validity) was the central theoretical issue to be considered, The major issue centered on designing practical and reliable tasks and item response formats, Having established the importance of designing ESLPT tasks that simulated classroom tasks used in the courses, the designers ultimately specified two writing production tasks (one a response to an essay that students read, and the other a summary of another essay) and one multiple-choice grammar-editing task.These specifications mirrored the reading-based, process writing approach used in the courses. (© Specifications for the GET arose out of the perceived need to provide a threshold of acceptable writing ability for all prospective graduate students at SFSU, both native and non-native speakers of English. The specifications for the GET are the skills of writing grammatically and rhetorically acceptable prose on a topic of some interest, with clearly produced organization of ideas and logical development. The GET is a direct test of writing ability in which testtakers must, in a two-hour time period, write an essay on a given topic.74 caren 4 Standardized Testing Design, select, and arrange test tasks/items. Once specifications for a standardized test have been stipulated, the sometimes never-ending task of designing, selecting, and arranging items begins. The specs act much like a blueprint in determining the number and types of items to be created Let's look at the three examples (A) TOEFL test design specifies that each item be coded for content and statis tical characteristics. Content coding ensures that each examinee will receive test questions that assess a variety of skills (reading, comprehending the main idea, or understanding inferences) and cover a variety of subject matter without unduly biasing the content toward a subset of test-takers (for example, in the listening se: tion involving an academic lecture, the content must be universal enough for stu- dents from many different academic fields of study). Statistical characteristics, including the IRT equivalents of estimates of item facility (IF) and the ability of an item to discriminate (ID) between higher or lower ability levels, are also coded. Items are then designed by a team who select and adapt items solicited from a bank of items that have been “deposited” by freelance writers and ETS staff. Probes for the reading section, for example, are usually excerpts from authentic general or academic reading that are edited for linguistic difficulty, culture bias, or other topic biases, Items are designed to test overall comprehension, certain specific informa- tion, and inference. Consider the following sample of a reading selection and ten items based on it, from a practice TOEFL (Phillips, 2001, pp.423-424); For hundreds of years in the eatly history of America, pirates sailed through coastal wa- ters, pillaging and plundering all in their path. They stole from other ships and stole from coastal towns; not content only to steal, they destroyed everything they could not carry away. Some of the pirate ships amassed large treasures, the fates of which are unknown, leaving people of today to wonder at their whereabouts and to dream of one day coming across some lost treasure One notoriously large treasure was on the pirate ship Whidah, which sank in the wa- ters off Cape Cod during a strong storm in 1717. A hundred of the crew members went down with the ship, along with its treasure of coins, gold, silver, andl jewels, The treasure on board had an estimated value, on today’s market, of more than 100 million dollars. The remains of the Whidah were discovered in 1984 by Barry Clifford, who had spent years of painstaking research and tireless searching, only finally to locate the ship about 500 yards from shore. A considerable amount of treasure from the centuries-old ship has been recovered from its watery grave, but there is clearly still 2 lot more out there. Just as a reminder of what the waters off the coast have been protecting for hundreds of years, ‘occasional pieces of gold, or silver, or jewels still wash up on the beaches, and lucky beach-goers find pieces of the treasure. 11, The passage mainly discusses (A) early pirates (B) a large pirate treasure12. 13, 4, 15, 16. 17. 18, 19. 20. CHAPTER 4 Standardized Testing (©) what really happened to the Whidabrs pirates {D) why people go to the beach Itis NOT mentioned in the passage that pirates did which of the following? (A) They killed lots of people. (B) They robbed other ships. (©) They took things from towns. (D) They gathered big treasures. ‘The word “amassed” in [ine 4 is closest in meaning to (A) sold (C) transported (B) hid (D) gathered Its implied in the passage that the Whidah’s crew (A) died (B) went diving (C) searched for the treasure (D) escaped with parts of the treasure Which of the following is NOT mentioned as part of the treasure of the Whidah? (A) Artobjects (8) Coins (© Gold and silver (D) Jewels The word “estimated” in line 10 is closest in meaning to which of the following? (A) Known (© Approximate (8) Sold (D) Decided “The passage indicates that the cargo of the Whidah is worth about (A) $100,000 (B) $1,000,000 (C) $10,000,000 (D) $100,000,000 ‘The work that Barry Clifford did to locate the Whidah was NOT (A) successful (B) effortless ( detailed (D) lengthy Itis mentioned in the passage that the treasure of the Whidah (A) Is not very valuable (8) is all jn museums (© has not all been found (D) was taken to share by the pirates The paragraph following the passage most likely discusses (A) what Barry Clifford is doing today (B) the fate of the Whidah’s crew (© other storms in the area of Cape Cod (D) additional pieces that tum up from the Whidaly’s treasure 7576 cruwre 4 Standardized Testing As you can see, items target the assessment of comprehension of the main idea (item #11), stated details (#17, 19), unstated details (#12, 15, 18), implied details (#14, 20), and vocabulary in context (#13, 16).An argument could be made about the cultural schemata implied in a passage about pirate ships, and you could engage in an “angels on the head of a pin’ argument about the importance of picking cer- tain vocabulary for emphasis, but eyery test item is a sample of a larger domain, and each of these fulfills its designated specification, Before any such items are released into a form of the TOEFL (or any validated standardized test), they are piloted and scientifically selected to meet difficulty spec- ifications within each subsection, section, and the test overall. Furthermore, those items are also selected to meet a desired discrimination index. Both of these indices are important considerations in the design of a computer-adaptive test, where per- formance on one item determines the next one to be presented to the testtaker. (See Chapter 3 for a complete treatment of multiple-choice item design.) (ByThe selection of items in the ESLPT entailed two entirely different processes In the two subsections of the test that elicit writing performance (summary of reading; response to reading), the main hurdles were (a) selecting appropriate pas- sages for testtakers to read, (b) providing appropriate prompts, and (c) processing data from pilot testing. Passages have to conform to standards of content validity by being within the genre and the difficulty of the material used in the courses. The prompt in each case (the section asking for a summary and the section asking for a response) has to be tailored to fit the passage, but a general template is used, In the multiple-choice editing test that seeks to test grammar proofreading ability, the first and easier task is to choose an appropriate essay within which to embed errors. The more complicated task is to embed a specified number of errors from a previously determined taxonomy of error categories. Those error categories came directly from student errors as perceived by their teachers (verb tenses, verb agree- ment, logical connectors, articles, etc.). The distractors for each item were selected from actual errors that students make. Items in pilot versions were then coded for dif- ficulty and discrimination indices, after which final assembly of items could occur. (©) The GET prompts are designed by a faculty committee of examiners who are specialists in the field of university academic writing. The assumption is made that the topics are universally appealing and capable of yielding the intended product of an essay that requires an organized logical argument and conclusion. No pilot testing of prompts is conducted. The conditions for administration remain constant: two-hour time limit, sitdown context, paper and pencil, closed-book format. Consider the following recent prompt: Graduate Essay Test, sample prompt In the Middletown Elementary Schoo! District, the assistant superintendent has just been made superintendent in another district, Her resignation leaves vacant the district’ only administrative position ever held by a woman. The School Board, in response to strongCHAPTER 4 Standardized Testing 77 arguments from the Teachers’ Association, has urged that a woman be hired to replace her, Asa member of the hiring committee, you must help choose her successor. Only one woman applicant meets the written qualifications for the job; the two top male applicants are both more experienced than she. The hiring committee has asked each committee member to prepare a written statement to distribute before meeting together to discuss the issue. Write a report that represents your position, making it as logical and persuasive as possible. Some facts you may wish to draw on: 1, Women make up more than 75 percent of classroom teachers, but hold fewer than 10 percent of administrative positions in education. Administrators’ salaries average 30 percent more than teachers’ salaries. 2, The local Teachers’ Association is 89 percent women, mostly under 40. In a heated debate on television, a member of the National Organization of Women (NOW) and the chair of the Teachers’ Association threatened, if a man is hired, to bring a class-action suit against the district on behalf of all women teachers who cannot expect advancement because of discriminatory hiring practices. 3, The local Lions Club, which contributes heavily to schoo! sports, says hiring the Jess experienced woman would not be in the best interests of the school, the children, or the teachers The finalists for the position: 1. Carole Gates. Classroom teacher, 10 years; “Teacher of the Year,” 1985; supervisor of practice teachers at Teacher's College: former president of Teachers’ Association; Administrative Credential, 1984; Ed.D. degree, 1986; assistant principal of Hoptown Elementary School, 2 years. “Spud” Stonewall. Principal of Middletown Elementary, 15 years: Ph.D. in educational administration; State Board of Education Committee for Improving Elementary Schoo! Curriculum, 1982-present 3, Jim Henderson. School Administrator, 22 years, grades K-9; supports innovation in education; “Fair Bargaining” Award, 1981; former coach for winning collegiate basketball team, 10 years. ' | b & It is clear from such a prompt that the problem the test-takers must address is complex, that there is suflicient information here for writing an essay, and that test- takers will be reasonably challenged to write a clear statement of opinion. What also emerges from this prompt (and virtually any prompt that one might propose) is the potential cultural effect on the numerous international students who must take the GET. Is it possible that such students, who are not familiar with school systems in the United States, with hiring procedures, and perhaps with the “politics” of school board elections, might be at a disadvantage in mounting their arguments within a two-hour time frame? Some (such as Hosoya, 2001) have strongly claimed such a bias.78 CHAPIN Standardized Testing 4, Make appropriate evaluations of different kinds of items. In Chapter 3 the concepts of item facility (IF), item discrimination (ID), and dis } tractor analysis were introduced. As the discussion there showed, such calculations provide useful information for classroom tests, but sometimes the time and effort involved in performing them may not be practical, especially if the classroom-based test is. a one-time test. Yet for a standardized multiple-choice test that is designed to be marketed commercially, and/or administered a number of times, and/or adminis tered in a different form, these indices are a must. For other types of response formats, namely, production responses, different forms of evaluation become important. The principles of practicality and reliability are prominent, along with the concept of facility. Practicality issues in such items include the clarity of directions, timing of the test, ease of administration, and how much time is required to score responses. Reliability is a major player in instances where more than one scorer is employed, and to a lesser extent when a single scorer has to evaluate tests over long spans of time that could lead to deterioration of stan dards, Facility is also a key to the validity and success of an item type: unclear direc- tions, complex language, obscure topics, fuzzy data, and culturally biased information may all lead to a higher level of difficulty than one desires. (A) The If ID, and efficiency statistics of the multiple-choice items of current forms of the TOEFL are not publicly available information, For reasons of security and protection of patented, copyrighted materials, they must remain behind the closed doors of the ETS development staff. Those statistics remain of paramoun) importance in the ongoing production of TOEFL items and forms and are the foun dation stones for demonstrating the equatability of forms. Statistical indices or retired forms of the TOEPL are available on request for research purposes. ‘The essay portion of the TOEFL undergoes scrutiny for its practicality, reliability and facility. Special attention is given to reliability since two human scorers mus read cach essay, and every time a third reader becomes necessary (when the twe readers disagree by more than one poinn), it costs ETS more money. (B) In the case of the open-ended responses on the two written tasks on the ESLPT, a similar set of judgments must be made. Some evaluative impressions of the effectiveness of prompts and passages are gained from informal student and score feedback. In the developmental stage of the newly revised ESLPT, both types of feed back were formally solicited through questionnaires and interviews. That informa tion proved to be invaluable in the revision of prompts and stimulus reading passages. After each administration now, the teacherscorers provide informal feed back on their perceptions of the effectiveness of the prompts and readings. ‘The multiple-choice editing passage showed the value of statistical findings i determining the usefulness of items and pointing administrators toward revisions Following is a sample of the format used:lik _Jii, soi tia i ili i mma cuaeren 4 Standardized Testing 79 Multiple-choice editing passage (1) Ever since supermarkets first appeared, they have been lake over the world, A B c D (2) Supermarkets have changed people's life stvles, yet and at the same time, changes in A B Cc people's Ilfe styles have encouraged the opening of supermarkets. Bo The task was to locate the error in cach sentence. Statistical tests on the experi- mental version of this section revealed that a number of the 45 items were found to be of zero IF (no difficulty whatsoever) and of inconsequential discrimination power (some IDs of ,15 and lower). Many distractors were of no consequence because they Iured no one. Such information led to a revision of numerous items and their options, eventually strengthening the effectiveness of this section. (© The GET like its written counterparts in the ESLPT,is a test of written ability with a single prompt, and therefore questions of practicality and facility are also largely observational, No data are collected from students on their perceptions, but the scorers have an opportunity to reflect on the validity of a given topic. After ‘one sitting, a topic is retired, which eliminates the possibility of improving a specific topic, but future framing of topics might benefit from scorers’ evaluations. Inter-rater reliability is checked periodically, and reader training sessions are modified if too many instances of unreliability appear 5. Specify scoring procedures and reporting formats. A systematic assembly of test items in pre-selected arrangements and sequences, all of which are validated to conform to an expected difficulty level, should yield a test that can then be scored accurately and reported back to test-takers and institutions efficiently, (A) Of the three tests being exemplified here, the most straightforward scoring procedure comes from the TOEFL, the one with the most complex issues of valida- tion, design, and assembly. Scores are calculated and reported for (a) three sections of the TOEFL (the essay ratings are combined with the Structure and Written Expression score) and (b) a total score (range 40 to 300 on the computer-based ‘TOEFL and 310 to 677 on the paper-and-pencil TOEFL), A separate score (c) for the Essay (range 0 to 6) is also provided on the examinee’s score record (see simulation of a score record on page 80).80) Gumie + Standardized Testing Facsimile of a TOEFL” score report TOEFL Scaled Scores: Claudia Y. Estudiante, Peru 19 v7 7 177 Listening Structure / Writing Reading Total Score Essay rating: 3.0 ‘The rating scale for the essay is virtually the same one that is used for the Test o Written English (see Chapter 9 for details), with a*zero” level added for no response copying the topic only, writing completely off topic, or not writing in English. ®) The ESLPT reports a score for each of the essay sections, but the rating scale differs between them because in one case the objective is to write a summary, and in the other to write a response to a reading. Each essay is read by two readers; if there is a discrepancy of more than one level, third reader resolves the difference.The editing section is machinescanned and-scored with a total score and with part-scores for each of the grammatical/rhetorical sections, From these data, placement administrators have adequate information to make placements, and teachers receive some diagnostic infor mation on each student in their classes. Students do not receive their essays back. (© Each GET is read by two trained readers, who give a score between 1 anc 4 according to the following scale: Graduate Essay Test: Scoring Guide Please make no marks on the writer’s work. Write your reader number and score on the front cover of each test booklet. 4 Superior. The opening establishes context, purpose and point of view; the body of the essay develops recommendations logically and coherently. The writer demon- strates awareness of the complexities in the situation and provides analysis of the problem, offers compelling or common-sense reasons for recommendations made, makes underlying assumptions explicit. The writer uses fluent and idiomatic English with few mechanical errors. Style re- veals syntactic maturity, is clear and direct, is not choppy or over-calloquial nor over-formal, stuify or unfocused. Occasional spelling or punctuation errors may be easily attributed to hasty transcription under pressure Competent. Ajter an opening that establishes context and purpose, the paper unfolds with few lapses in coherence, but may have somewhat less clear organization of less explicit transitions than a top-score paper. It may have somewhat less compelling logic or slightly less-well-reasoned suggestions than a 4 paper, though it will provide reasons for the recommendations made. The writer uses clear, fluent and generally idiomatic English, but may make minor or infrequent ESL errors (preposition errors, dropped articles or verb endings, etc), or repeat.a single error (eg, not punctuate possessive nouns), Occasional lapses of style ate offset by demonstrated mastery of syntax.CHAPTER 4 Standardized Testing 81 2 Weak. The writer makes somewhat simplistic suggestions not fully supported with rea- sons, fails to cite key facts, offers little analysis of the problem or shows a limited grasp of the situation; the given information is copied or listed, with little integration into argument. Points may be random or repetitious. Writing may be badly focused, with careless use of abstract language resulting in predication errors or illogical sentences, ESL and/or careless mechanical errors are frequent enough to be distracting OR sentences may be choppy, style over-casual, usage occasionally unidiomatic. 1 Inadequate, The essay may be disjointed, incoherent, oF minimally developed. The writer shows little grasp of the complex issues involved, is unable to establish con- text, point of view or purpose in opening of paper, or has a poor sense of audience. Mechanical and/or ESL errors or unidiomatic usages are frequent: sentences may be ungrammatical OR correct but short and very simple. The two readers’ scores are added to yield a total possible score of 2 to 8.Test administrators recommend a score of 6 as the threshold for allowing a student to pursue graduatelevel courses. Anything below that is accompanied by a recom- mendation that the student either repeat the test or take a “remedial” course in grad- uate writing offered in one of several different departments, Students receive neither their essays nor any feedback other than the final score. 6. Perform ongoing construct validation studies. From the above discussion, it should be clear that no standardized instrument is expected to be used repeatedly without a rigorous program of ongoing construct validation. Any standardized test, once developed, must be accompanied by sys- tematic periodic corroboration of its effectiveness and by steps toward its improve- ment. This rigor is especially true of tests that are produced in equated forms; that is, forms must be reliable across tests such that 2 score on a subsequent form of a test has the same validity and interpretability as its original. (A) The TOEFL program, in cooperation with other tests produced by EI impressive program of research, Over the years dozens of TOEFL-sponsored research studies have appeared in the TOEFL Monograph Series, An carly example of such a study was the seminal Duran et al. (1985) study, TOEFL from a Communicative Viewpoint on Language Proficiency, which examined the content characteristics of the TOEFL from a communicative perspective based on current research in applied linguistics and lan- guage proficiency assessment. More recent studies (such as Ginther, 2001; Leacock & Chodorow; 2001; Powers et al,, 2002) demonstrate an impressive array of scrutiny. (B) For approximately 20 years, the ESLPT appeared to be placing students reli- ably by means of an essay and a multiple-choice grammar and vocabulary test. Over the years the security of the latter became suspect, and the faculty administrators wished to see some content validity achieved in the process. In the year 2000 that process began with a group of graduate students (Imao ct al., 2000) in consultation with faculty members, and continued to fruition in the form of a new ESLPT, reported in Imao (2002). The development of the new ESLPT involved a lengthy process of82 cHarren 4 Standardized Testinyy both content and construct validation, along with facing such practical issues as scoring the written sections and a machine-scorable multiple-choice answer sheet ‘The process of ongoing validation will no doubt continue as new forms of the editing section are created and as new prompts and reading passages are created for the writing section. Such a validation process should also include consistent checks on placement accuracy and on face validity. (CO At this time there is little or no research to validate the GET itself, For its con- struct validation, its administrators rely on a stockpile of research on university-level academic writing tests such as the TWE. The holistic scoring rubric and the topics and administrative conditions of the GET are to some extent patterned after that of the TWE. In recent years some criticism of the GET has come from international testtakers (Hosoya, 2001) who posit that the topics and time limits of the GET, among other fac- tors, work to the disadvantage of writers whose native language is not English. These validity issues remain to be fully addressed in a comprehensive research study. STANDARDIZED LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TESTING Tests of language proficiency presuppose a comprehensive definition of the specitic competencies that comprise overall language ability. The specifications for the ‘TOEFL provided an illustration of an operational definition of ability for assessment purposes. This is not the only way to conceptualize the concept. Swain (1990) offered a multidimensional view of proficiency assessment by referring to three lin- guistic traits (grammar, discourse, and sociolinguistics) that can be assessed. by means of oral, multiple-choice, and written responses (see Table 4.1). Swain’s con- ception was not meant to be an exhaustive analysis of ability, but rather to serve as an operational framework for constructing proficiency assessments, ‘Another definition and conceptualization of proficiency is suggested by the ACTEL association, mentioned earlier. ACTFL takes a holistic and more unitary view of proficiency in describing four levels: superior, advanced, intermediate, and novice. Within each level, descriptions of listening, speaking, reading,and writing are provided as guidelines for assessment. For example, the ACTEL Guidelines describe the superior level of speaking as follow ACTEL speaking guidelines, summary, superior-level Superior-level speakers are characterized by the ability to + participate fully and effectively in conversations in formal and informal settings an topics related to practical needs and areas of professional and/or scholarly interests. * provide a structured argument to explain and defend opinions and develop effective hypotheses within extended discourse. discuss topics concretely and abstractly. deal with a linguistically unfamiliar situation. maintain a high degree of linguistic accuracy, satisfy the linguistic demands of professional and/or scholarly lifeCHAPTER 4 Standardized Testing 83 ‘The other three ACTFL levels use the same parameters in describing progressively lower proficiencies across all four skills. Such taxonomies have the advantage of considering a number of functions of linguistic discourse, but the disadvantage, at the lower levels, of overly emphasizing test-takers’ deficiencies. Table 4.1. Traits of second language proficiency (Swain, 1990, p. 403) Trait Grammar Discourse Sociolinguistic focus on grammatical focus on textual focus on social accuracy within cohesion and appropriateness of sentences coherence language use Method Oral structured interview story telling and role-play of speech acts: argumentatiorypersuasion requests, offers, complaints scored for accuracy of detailed rating for scored for ability to verbal morphology, identification, logical distinguish formal and prepositions, syntax sequence, and time informal register orientation, and global ratings for coherence Multiple semtence-level ‘select the _paragraph-level ‘select the speech act-level ‘select the choice correct form’ exercise coherent sentence’ exercise appropriate utterance’ exercise (45 items) (29 items) (28 ites) involving ver morphology, prepositions, and ather items Written narrative and letter of narrative and letter of formal request letter and composition persuasion persuasion informal note scored for accuracy of verb ‘morphology, prepositions, syntax detalled ratings much as for oral discourse and global rating for coherence scored (or the ability to distinguish formal and informal register FOUR STANDARDIZED LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TESTS We now turn to some of the better-known standardized tests of overall language ability, or proficiency, to examine some of the typical formats used in commercially available tests. We will not look at standardized tests of other specific skills here, but that should not lead you to think, by any means, that proficiency is the only kind of test in the field that is standardized.‘Three standardized oral production tests, the84 cuarren 4 Standardized Testing ‘Test of Spoken English (TSE), the Oral Proficiency Inventory (OPD, and PhonePass® are discussed in Chapter 7, and the Test of Written English CIWE) is covered in Chapter 8. Four commercially produced standardized tests of English language proficiency are described briefly in this section: the TOEFL, the Michigan English Language Assessment Buttery (MELAB), the International English Language ‘Testing System CELTS), and the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC®). In an appendix to this chapter are sample items from each section of each test. When you turn to that appendix, use the following questions to help you evaluate these four tests and their subsections: 1. What item types are included? 2, How practical and reliable does each subsection of each test appear to be? 3. Do the item types and tasks appropriately represent a conceptualization of language proficiency (ability)? That is, can you evaluate their construct validity? 4. Do the tasks achieve face validity? 5. Are the tasks authentic? 6. Is there some washback potential in the tasks? Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL®) Producer: Educational Testing Service (ETS) Objective: To test overall proficiency (language ability) Primary market: Almost exclusively U.S, universities and colleges for admission purposes Type: Computer-based (CB) (and two sections are computer-adaptive), A traditional paper-based (PB) version is also available. Response modes: Multiple-choice responses; essay Specifications: See the box on pp. 72-73 Time allocation: Up to 4 hours (CB); 3 hours (PB) Internet access: www.toefl.org, Comments: In the North American context, the TOEFL is the most widely used com- mercially available standardized test of proficiency. Each year the TOEFL test is adminis- tered to approximately 800,000 candidates in more than 200 countries. Its highly respected because af the thorough program of ongoing research and development con- ducted by ETS. The TOFFI’s primary use is to set proficiency standards for international students seeking admission to English-speaking universities. More than 4,200 academic tutions, government agencies, scholarship programs, and licensing/certification agen- s in more than 80 countries use TOEFL scores. By 2004, the TOEFL will include a sec tion an oral production.cuAeTHR 4 Standardized Testing 85 Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) Producer: English Language Institute, University of Michigan Objective: To test overall proficiency (language ability) Primary market: Mostly U.S. and Canadian language programs and colleges; some worldwide educational settings as well Type: Paper-based Response modes: Multiple-choice responses; essay Time allocation: 2.5 to 3.5 hours Internet access: www. lsa.umich.edu/eli/melab.htm Specifications: The MELAB consists of three sections, Part 1, a 30-minute impromptu essay, is written on an assigned topic. Part 2, a 25-minute multiple-choice listening com- prehension test, is delivered via tape recorder. Part 3 isa 100-item, 75-minute, multiple- choice test containing grammar, cloze reading, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. ‘An oral interview (speaking test) is optional. ‘Comments: The EL! at the University of Michigan has been producing the MELAB and its earlier incarnation (Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency) since 1961. Like the TOFFL, it serves a North American audience but is also used intemationally. While its use is not as widespread as the TOEFL, its validity is widely respected, Because itis cheaper than the TOEFL and more easily obtained, it is popular among language schools and institutes. Many institutions and companies accept MELAB scores in lieu of TOEFL scores, International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Producer: Jointly managed by The University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (CLES), The British Council, and IDP Education Australia Objective: To test overall proficiency (language ability) Primary market: Australian, British, Canadian, and New Zealand academic institutions and professional organizations. American academic institutions are increasingly accepting IELTS for admissions purposes. ‘Computer-based (for the Reading and Writing sections); paper- hased for the Listening and Speaking modules ‘Multiple-choice responses: essay; oral production 2 hours, 45 minutes http://www.ielts.org/ http://www.ucles.org.uk http://www.britishcouncil.org Specifications: Reading: candidates choose between academic reading or general training reading (60 minutes). Writing: the same option, academic writing or general training writing (60 minutes). Listening: four sections, for all candidates (30 minutes). Speaking: five sections, for all candidates (10-15 minutes).86 ciurTre 4 Standardized Testing Comments: The University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES) has been producing English language tests since 1858. Now, with three organizations cooperat- ing to form the IELTS, more than a million examinations are administered every year. In 2002, a computer-based version of the Reading and Writing modules of the IELTS became available at selected centers around the world, The other sections are administered locally by an examiner. The paper-based IELTS remains an option for candidates. The IELTS retains the distinct advantage of requiring all four skis inthe test-taker’s performance. Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC®) Producer: ‘The Chauncey Group International, a subsidiary of Educational Testing Service Objective: To test overall proficiency (language ability) Primary market: Worldwide; business, commerce, and industry contexts (workplace settings) ‘Type: Computer-based and paper-based versions Response modes: —_Multiple-choice responses Time allocation: 2 hours Internet access: _ttp://www.toeic.com Specifications: Listening Comprehension: 100 items administered by audiocassette, Four types of taste statements, questions, short conversations, and short talks (approxi- mately 45 minutes). Reading: 100 items. Three types of task: cloze sentences, error recog- nition, and reading comprehension (75 minutes). ‘Comments: The TOEIC has become a very widely used international test of English proficiency in workplace settings where English is required for job performance. The con- tent includes many different employment settings such as conferences, presentations, sales, ordering, shipping, schedules, reservations, leiters, and memoranda, It is appropri- ate to use in educational settings where vocational or workplace English courses are being offered. The construction of a valid standardized test is no minor accomplishmen: whether the instrument is large- or small-scale. The designing of specificatiom alone, as this chapter illustrates, requires a sophisticated process of construct val: dation coupled with considerations of practicality. Then, the construction of item: and scoring/interpretation procedures may require a lengthy period of trial an error with prototypes of the final form of the test. With painstaking atiention to = the details of construction, the end product can result in a cost-effective, time saving, accurate instrument. Your use of the results of such assessments can provaie useful data on learners’ language abilities. But your caution is warranted as well, all the reasons discussed in this chapter. The next chapter will elaborate on whe lies behind that need for a cautious approach to standardized assessment.a eee ee CHAPTER 4 Standardized Testing 87 EXERCISES [Note: () Individual work; (G) Group or pair work; (C) Whole-class discussion. 1. (©)Tell the class about the worst test experience you've ever had, Briefly ana- lyze what made the experience so unbearable, and try to come up with sug- gestions for improvement of the test and/or its administrative conditions. 2. (G In pairs or small groups, compile a brief list of pros and cons of standard- ized testing. Cite illustrations of as many items in each list as possible. Report your lists and examples to the rest of the class. 3. (@ Select a standardized test that you are quite familiar with (probably a recent experience), Mentally evaluate that test using the five principles of practicality, reliability, validity, authenticity, and washback, Report your evalus- tion to the class. 4. (@ The appendix to this chapter provides sample items from four different tests of language proficiency. In groups, one test for each group, analyze your test for (a) content validity, (b) face validity, and (c) authenticity. 5. (C) Do you think that the sample TOEFL reading passage about pirates (pages 74-75) and the Graduate Essay Test prompt (pages 76-77) about a school board hiring committee have any culture bias? Discuss this and other cultural biases you have noticed in tests. Is it possible to design a test that is completely free of culture bias? 6. (C/G) Compare the differences in conceptualization of language proficiency represented by Swain's model, the TOEFL, and the ACTFL philosophy. Which one best represents current thinking about communicative language ability? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each approach? FOR YOUR FURTHER READING Gronlund, Norman E. (1998). Assessment of student achievement. Sixth Edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Gronlund’s classic, also mentioned in Chapter 3, offers a concise overview of features of standardized tests, offering definitions and examples of the statistical considerations in interpreting scores. His approach is unbiased, clearly written, and accessible to those who might “fear” the mathematics of standardized testing, Phillips, Deborah. 2001. Longman introductory course for the TOEFL test, White Plains, NY: Pearson Education. A careful examination of this or any other reputable preparation course for a standardized language test is well worth a student's time, Note especially how the book acquaints the user with the specifications of the test and offers a number of useful strategies that can be used in preparation for the test and during its administration.8B charreR 4 Standardized Testing APPENDIX TO CHAPTER 4 Commercial Proficiency Tests: Sample Items and Tasks Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL®) Listening PartA {a this section, you will hear short conversations between two people. in some of the conversations, each person speaks only once. ln ather conversations, one or both of the people speak more than once. Fach conversation is followed by one question about it. Fach question in this part has four answer choices. You should click on the best answer to each question. Answer the questions on the basis of what is stated ar implied by the speakers. Here is an example, On the computer screen, you will see: [man and woman talking] On the recording, you will hear: (woman) Hey, where's your sociology book? (man) Athome. Why carry it around when we're just going to be taking. a test? (woman) Don’t you remember? Professor Smith said we could us it during. the test. (man) Oh, no! Well, ve still got an hour, right? I'm so glad I ran into yout You will then see and hear the question before the answer choices appear: What will the man probably do next? ©. Begin studying for the sociology test © Explain the problem to his professor © Go home to get his textbook © Borrow the woman's book To choose an answer, you will.click on an oval. The oval next to that answer will darken. After you click on Next and Contirm Answer, the next conversation will be presented. Part B In this section, you will hear several longer conversations and talks. Each conversation or talk is followed by several questions. The conversations, talks, and questions will not be repeated. The conversations and talks are about a variety of topics. You do not need spe- cial knowledge of the topics to answer the questions correctly. Rather, you shauld answer each question on the basis of what is stated or implied by the speakers in the conversa fons or talks. For most of the questions, you will need to click on the best of four possible answers. Some questions will have special directions, The special directions will appear in a box on the computer screen. Here is an example of a conversation and some questions:cHarrer 4 Standardized Testing 89 Marine Biology (narrator) Listen to part of a discussion in a marine biology class. (professor) A few years ago, our local government passed a number of strict environmental [avis. As a result, Sunrise Beach looks nothing like it did ten years ago. The water is cleaner, and there's been a tremendous increase in all kinds of marine life, which is why we're going there on Thursday. (woman) | don't know if | agree that the water quality has improved. | mean, | was out there last weekend, and it looked all brown. It didn’t seem too clean to me. (professor) Actually, the color of the water doesn’t always indicate whether it’s polluted. The brown color you mentioned might be a result of pollution, or it can mean a kind of brown algae is growing there. IPS called “devil’s apron,” and it actually serves as food for whales, (man) So when does the water look blue? (professor) Well, water that’s completely unpolluted is actually colorless. But it often looks bluish-green because the sunlight can penetrate deep down and that’s the color that’s reflected. (woman) But sometimes it looks really green. Whats that about? (professor) Ok, well, it’s the same principle as with “devil's apron”: the water might be green because of different types of green algae there—gulfweed, phytoplankton. You all should finish reading about algae and plankton before we go. In fact, those are the types of living things I'm going to ask you to be looking for when we're there. Now get ready to answer the questions. What is the discussion mainly about? © The importance af protecting ocean environments © The reasons why ocean water appears to be different colors © The survival of whales in polluted water © The effect that colored ocean water has on algae To choose an answer, click on an oval, The oval next to that answer will darken. After you click on Next and Confirm Answer, the next question will be presented: According to the professor, what can make ocean water look brown? 5 Pollution 5 Cloudy Skies Oo Sand 5 Algae Click on 2 answers To choose your answers, you will click on the squares. An “X” will appear in each square.90 cHaprER 4 Standardized Testing Structure and Written Expression This section measures the ability to recognize language that is appropriate for standard written English. There are two types of questions in this section. In the first type of question, there are incomplete sentences. Beneath each sentence, there are four words or phrases. Directions: Click on the one word or phrase that best completes the sentence. The columbine flower, almost any garden. native how native is how native is it is native to nearly all of the United States, can be raised from seed in Time Help Confirm After you click on Next and Confirm Answer, the next question will be presented. The second type of question has four underlined words or phrases. You will choose the one underlined word or phrase that must be changed for the sentence to be correct. Directions: Click on the one underlined word or phrase that must be changed for the sen- tence to be correct. ‘One of the most difficult problems in understanding sleep is determining what the fune~ tions of sleep is. Time Help Confirm Clicking on an underlined ward or phrase will darken it. Reading This section measures the ability to read and understand short passages similar in topic and style to those that students are likely to encounter in North American universities and colleges. This section contains reading passages and questions about the passages, There are several different types of questions in this section. In the Reading section, you will first have the opportunity to read the passage. The temperature of the Sun is over 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface, but it rises perhaps more than 27,000,000" at the center. The Sun is so much hotter than the Earth that matter can exist only as a gas, except perhaps at the core. In the core of the Sun, the pressures are so great that, despite the high temperature, there may be a small solid core, However, no one really knows, since the center of the Sun can never be directly observed. = Solar astronomers do know that the Sun is divided into five general layers or zones. Starting at the outside and going down into the Sun, the zones are the corona, chromo- sphere, hotosphere, convection zone, and finally the core. The first three zones are re- garded as the Sun's atmosphere. But since the Sun has no solid surface, itis hard to tell where the atmosphere ends and the main body of the Sun begins. The Sun's outermost layer begins about 10,000 miles above the visible surface and .g0¢s outward for millions of miles. This is the only part of the Sun that can be seen during an eclipse such as the one in February 1979. At any other time, the corona can be seencHarrer 4 Standardized Testing 91 only when special instruments are used on cameras and telescopes to block the light from the photosphere. The corona is a brilliant, pearly white filmy light, about as bright as the full Moon. Its beautiful rays are a sensational sight during an eclipse. The corona’s rays flash out in a brilliant fan that has wispy spikelike rays near the Sun’s north and south poles. The corona is generally thickest at the Sun's equator. The corona is made up of gases stream ing outward at tremendous speeds that reach a temperature of more than 2 million de- grees Fahrenheit. The gas thins out as it reaches the space around the pianets. By the time the gas of the corona reaches the Earth, it has a relatively low density When you have finished reading the passage, you will use the mouse to click on Proceed. Then the questions about the passage will be presented, You are to choose the one best an- sswer to each question. Answer all questions about the information in a passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage. Most of the questions will be multiple-choice questions. To answer these questions, you will click on a choice below the question, With what topic is paragraph 2 mainly concerned? © How the Sun evolved © The structure of the Sun © Why scientists study the Sun © The distance of the Sun ftom the planets Paragraph 2 is marked with an arrow (>). You will see the next question after you click on Next. To answer some questions you will click on a word or phrase. Here is an example: Look at the word ane in the passage. Click on the word or phrase in the bold text that ‘one refers to. To answer, you can click on any part of the word or phrase in the passage. Your choice will darken to shaw which word you have chosen. The Sun’s outermost layer begins about 10,000 miles above the visible surface and ‘g0¢s outward for millions of miles. This is the only part of the Sun that can be seen dur- ing an eclipse such as the one in February 1979. At any other time, the corona can be seen only when special instruments are used on cameras and telescopes to block the light from the photosphere. You will see the next question after you click on Next. To answer some questions, you will click on a sentence in the passage, Here is an example: + The corona is a brilliant, pearly white, filmy light about as bright as the full Moon. Its beautiful rays are a sensational sight during an eclipse. The corona’s rays flash out in a brilliant fan that has wispy spikelike rays near the Sun’s north and south poles, The corona is generally thickest at the Sun's equator. — The corona is made up of gases streaming outward at tremendous speeds that reach a temperature of more than 2 million degrees Fahrenheit. The gas thins out as it reaches the space around the planets, By the time the gas of the corona reaches the Earth, it has a relatively low density.92 crapren 4 Standardized Testing Click on the sentence in paragraph 4 or 5 in which the author compares the light of the ‘Sun's outermost layer to that of another astronomical body. Paragraphs 4 and 5 are marked with arrows (>), To answer some questions, you will click on a square to add a sentence to the passage. Here is an example: The following sentence can be added to paragraph 1 At the center of the Earth’s solar system lies the Sun, Where would it best fit in paragraph 1? Click on the square to add the sentence to the paragraph. [The temperature of the Sun is over 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface, but it rises to perhaps more than 27,000,000" at the center, [] The Sun is so much hotter than the Earth that matter can exist only as a gas, except perhaps at the core. In the core of the Sun, the pressures are so preat that, despite the high temperature, there may be a small solid core. [] However, no one really knows, since the center of the Sun can never be directly observed, C] 01:00 When you click on a square, the sentence will appear in the passage at the place you have chosen, You can read the sentence added to the paragraph to see if this is the best place to add jt. You can click on another square to change your answer. The sentence will | be added and shown in a dark box. Writing In this section, you will have an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to write in En- lish. This includes the ability to generate and organize ideas, to support those ideas with ‘examples or evidence, and to compose in standard written English in response to an as signed topic. You will have 30 minutes to write your essay on that topic. You must write on the topic you are assigned. An essay on any other topic will receive a score of “0.” Read the topic below and then make any notes that will help you plan your response. Begin typing your response in the box at the bottom of the screen, or write your answer on the answer sheet provided to you. Following is a sample topic: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? “Teachers should make learning enjoyable and fun for their students,” Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.crueren 4 Standardized Testing 93 ‘Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) ‘Composition The time limit for the composition is 30 minutes. You must write on only one of the top- ics below. If you write about something else, your composition paper will not be graced, and you cannot be given a final score. Ifyou do not understand the topics, ask the exam- iner to explain or to translate them. You may be asked to give your opinion of something and explain why you believe this, to describe something tram your experience, ar to ex- plain a problem and offer possible solutions, You should write at least one page. Some sample topics are: 1. What do you think is your country’s greatest problem? Explain in detail and tell what you think can be done about it. 2. What are the characteristics of a goad teacher? Explain and give examples. 3. An optimist is someone who sees the good side of things. A pessimist sees the bad side. Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Relate @ personal experience that shows this. 4. In your opinion, are the benefits of space exploration really worth the enormous costs? Discuss ‘Most MELAB compositions are one or two pages long (about 200-300 words). If your paper Is extremely short (less than 150 words), your composition will be given a lower ‘score, Before you begin writing, you might want to take 2 or 3 minutes to plan your com- position and to make a short outline to organize your thoughts. Such outlines will not be graded: they are only to help you. You should use the last § minutes to read through your ‘composition and to make changes or corrections. Your composition will be graded on how clearly you express yourself in English. and on the range of English you are able to use and your control in doing so. This means your composition should be well organized, your arguments should be fully developed, and you should show a range of grammatical structures and broad vocabulary. Compositions that consist only of very short sentences and very simple vocabulary cannot be given the highest scores. If errors are not frequent and if they do not confuse your meaning, they will not lower your score very much. Listening Now you will hear a short lecture. You may take notes during the lecture. Following the lecture, you will be asked some questions about it. There'll be a two-week exhibit of the paintings of the little-known master Laura Bernhart at the Claire Osmond Galleries starting on the fifteenth of the month and running through the thirtieth, Bernhart’s known for her innovative designs in abstract expressionism. Though a true original, she declared a spiritual heritage from Salvador Dali, the famous Spanish painter. Since Bernhart lived a rather solitary life and died while only in her Iwenties, few people are aware of her works. This showing at the Osmond Galleries will provide many with an introduction to her works, 10, Where is the exhibit? a. the Art Museum, b. the Dali Galleries c. the Osmond Galleries94 cGuarree 4 Standardized Testing 11, What is Bemhart known for? a. her copies of Dali's paintings b. the originality of her designs c. her exhibitions 12. What will going to the exhibit allow most people to do? a. to see Salvador Dali’s paintings b, to see Bernhart’s works for the first time c. to learn about Spanish art Grammar 1. “What did the teacher just tell you?” *She reminded our notebooks." a. us to bring b. that we bring . our bringing d, we should bring 2. “Is Bill a good dancer?” “Not really, __he tries very hard." a. inspite of b. despite c. even though d. while 3. “Your clothes are all wet!" "Yes, | didn't come _ the rain soon enough." a. away to b. over to c. down with d. in from Cloze In years to come, zoos will not only be places where animals are exhibited to the public, but repositories where rare species can be saved ftom extinction (7) captive breeding, The most powerful force (8) the future of many animals—and of zoos—is the decline of the wild. (9) even zoo directors would argue that (10) are better places for animals than the fields and forest of their native (11), yet 200s may be the last chance for some creatures that would otherwise pass quietly into oblivion. 7. a, through . from b. of d. damage 8, a. bringing ©, to b. that 4d. influencing 9. a, But cc. Not b. So ¢. Then 10. 2. where © even b. 200s d. wilds 11. a. lands © residence b. life d. fielduprtR 4 Standardized Testing 95 Vocabulary 12. 13, 14, 16. 17. Reading The iniluenza virus is a single molecule built from many millions of single atoms, You must have heard of the viruses, which are sometimes called “living molecules.” While bacteria can be considered as a type of plant, secreting poisonous substances into the body of the organism they attack, viruses are living organisms themselves. We may con- sider them as regular chemical molecules, since they have a strictly defined atomic struc- ture, but on the other hand we must also consider them as being alive, since they are able to multiply in unlimited quantities. 18. Mark has a flair for writing a. need b. purpose c. talent d. dislike Bill Collins launched his restaurant last June. a. moved b, started c. sold d. bought John will not accept the censure. a. burden b. blame c. credit d. decision {can’t think of the answer. Can you give me a_? a. hint b, token c. taste d. gaze Because fewer people are taking expensive vacations, the tourist industry is ina a. choke b. grope c. grumble d. slump { disagree with a few of his opinions, but___ we agree. 2. deliberately b. conclusively c. essentially d. immensely According to the passage, bacteria are... a. poisons. b. larger than viruses. c. very small d. plants.96 crueree 4 Standardized Testing 19. The writer says that viruses are alive because they . . a. have a complex atomic structure, b, move. c. multiply. d. need warmth and light. 20, The atomic structure of viruses... . a. is variable. b. is strictly defined, c. cannot be analyzed chemically. d. is more complex than that of bacteria. International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Listening The Listening Module has four sections. The first two sections are concerned with social needs, There is a conversation between two speakers and then a monologue. For exar- ple: a conversation about travel arrangements or decisions on a night out, and a speech about student services on a university campus or arrangements for meals during a confer ence. The final two sections are concerned with situations related more closely to educa- tional or training contexts, For example: conversation between a tutor and a student about an assignment or between three students planning a research project, and a lecture or talk of general academic interest. All the topics are of general interest, and it makes no difference what subjects candidates study. Tests and tasks become more difficult as the sections progress. A range of English accents and dialects are used in the recording, which reflects the international usage of IELTS. Academic Reading 1A 750-ward article on the topic of “Wind Power in the US” witha short glossary at the end! Questions 1-5 Complete the summary below. Choose your answers from the box below the summary and write them in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet, Note: There are more words or phrases than you will need to fill the ‘gaps. You may use any ward or phrase more than ance. Example The failure during the late 1970s and early 1980s of an attempt to establish a widespreac wind power industry in the United States resulted largely from the... . (1)... im il prices during this period. The industry is now experiencing a steady... . (2)... due to improve- ments in technology and an increased awareness of the potential in the power of wind. The wind turbines that are now being made, based in part on the... (3)... of wide- ranging research in Europe, are easier to manufacture and maintain than their predeces- sors. This has led wind-turbine makers to be able to standardise and thus minimize . . (4)... There has been growing . .. (5)... of the importance of wind power as an energy source.CHAPTER 4 Standardized Testing 97 stability skepticism operating costs decisions design costs fall effects production costs growth decine failure recognition results Questions 6-10 Look at the following list of issues (Questions 6-10) and implications (A-C), Match each issue with one implication, Write the appropriate letters A~C in boxes 6-10 on your an- swer sheet. Example: “The current price of one wind-generated kilowatt .. Answer: 6. The recent installation of systems taking advantage of economies of scale . 7. The potential of meeting one fifth of current U.S. energy requirements by wind power 8 The level of acceptance of current wind turbine technology . . 9, A comparison of costs between conventional and wind power sources . 10. The view of wind power in the European Union , Implications A. provides evidence against claims that electricity produced from wind power is relatively expensive. B. supports claims that wind power is an important source of energy. C. opposes the view that wind power technology requires further development. General Training Reading Read the passage on Daybreak trips by coach and look at the statements below. On your answer sheet write: TRUE if the statement is true FALSE if the statement is false NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the leaflet 1. Millers Coaches owns Cambridge's Cambus fleet, 2, Premier is an older company than Millers. 3. Most of the Daybreak coaches are less than 5 years old, 4, Daybreak fares are more expensive than most of their competitors 5. Soft drinks and refreshments are served on most longer journeys. 6. Smoking is permitted at the rear of the coach on longer journeys 7, Tickets must be bought in advance from an authorised Daybreak agent 8. Tickets and seats can he reserved by phoning the Daybreak Hotline. 9, Daybreak passengers must join their coach at Cambridge Drummer Street 10. Daybreak cannot guarantee return times.98 carrer 4 Standardized Testing FROM CAMBRIDGE AND SURROUNDING AREA SPRING IS IN THEAIR! Welcome to our Spring Daybreak programme, which continues the tradition of offering unbeatable value for money daytrips and tours. All the excursions in this brochure will be operated by Premier Travel Services Limited or Millers Coaches; both companies are part of the CHL Group, owners of Cambridge's Cambus fleet. WE'RE PROUD OF OUR TRADITION Premier was established in 1936; the Company now offers the highest standards of coaching in today’s competitive operating environment. Miller has an enviable reputation stretching back aver the past 20 years, offering coach services at realistic prices. We've traveled a long way since our early days of pre-war seaside trips. Now our fleet of 50 modem coaches (few are mare than five years old) operate throughout Britain and Europe, but we're pleased to still maintain the high standards of quality and service, the trademark of our founders nearly sixty years ago. EXCLUSIVE FEATURES Admission—inclusive fares: All Daybreak fares (unless specifically otherwise stated) include admission charges to the attractions, shows and exhibits we visit. Many full-day scenic tours are accompanied by a fully trained English Tourist Board ‘Blue Badge’ guide or local experienced driver/guide. ‘Some Daybreaks include lunch or afternoon tea. Compare our admission inclusive fares and see how much you save. Cheapest is not the best, and value for money is guaranteed. If you compare our bargain Daybreak fares, beware—most of our competi~ tors do not offer an all-inclusive fare. SEAT RESERVATIONS, We value the freedom of chnice, so you can choose your seat when you book. The seat reservation is guaranteed and remains yours at all times when aboard the coach. NO SMOKING COMFORT With the comfort of our passengers in mind, coaches on all our Daybreaks are rio smok- ing throughout. In the interests of fellow passengers’ comfort, we kindly ask that smokers observe our ‘no smoking’ policy. On scenic tours and longer journeys, ample refreshment stops are provided when, of course, smoking is permitted, YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED. Do I need to book? Booking in advance is strongly recommended as all Daybreak tours are subject to demand. Subject to availability, stand-by tickets can be purchased from the driver. ‘What time does the coach leave? The coach departs from Cambridge Drummer Street (Bay 12, adjacent to public toilets) at the time shown. There are many additional joining points indicated by departure codes in the brochure. If you are joining at one of our less popular joining points, you will be ad- vised of your pick-up time (normally by telephone) not less than 48 hours before depar- ture. In this way, we can minimize the length of pick-up routes and reduce journey times for the majority of passengers.cuaeree 4 Standardized Testing 99 What time do we get back? An approximate return time is shown for each excursion. The times shown serve as a guide, but road conditions can sometimes cause delay. If your arrival will be later than advertised, your driver will try to allow for a telephone call during the return journey. Where can | board the coach? All the Daybreaks in the brochure leave from Cambridge Drummer Street (Bay 12, adja- cent to public toilets) at the time shown. Many Daybreaks offer additional pick-ups for pre-booked passengers within Cambridge and the surrounding area. This facility must be requested at the time of booking. Academic Writing Writing Task 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The graph below shows the different modes of transport used to travel to and from work in one European city in 1950, 1970 and 1990. Igraph shown here] Write 2 report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below. You should write at least 150 words. Writing Task 2 You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic. Itis inevitable that as technology develops, so traditional cultures must be lost. Technol ogy and tradition are incompatible—you cannot have both together. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer. You should write at least 250 words. You should use your own ideas, know!- edge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence. General Trail Writing Task 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. You rent a house through an agency. The heating system has stopped working. You phoned the agency a week ago but it has still not been mended. Write a letter to the agency. Explain the situation and tell them what you want them to do about it. ing Writing You should write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write your own address, Begin your letter as follows: Dear Writing Task 2 You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. As part of a class assignment, you have to write about the follawing topic:100 charren 4 Standardized Testing Some businesses now say that no one can smoke cigarettes in any of their offices. Some governments have banned stoking in all public places. This is a good idea, but it takes away some of our freedom. Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer, You should write at least 250 words Speaking In each of the three paris of the speaking module, a specific function is fullilled. In Part 1, the candidates answer general questions about themselves, their homes or families, their jobs or studies, their interests, and a range of similar familiar topic areas, This part lasts between four and five minutes. In Part 2, the candidate is given a verbal prompt on a card and is asked to talk on a particular topic. The candidate has one minute to prepare before speaking at length, for between one and two minutes. The examiner then asks one or two windl-down questions, Jn Part 3, the examiner and candidate engage in a discus- sion of more abstract issues and concepts which are thematically linked to the topic prompt in Part 2. The discussion lasts between four and! five minutes. All interviews are recorded on audiocassette. Here is a sample of a Part 2 topic: Describe a teacher who has greatly influenced you in your education You should say: where you met them What subject they taught what was special about them and explain why this person influenced you so much You will have to talk about the topic for 1 to 2 minutes. You have 1 minute to think about what you are going fo say. You can make some notes if you wish. Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC®) Listening Part 1: Photographs Directions: For each question, you will see a picture in your test book and you will hear four short statements, The statements will be spoken just one time. They will not be printed in your test book, so you must listen carefully to understand what the speaker says. When you hear the four statements, look at the picture in your test book and choose the statement that best describes what you see in the picture. Then, on your answer sheet find the number of the question and mark your answer. {photograph of 2 scientist looking through a microscopel You will hear: “Look at the picture marked number 1 in your test book.” A) She's speaking into a microphone. {(B) She's put on her glasses. {C) She has both eyes open. (D) She’s using a microscope.CWTER 4 Standardized Testing 101 Part 2: Question-Response Directions: In this part of the test, you will hear a question or statement spoken in En- lish, followed by three responses, also spoken in English. The question or statement and the responses will be spoken just one time. They will not be printed in your test book, so you must listen carefully to understand what the speakers say. You are to choose the best response to each question ar statement. Question 1. You will hear: "Ms, Morikawa has worked here for a long time, hasn't she?” (A) At three o'clock. (B) No, I've lost my watch. (C) More than ten years. Question 2. You will hear: “Which of these papers has a wider circulation?” (A) The moming edition (B) Get more exercise, (C) By messenger. Part 3: Shart Conversations Directions: In this part of the test, you will hear short conversations between two people. The conversations will not be printed in your test book. You will hear the conversations only once, so you must listen carefully to understand what the speakers say. In your test book, you will read 2 question about each conversation, The question will be followed by four answers. You are to choose the best answer to each question and mark iton your answer sheet. Question 1. (Man) We should think about finding another restaurant for lunch, (Woman) Why? The food and service here are great. (Man) Yes, but the prices are going up every week. You will read: Why is this man unhappy with the restaurant? (A) Itis too noisy. (8) Its (00 expensive. (©) Itis too crowded (D) Itis (oo difficult to find. Question 2. (Woman A) How was Dr, Borg’s recent trip to Singapore? (Woman B) She enjoyed the tour of the port very much. (Woman A) They say it’s one of the most active in Asia. You will reac: 2. What did Dr, Borg find interesting? (A) The tourist center, (8) The airport. (©) The musical periormance. (D) The harbor. Part 4: Short Talks Directions: In this part of the test, you will hear several short talks. Each will be spoken just one time. They will not be printed in your test book, so you must listen carefully to understand and remember what is said. In your test book, you will read two or more questions about each short talk. The questions will be fallowed by four answers. You are to choose the best answer fo each question and mark it on your answer sheet.102 curred Standardized Testing You will hear: Questions 1 and 2 refer to the following announcement: Good afternoon and welcome aboard Nordair Flight 857 from Copenhagen to Bangkok, with intermediate stops in Dubai and Calcutta. We are preparing for departure in a few minutes. At this time your seat back should be returned to its full upright position and your seat belt should be fastened. Our anticipated total flying time to Dubai is six hours and twenty-five minutes. | hope you enjoy the flight. You will hear: Now read question 1 in your test book and answer it. You will read: 1. What is the final destination of the flight? (A) Bangkok. (8) Copenhagen. (©) Dubai (D) Calcutta. You will hear: Now read question 2 in your test book and answer it. You will read: 2. What will happen in a few minutes? (A) The flight will land in Dubai (8) The passengers will board the plane. (© The plane will take off. (D) The gate number will be announced. Reading In this section of the test you will have the chance to show how well you understand written English. There are three parts to this section, with special directions for each part. Part 4. Incomplete Sentences Directions: This part of the test has incomplete sentences. Four words or phrases, marked (A), (B), (C), (D), are given beneath each sentence. You are to choose the one word or phrase that best completes the sentence, Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and mark your answer. 1. Mr. Yang's trip will__ him away front the office for ten days. (A) withdraw (B) continue (retain (D) keep 2, The company that Marie DuBois started now sells world. (A) its (8) it () theirs (D) them 3. If your shipment is not delivered __ Tuesday, you can request a full refund for the merchandise. products throughout the (A) at (8) by (C) within {D) whileCHAPTER 4 Standardized Testing 103 Part 6. Error Recognition Directions: In this part of the test, each sentence has four words or phrases underlined. The four underlined parts of the sentence are marked (A), (B), (C), (D). You are to identity the one underlined word or phrase that should be corrected or rewritten. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and mark your answer. 1. The pamphlet contains some importance information about the current exhibit. A B Cc D 2. No matter how long it taking to finish the annual report, it must be done properly. A B ¢ D 3. The popularity of jogging appears to have decreased since the past couple of years. A B c D Part 7. Reading Comprehension Directions: The questions in this part of the test are based on a selection of reading mate- tials, such as notices, letters, jorms, newspaper and magazine articles, and advertisements, You are to choose the one best answer, (A), (B), (Ci, or (D), to each ques- tion. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the questian and mark your answer. Answer all questions following each reading selection on the basis of what is stated or implied in that selection, The Museum of Technology is a “hands-on” museum, designed for people to experience science at work. Visitors are encouraged to use, test, and handle the objects on display. Special demonstrations are scheduled for the first and second Wednesdays of each month at 13:30. Open Tuesday-Friday 12:00-16:30, Saturday 10:00-17;30, and Sunday 11:00-16:30. 1, When during the month can visitors see special demonstrations? (A) Every weekend. (B) The first two Wednesdays, (©) One afternoon a week. (D) Every other Wednesday. Questions 2 and 3 refer to the following notice: NOTICE Wi you are unable to work because of an extended illness or injury that is not work related, you may be entitled to receive weekly benefits from your employer or the firm's insurance company. To claim benefits, you must file a claim form within thirty days of the first day of your disability, Before filing the claim, you must ask your doctor to fill in the Doctor's Statement on the claim form, stating the period of disability. 3. To whom is this notice addressed? (A) Employers (B) Doctors (C) Employees (D) When paying the bill 4, When must the claim form be filed? (A) On the first of the month (B) On the thirtieth of the month (©) On the first day of disability (D) Within 30 days of the start of disability