Application exercises

Let’s look at some example items and test types to see how they work in terms of all of the material covered in this chapter. Each section represents a different item type. Be sure to examine them critically. What are the good qualities and bad qualities of each? Also try to identify which language skills or language points each would be best suited to measure.

A. Read the text from a travel book about Boston. Then answer the questions.

As you travel through Charleston and environs during the summer months, you may need to find inexpensive accommodations. Those of you on a limited budget may choose to reside at the Starland Inn and Hostel for a period of time. It is collection of old houses with clean, and comfortable rooms, though some are a bit rustic. Single rooms are $40 with a shared bath. Double rooms are $50 to $60, depending upon view. Weekly rates run from $220-280.

1. In the context of this selection, accommodations __________
a. are restaurants
b. are places to stay
c. are large bathrooms
d. are services for tourists

2. Which of the following are not unavailable during the summer?
a. inexpensive accommodations
b. the Starland Inn and Hostel
c. limited budgets
d. fish

3. How much does it cost to stay at the Starland Inn and Hostel?
a. less than $165
b. less than $29
c. less than $25
d. it’s free

4. Where can you stay if you are on a limited budget?
a. at an expensive hotel in Charleston
b. at the Starland Inn and Hostel.
c. Both of the above
d. None of the above.

B. Answer the following questions.

1. Margaret Jones is a music student. She is studying the violin. After she graduates, she _____ to play for a world-famous orchestra.

a. has wanted
b. wanted
c. is planning
d. wants

2. The nation’s total wind generation capability of 300 megawatts at the end of 1983 is still a drop in _____ bucket compared with the country’s total electricity production, although it is estimated that wind generation could account for 10% by the 2010s.

3. The retina, the innermost coat of the posterior part of the eyeball that receives the image produced by the crystalline lens, is a _____ cellular membrane that lines the inside of the eye.

a. extra
b. thin
c. excellent
d. adequate

C. Answer the following questions in the space provided.

(The examinees listen to a passage in which a person describes an event to someone in which his/her car broke down and the person’s father came to help, looked under the hood and then speculated about what might have caused the problem.)

1. Where did the car break down? _____________

2. According to his/her father, what is wrong with the car? ______________________

3. What do you think will happen to the car if they cannot do what they propose to do with it? _______________

D. Circle the word which belongs in the space.

The outcome of a ski trip (includes/ qualifies/ relies/ depends) to a large degree on what is done before reaching the slopes.. (Ok/ So/ If/ Then) you are planning to buy new skis, visit several ski shops in your area, if possible. The retail (staff/functions/ skis/ costs) will almost always be involved in skiing, and they will (lonely/ certainly/ let’s/ somberly) know how to help you pick skis that are the (overall/ new/ direct/ proper) fit......

E. Face to face interview. The examinee is instructed as follows. "Assume that you and I are neighbors. You need to mow your lawn but your lawn mower is broken. You come to my door to borrow mine. I answer the door and say: "Hello, Bob. What brings you by at this time of day?" What do you say?"

B. Find a test or set of tests used in a language program. What item type categories are represented (binary, selected, etc.)? How appropriate and balanced do these types appear to you?

C. For one of the language programs you have identified above, plan a portfolio assessment design. What would be incorporated into the portfolio? What criteria would you use for evaluation? What advantages do you see in this form of evaluation? What potential problems do you envision?