Testing reading
1. When a reading comprehension test deals with information that is universally known, the candidates will be able to ...........
Answer: a. answer the questions correctly without reading the passage
Explanation: If the information is universally known, candidates can rely on their existing knowledge to answer questions correctly without needing to refer to the passage.
2. Reading ability formulae are used to ········ .
Answer: b. identify passages of appropriate difficulty level
Explanation: Reading ability formulae help educators determine the complexity of texts suitable for various reading levels, ensuring that students are challenged appropriately.
3. Typical objections to multiple-choice tests of reading include all of the following EXCEPT that they ……….
Answer: d. make the answer rely on facts
Explanation: While multiple-choice tests may be criticized for being passive and encouraging guessing, relying on factual knowledge is not typically seen as a drawback; rather, it is often considered essential in assessing comprehension.
4. Among the following, the most satisfactory reading test item is characterized by ..........
Answer: b. D=0.50, FV=0.85, rpb=0.60
Explanation: This combination indicates a balanced difficulty (D), high facility value (FV), and a good point-biserial correlation (rpb), suggesting that this item effectively discriminates between high and low performers.
5. The reading process in which the reader activates his schemata in order to comprehend a reading passage is called ..........
Answer: a. top-down process
Explanation: The top-down process involves using prior knowledge and context (schemata) to interpret and understand new information in a text.
6. All of the following are true according to psycholinguistic model of reading EXCEPT ..........
Answer: c. Reading is a passive process
Explanation: The psycholinguistic model emphasizes that reading is an active process involving interaction between the reader's background knowledge and the text.
7. In bottom-up processing, ..........
Answer: c. comprehension comes from linguistic data
Explanation: Bottom-up processing focuses on decoding individual words and sentences to build understanding from the smallest units of meaning.
8. According to the latest research, one of the LEAST effective ways to teach reading is to ..........
Answer: c. sound out letters one at a time
Explanation: While phonics is important, teaching methods that focus solely on sounding out letters can be less effective than more holistic approaches that integrate comprehension strategies.
9. In multiple choice paraphrase items, .......... is very important in choosing the correct choice.
Answer: d. finding meaning in the sentence
Explanation: Understanding the meaning of sentences helps students identify paraphrases accurately, which is crucial for answering these types of questions correctly.
10. The number of multiple choice items in a reading text depends upon the ..........
Answer: b. length and complexity of the test
Explanation: The length and complexity dictate how many items can be reasonably included without overwhelming students or making assessment impractical.
11. In order to measure the students' level of reading comprehension, memory capacity, organization ability, and pronunciation we can make use of a test of ...........
Answer: c. retelling short stories
Explanation: Retelling requires students to demonstrate comprehension and recall while also allowing for assessment of their organizational skills and pronunciation.
12. The sampling of the reading passage must be related to the ...........
Answer: a. objectives of the language teaching situations
Explanation: The content and focus of reading passages should align with educational goals to ensure relevance and effectiveness in teaching.
13. The types of questions to be constructed for testing reading comprehension are determined by the ..........
Answer: d. reading text itself
Explanation: The nature of the text influences what types of questions can be effectively asked, as different texts lend themselves to different kinds of comprehension checks.
14. Which of the following does NOT play a role in the selection of reading comprehension passages?
Answer: d. Scientific value
Explanation: While length, subject matter, and style are important considerations for selecting passages, scientific value is not typically a primary factor unless specifically relevant to curriculum objectives.
15. The two useful approaches for testing beginning students who can read simple passages are..........
Answer: b. multiple choice items and wh-questions
Explanation: These methods are effective for assessing comprehension at an early stage since they allow for straightforward evaluation of understanding.
16. A special use of editing tests is to ..........
Answer: a. evaluate the writing skill
Explanation: Editing tests focus on assessing students' abilities to revise and improve written work, which directly relates to their writing skills.
17. True-false item types ..........
Answer: b. cannot discriminate well enough among the testees
Explanation: True-false items often fail to provide sufficient discrimination between varying levels of understanding among students because they may guess correctly without true comprehension.
18. The passage in a reading comprehension test should NOT ..........
Answer: b. be overloaded with familiar concepts
Explanation: Overloading with familiar concepts can lead to confusion or disengagement; passages should balance familiarity with challenge.
19. For those teaching beginning reading, informal techniques of evaluation are recommended such as ..........
Answer: c. reading aloud and true-false items
Explanation: These techniques allow teachers to gauge student understanding in an informal setting while fostering engagement with texts.
20. One of the advantages of limited response items used for testing reading is that they ..........
Answer: b. are quite easy to construct and score
Explanation: Limited response items simplify both creation and scoring processes compared to open-ended questions, making them practical for educators.
Answer
- A good way to check for more exact or detailed comprehension of phrases and sentences is the use of paraphrase item types. Paraphrasing requires students to express the same idea in different words, demonstrating their understanding of the original text's meaning, which is critical for assessing comprehension accurately.
- Pictures provide a good means of checking reading comprehension. Visual aids can enhance understanding by allowing students to connect images with text, making it easier to grasp concepts and context within reading materials.
- The two useful approaches in testing beginning students who can read simple passages include picture cues and multiple choice questions. This combination helps engage students visually and cognitively, catering to their developing literacy skills while providing clear options for responses.
- The type of item which requires integration of ideas from more than one sentence is called a(n) synthesis item. Synthesis items challenge students to combine information from various parts of a text, reflecting a deeper level of comprehension beyond mere recall.
- A reference item in a reading test requires students to integrate ideas from the entire selection. This type of question assesses the ability to understand how different parts of the text relate to one another and contribute to the overall meaning.
- Sentence-level items of reading comprehension tests minimize the mixing of reading and writing skills. These items focus specifically on understanding sentences rather than requiring additional writing skills, making them suitable for assessing comprehension at an elementary level.
- Simple completion and sentence explanation items of reading comprehension represent the different forms of limited response items. These types of questions require concise answers, often focusing on specific details or explanations from the text.
- In testing reading comprehension, a passage of about 100 words yields three decent questions. This guideline helps ensure that questions are relevant and adequately reflect the content without overwhelming students.
- Which one of the following statements is NOT correct regarding the short-context technique of testing reading comprehension? The correct answer is that it conforms to the theory that considers reading as a unitary ability; this statement is misleading as short-context techniques often emphasize specific skills rather than a holistic view of reading.
- Which one of the following is NOT true regarding reading comprehension tests? The statement that open-ended items are easy to construct and score is not accurate; such items can be complex to create and evaluate due to their subjective nature.
- Which one of the following statements is NOT true in constructing reading comprehension items? The statement that the vocabulary and syntax of the items should be kept rather difficult is incorrect; clarity and accessibility are essential for effective assessment.
- Which one of the following statements is NOT true regarding tests of vocabulary? The statement that all the choices should be very frequent words is not true; while familiarity is important, tests can also include less common words to assess a broader range of vocabulary knowledge.
- One of the objections to passage comprehension tests used for testing students' reading skill is that they use questions on trivial details and encourage word-by-word reading. This criticism highlights concerns about depth versus breadth in assessing comprehension skills.
- The most integrative kind of reading tests is passage comprehension tests. These tests require students to understand and synthesize information across an entire passage, reflecting higher-order thinking skills.
- In "editing" tests, sentences are grammatically wrong. These tests assess students' ability to identify and correct errors in sentence structure, which is crucial for developing writing skills.
- In "inference" items, students have to see implications in what they read. This type of question requires readers to go beyond literal meanings and understand underlying messages or themes within the text.
- "75 Gremlin.6cyl 2dr 4spd A-1 cond. 20MPG city 8 trk AM/FM P.S.P b." Which of the following is NOT an objection? The statement that it challenges the student to make inferences is not an objection; instead, it indicates that this text may require higher-level thinking skills.
- Which of the following should be kept in mind while preparing sentence and phrase items in reading tests? The correct answer is all of the above, as each option emphasizes essential considerations for creating effective assessment items.
- A testing arrangement like "net net ten" is called key word and odd option. This technique focuses on identifying key terms while providing distractors that test comprehension effectively.
- Tests measuring "skimming" can be used for those who need to hunt for information in print as well as those who are translators or announcers, making option d (both b and c) correct since skimming helps locate information quickly across various contexts.
Answer
- Correct Answer: a. reading
The term "word attack" refers to strategies used to decode and understand unfamiliar words, which is primarily a skill associated with reading. These strategies help readers break down words into manageable parts to facilitate comprehension and fluency in reading
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- Correct Answer: c. selection
In a selection test, students are required to identify and choose the appropriate words to include or exclude from a passage, making it a test of their understanding of relevant content and vocabulary. This type of test assesses the ability to discern which words contribute meaningfully to the text
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- Correct Answer: a. the stem does not make clear what kind of information is being asked for
The item is defective because it lacks clarity regarding what specific information is required from the respondent, making it difficult for them to provide an accurate answer based on the text
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- Correct Answer: d. all of the above
This item is defective for multiple reasons: it allows answering without reading the text, tests outside knowledge rather than comprehension of the text, and does not clarify what information is being asked for. Therefore, all listed issues contribute to its defectiveness
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- Correct Answer: a. considers reading to be a unitary ability
Traditional techniques in testing reading comprehension often treat reading as a single skill rather than recognizing its multifaceted nature, which includes various sub-skills such as phonemic awareness, vocabulary knowledge, and comprehension strategies