Topic : Effective Testing Strategies

Speaker : Associate Professor Antikar Rongsa-ard from CULI

e-mail : rantikar@chula.ac.th

You are welcome to use her website teaching English online by visiting…http://pioneer.netserv.chula.ac.th/~rantikar

or www.e-english.cjb.net

Strategies to use for listening ( dialogs / monologs )

1. Focus all your attention on the conversation.

Each speaker speaks only once in a short conversation.

2. Concentrate on who, what, and when.

- What the speakers are doing.

- What the speaker’s job or profession is

- Where the conversation is taking place

( Man) : I think I’ll order the Diner’s Special of hash browns, eggs, and a choice of sausages or bacon.

(Woman) : I’m not that hungry. I’ll just have coffee and toast.

(Question) : Where does this conversation most probably take place?

We can infer that (1) the people are in a restaurant.

(2) the man wants to order a meal.

(3) the” Diner’s Special” is probably the name of a

meal particular to the restaurant.

3. Concentrate on the context and details

The first speaker often sets the context, and the question often relates to how the second speaker responds.

(Man) : I’ve just locked my car keys in the trunk.

(Woman): Don’t worry. I’ve got mine.

(Question) : Why isn’t the woman concerned?

4. Concentrate on the purposes; understand responses.

Invitation / request / offer / permission / refusal / agreement / disapproval, etc

5. Listen for meaning.

(A) The moss is on the wall.

(B) The moth is on the wall.

(D) We rowed the boat.

(E) Can Bob ever play tennis!

(F) Can Bob ever play tennis?

6. Listen for vocabulary

(A) Jill overcooked Tony’s dinner.

(B) Jill cooked the dinner over at Tony’s

(D) Betty slipped out during Conrad’s speech.

7. Listen for structure

(A) Never have I been so worried.

(B) I have never been worried.

(D) Sue does better in math and science.

8. Listen for time, quantity, comparisons.

9. Listen for idioms and phrasal verbs.

shoot one’s mouth off ( talk too much)

hard up ( lack money)

take after ( resemble)

e.g. Sue takes after her mother. ( a phrasal verb )

10. Make inferences; drawing conclusions based on context.

(Man): Jeff needs a hammer, wood, and nails to build those cabinets.

(Woman) : He’s really good around the house, isn’t he?

( Question) : What is Jeff going to do?

Answer - carpentry

11. Identify feelings, attitudes, and personality traits.

( Man) : I wish I could pole vault as well as Joe can.

( Woman) : He seems to have wings, doesn’t he?

( Question) : How does the man feel?

Answer - envious

Monolog: Listen for gist and major supporting details. You may take notes if you wish.

Strategies to use for reading

1. Read the complete passage.

2. Read the questions and the information carefully.

3. Use context clues to understand the passage.

4. Read the passage even if you are familiar with the topic.

5. Use your time wisely.

- Cloze reading ( actually tests both reading and writing ) : see example

- Fields ( Humanities, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences)

- Types of Questions : Locational VS Global

1. topic / main idea / supporting details / specific details

2. referents

3. making inferences / drawing conclusions

4. vocabulary in context

5. tone/ attitude / purpose of writing

6. intended readers / source of materials / text organization

7. title

Tips: Chat less, Watch less TV - Read more books, newspapers, magazines.

Read.

Read some more.

Read things you yourself enjoy.

Read, and talk about it.

Read very carefully some things.

Read on the run, most things.

Don’t think about reading, but…….

Read.

Writing

Correct usage: Choosing the right word
“The difference between the right word and almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug ( firefly).”

Mark Twain

1. Structure ( Sentence - Completion )

- The Great Wall of China is perhaps the most awe- inspiring….. the great structures of the world.

2. Error Identification

2.1 Subject- Verb Agreement

2.2 Verbs - Tenses

2.3 Nouns / Pronouns

2.4 Adjectives / Adverbs

2.5 Connectors / Transitional Markers

2.6 Articles / Demonstratives

2.7 Parallelism / Gerund / Infinitive

2.8 Conditional Sentences ( Types 1 , 2 , 3 )

2.9 Active- Passive Voice

2.10 Comparatives / Superlatives

2.11 Prepositions

2.12 Phrasal Verbs

etc.

Help - Antikar’s website < Grammar Corner >

Exercises & key available

3. Essay Writing

( required in some standardized tests such as TOEFL, IELTS )

You will be marked on language, content, organization and clarity.

Genre: Description/ Narration / Expository/ Argumentation / Mixed.

Introduction - Body - Conclusion

Examples

Listening comprehension

1. You will hear : (man) What shall I do now?

( woman) Can you heat the water while I chop the onions?

(man) How much water should I put in?

( woman) Enough to cover the potatoes?

(man) Should I add any spices?

( woman) Not yet. Wait until after I put the beef in the pot.

(narrator) What are the people discussing?

You will read : (A) Digging potatoes.

(B) Butchering a cow.

(D) Cooking a meal.

2. You will hear : (man) What did you do over the summer, Donna?

( woman) Mostly I helped my father in his dress shop.

(man) I can’t imagine you selling dresses.

( woman) I didn’t. I helped him with the bookkeeping. Also, I

put price tag on the new clothes and designed the

window displays.

(narrator) What did Donna do over the summer ?

You will read: (A) She helped her father do the accounting.

(B) She sold dresses in her father’s store.

(D) She designed new clothes.

3. You will hear : (man) Why hasn’t Frank come yet? He told me he’d be

here the first thing in the morning.

( woman) I’m sorry. Didn’t I tell you he called and said he couldn’t make it until this afternoon?

(man) No, you didn’t. What time did he say he’d be here?

( woman) About 4:00.

(man) Four o’clock! That means we’ll be working on this report

until midnight.

(narrator) What did Frank tell the woman? You will read : (A) He’d be there the first thing in the morning.

(B) He wanted to cancel the meeting.

(D) He could stay from 4:00 until midnight.

4. Listen to a talk given in a nutrition class.

Contrary to popular belief, there are no pesticides approved for use in the U.S. which are known to cause cancer in humans. It is unlikely that pesticide residues have caused cancer in any individual.

There are approved chemicals which are listed as suspected of causing cancer. However, these are listed because they were found risky in tests in which rats consumed doses thousands of times greater than humans typically consume. I would like to suggest that this is not a realistic method of testing pesticide risks, particularly in humans. Furthermore, there are natural chemicals in our foods which are much more toxic than pesticide residues. These natural toxins are associated with several kinds of cancer. The best way to fight these toxins is to destroy the fungi which are responsible for producing them. This can be achieved by pesticide treatment. In this way, pesticides may actually reduce the incidence of cancer.

A final important point is that the use of pesticides has allowed us to dramatically increase the supply of cheap, attractive fruits and vegetables throughout the year. We are now discovering that eating more fruits and vegetables can reduce the cancer risk by half. Thus, because pesticide use leads to an increase in fresh food consumption, it indirectly saves lives by cutting the incidence of cancer.

1.) What is the instructor mainly describing?

(A) the process of testing pesticides

(B) details of how pesticides may prevent cancer

(D) the approval of chemicals which are listed as suspected causing cancer

2.) Why does the instructor mention natural chemicals in food?

(A) Because they are allowed.

(B) Because eating more fruits and vegetables can reduce cancer risk.

(D) Because they can save human life.

3.) How does the speaker regard studies done with rat? They are_______.

(A) invalid

(B) valid

(D) different

4.) What does the speaker imply about use of pesticide?

(A) The use of pesticide has allowed us to increase the supply of fruits.

(B) It is very expensive.

(D) He is advocating the continued use of pesticides.

CLOZE TEST

Motivated behaviour is behaviour set into motion by a need within the individual. A need (1)_______ that some type of satisfaction is lacking and implies that the organism (2)_______ to reduce the dissatisfaction. (3)______, a need for food signifies the (4)______ food, and it sets into motion hunger-motivated (5)_______. The need for money means a person feels he lacks money, and it sets into motion (6)______ behaviours. Needs for affection, for prestige, for respect, and many more, (7)______ in the same fashion.

(1.) A. corresponds

B. indicates

C. stimulates

D. perceives

(2.) A. activating

B. actively working

C. has activated

D. is activated

(3.) A. Thus

B. However

C. As such

D. So far

(4.) A. lacking of

B. shortened

C. shortage in

D. lack of

(5.) A. consequence

B. behaviour

C. habit

D. emotion

(6.) A. dissatisfaction

B. money-seeking

C. greed-motivated

D. financial

(7.) A. reflecting

B. is presented

C. operate

D. are functioned

Reading Comprehension

Many folk cures which have been around for centuries may be more therapeutic than previously suspected. A case in point is that of penicillin. Alexander Fleming did not just randomly choose cheese molds to study when he discovered this very important bacteria-killing substance. Moldy cheese was frequently given to patients as a remedy for illness at one time. Fleming just isolated what it was about the cheese which cured the patients.

In parts of South America, a powder obtained from grinding sugar cane is used for healing infections in wounds and ulcers. This usage may date back to pre-Colombian times. Experiments carried out on several hundred patients indicate that ordinary sugar in high concentrations is lethal to bacteria. Its suction effect eliminates dead cells, and it generates a glasslike layer which protects the wound and ensures healing.

Another example of folk medicine which scientists are investigating is that of Arab fishermen who rub their wounds with a venomous catfish to quicken healing. This catfish excretes a gellike slime which scientists have found to contain antibiotics, a coagulant that helps close injured blood vessels, anti-inflammatory agents, and a chemical that directs production of a gluelike material that aids healing.

It is hoped that by documenting these folk remedies and experimenting to see if results are indeed beneficial, an analysis of the substances can be made, and synthetic substances can be developed for human consumption.

1. This passage is mainly about ……………….

(A) using folk medicine in place of modern medicine

(B) antibiotics in the field of medicine

(D) isolating antibiotics in cheese, sugar, and slime

2. The word “therapeutic” in line 1 is closest in meaning to ……………….

(A) physiological

(B) medicinal

(D) psychological

3. It can be inferred from the passage that Alexander Fleming ………………..

(A) discovered moldy cheese

(B) isolated infectious patients

(D) enjoyed eating cheese

4. The word “this” in line 8 refers to ………………….

(A) obtaining powder from sugar

(B) grinding sugar into powder

(D) carrying out experiments

5. The word “eliminates” in line 11 is closet in meaning to ………………

(A) cleanses

(B) excretes

(D) kills off

6. According to the passage, ………………….

(A) bacteria feed on sugar

(B) sugar kills unhealthy cells

(D) sugar promotes healing

7. The gellike substance which promotes healing comes from ……………

(A) catfish bodies

(B) Arab fishermen

(D) catfish venom

8. Which one of the following is NOT an important quality of the catfish slim?

(A) It prohibits inflammation.

(B) It fights bacteria.

(D) It produces mold.

9. The word “ consumption ” in line 21 is closest in meaning to …………….

(E) utilization

(F) destruction

(G) experimentation

(H) manipulation

10. In what way are cheese molds, sugar, and catfish slime similar?

(I) They cause blood clots.

(J) They fight bacteria.

(K) They heal wounds.

(L) They eliminate dead cells.

11. According to the passage, why is it important to study folk medicine?

(M) To document cultural heritage

(N) To perpetuate superstitions

(O) To experiment with synthetic substances

(P) To advance modern medical practices

Writing (Error Identification)

1. Drying food by means of solar energy is ancient process applied wherever

A B C D

food and climatic conditions make it possible.

2. An itch resulting when a nerve that can carry pain is only slightly stimulated.

A B C D

3. A healthy person snores most because the membrane in the nose becomes dry.

A B C D

4. The whale’s inexplicable predilection for beaching themselves is the second

A B

greatest threat to its survival.

C D

5. America’s first satellites exploded before it had risen three and a half feet off the

A B C D

ground.

6. The Concorde can fly across the Atlantic without refueling and carrying 11 tons

A B C

of freight

7. Most babies will grow up to be as cleverer as their parents.

A B C D

8. With animals both humans, chewing helps relieve tension.

A B C D

9. Diane Arbus’s unusual and controversial work includes photograph of sixties

A B C D

celebrities.

10. It should not be assume that the lower the price, the happier the buyer.

A B C D

11. To help policymakers and another, the U.S. government spends as much as

A B C

$1.4 billion a year in collecting statistics.

12. The Victorian constructions of Haight- Ashbury are among the fewer

A B

architectural survivors of the San Francisco earthquake in 1906.

C D

Answer key

Listening

1. D

2. A

3. C

3.1 B

3.2 C

3.3 A

3.4 D

A Cloze Test

1. B

2. D

3. A

4. D

5. B

6. B

7. C

Reading

1. C

2. B

3. C

4. C

5. C

6. D

7. A

8. D

9. A

10. B

11. D

Writing

1. C in an ancient process

2. A result

3. B mostly

4. B itself

5. A satellites

6. C carry

7. C clever

8. B as well as

9. C photographs

10. A assumed

11. B others

12. B few

Taken from Cambridge Preparation for the TOEFL Test

by Jolene Gear and Robert Gear