Testing for Language Teachers - Ch3 Kinds of Tests and Testing

What is the purpose of proficiency tests?

• To help place students in appropriate classes

• To measure people's ability in a language

• To diagnose linguistic strengths and weaknesses

• To measure achievement

What is the main advantage of direct testing?

• It has a more positive backwash effect

• It allows for accurate estimates of abilities

• It is easier to construct

• It provides more generalizable results

What is the main problem with indirect testing?

• It is difficult to obtain representative samples

• It offers weak and uncertain inferences

• It has a negative backwash effect

• It is limited to a small sample of tasks

What is the purpose of diagnostic tests?

• To measure proficiency

• To identify learners' strengths and weaknesses

• To place students in appropriate classes

• To measure achievement

What is the main feature of norm-referenced testing?

• It is used to avoid the expense of longer tests

• It measures the progress that students are making

• It relates one candidate's performance to that of other candidates

• It provides specific language skill level descriptions

What is the main feature of criterion-referenced testing?

• It is used to avoid the expense of longer tests

• It relates one candidate's performance to that of other candidates

• It provides specific language skill level descriptions

• It measures the progress that students are making

What is the main advantage of integrative testing?

• It requires the candidate to combine many language elements

• It has a more positive backwash effect

• It allows for accurate estimates of abilities

• It is easier to construct

What is the main advantage of discrete point testing?

• It is easier to construct

• It allows for accurate estimates of abilities

• It has a more positive backwash effect

• It requires the candidate to combine many language elements

What is the main purpose of placement tests?

• To measure proficiency

• To measure achievement

• To identify learners' strengths and weaknesses

• To place students in appropriate classes

What is the primary purpose of formative assessments?

• To assign grades to students

• To identify areas for improvement

• To measure overall achievement

• To reduce the workload for teachers