Testing terminology: a general quiz

Multiple-choice exercise

Choose the best answer for each question.
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  1. Holistic scoring means:
    1.   marking items independently.
    2.   assessing by direct testing.
    3.   adding all the scores together.
    4.   judging on the basis of an overall impression.
  2. What is the mean score of 18, 20, 22, 24 and 26?
    1.   23
    2.   22
    3.   25
    4.   21
  3. True score refers to:
    1.   a theoretical measurement of a learner's score excluding any problems of reliability.
    2.   the learner's total score without any subjective marking judgments.
    3.   the learner's score minus an amount for guessing correctly.
    4.   the score measured as the difference from the mean score of all the test takers.
  4. Benchmarking is:
    1.   the use of one student to compare the performance of others.
    2.   ranking students' performance against a set of criteria.
    3.   the use of a few test scripts to standardise marking.
    4.   establishing a set of usable marking criteria.
  5. Aptitude testing is:
    1.   assessing communicative success.
    2.   assessing how well learners will be able to acquire the targets.
    3.   assessing intelligence.
    4.   assessing general cognitive ability.
  6. If a test is reliable, this means that:
    1.   the results will be comparable regardless of where and when the test is taken
    2.   the results will be a valid measure of a test-taker's ability in the skill we are testing.
    3.   the test will have a high facility ratio.
    4.   the test will be objective.
  7. Unique answer items have:
    1.   only one possible right answer.
    2.   no equivalents elsewhere in the test.
    3.   only true or false answers to select from.
    4.   only three correct answers in a set of four possible ones.
  8. A multiple-choice test contains:
    1.   a rubric and some distractors.
    2.   distractors and a common core question.
    3.   a choice of true or false.
    4.   a stem and a number of distractors.
  9. The Cambridge First Certificate examination is a:
    1.   achievement test.
    2.   performative test.
    3.   diagnostic test.
    4.   proficiency test.
  10. Backwash is:
    1.   the effect on the learning / teaching process of a test.
    2.   the affect of testing on teacher competence.
    3.   the affect of teaching on test design.
    4.   the affect of testing on learner performance.
  11. If 40 out of 100 students get an answer right, that item has a value of 0.4. This is a measure of:
    1.   facility value.
    2.   usefulness.
    3.   standard deviation.
    4.   easiness.
  12. Criterion referencing is:
    1.   measuring performance against a range of predetermined criteria.
    2.   choosing the most useful criteria when standardising test markers.
    3.   measuring performance against a benchmarked student.
    4.   measuring performance based on overall communicative success.
  13. Validity is a measure of:
    1.   how fair a test is.
    2.   how well we can describe the abilities we are testing.
    3.   how the test will parallel results of other tests.
    4.   how well a test measures what it is intended to measure.
  14. Analytic scoring involves:
    1.   scoring for an overall impression.
    2.   scoring a mark for each component of a task.
    3.   adding up the marks to get an overall picture.
    4.   breaking down the scores to produce a histogram.
  15. Achievement tests are:
    1.   tests to measure what learners know and don't know.
    2.   tests of general ability to learn language.
    3.   tests directly related to a language course designed.
    4.   tests designed to influence the teaching programme.
  16. Paraphrase test items require the learner to:
    1.   correct what they read or hear.
    2.   re-express what they hear or read in their own words.
    3.   re-express what they hear or read in a different form.
    4.   summarise what they read or hear.
  17. Face validity is a measure of:
    1.   how well a test is designed.
    2.   how well we can describe what we are testing.
    3.   a subjective judgement of a test's fairness.
    4.   how well a test actually targets the desired skills.
  18. What is the guess ratio for a multiple-choice test with 5 possible answers to each question?
    1.   33%
    2.   25%
    3.   20%
    4.   30%
  19. Direct testing differs from discrete-point testing because:
    1.   the former attempts to test the underlying skills while the latter gets the learner to undertake the skill being tested.
    2.   the former gets the learner to undertake the skill being tested, while the latter attempts to test the underlying skills.
  20. Integrative testing is another description of:
    1.   analytic testing.
    2.   discrete-point testing.
    3.   holistic testing.
    4.   direct testing.