different techniques in testing vocabulary

CAN THO UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF EDUCATION ENGLISH DEPARTMENT B.A Thesis DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES IN Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu TESTING VOCABULARY Supervisor: Mr Hồng Lư Chí Toàn Researcher: Đinh Cao Tường Student’s number: 7032469 E.Ed.class: NN0352A3 Course 29 Cần Thơ, June 2007 CONTENTS Contents Page i Acknowledgements iii Abstract iv Part 1: Introduction 1.1 Rationale and research aim: 1.2 Thesis organization Part 2: Literature Review 2.2 Vocabulary 2.1 Why is vocabulary important ? 2.3 Vocabulary teaching 2.5 Synonymy 2.6 Antonymy 2.4 Word meaning 2.8 Học Words in context Trung tâm liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên 10 cứu 2.7 Collocation 10 2.9 Affixes 11 2.10 Word class 12 2.11 Vocabulary learning 12 2.12 Vocabulary testing 13 2.13 Research question and hypothesis 15 Part 3: Research Methodology 16 Part 4: Research Analysis and Discussion 17 4.1 Testing words in isolation 17 4.2 Testing words in context 23 4.2.1 Words tested in a sentence 23 (4) Minimal context, multiple-choice completion, non-inferencing 23 (5) Minimal context, multiple-choice completion, inferencing 26 (6) Minimal context, simple completion with initial letters as cues given in advance 28 (7) Minimal context, simple completion, no words supplied 29 (8) Minimal context, simple completion, words list and blanks 30 (9) Minimal context, multiple-choice paraphrase, non-inferencing 32 (10) Minimal context, multiple-choice paraphrase, inferencing 33 4.2.2 Words tested in a paragraph 34 (11) Filling in the blanks with the most suitable form of the words provided34 (12) Guessing meaning from contexts 36 Part 5: Conclusion 38 5.1 Conclusion 38 5.2 Recommendations for further research 39 References … .41 Appendices 43 Appendix 1: Vocabulary Levels Test 43 Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu Appendix 2: Word tested in isolation 44 Appendix 3: Minimal context, multiple-choice completion, non-inferencing 45 Appendix 4: Minimal context, multiple-choice completion, inferencing 46 Appendix 5: Guessing meaning from contexts 47 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my appreciation to Mr Nguyễn Thu Hương and Ms Bùi Lan Chi who those gave me some advice and materials in the beginning days of my research I would also like to thank my classmates who helped me make copies of a couple of materials when I did my practicum at Vị Thanh high school Finally, I would like to express my great gratitude to Mr Hồng Lư Chí Toàn, my supervisor, for his careful reading, excellent suggestions, and his precious time to my thesis Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu ABSTRACT The research is conducted to point out the strong points and weak points of different techniques of testing vocabulary in order to help English language teachers who have just graduated from university know more about various techniques in testing vocabulary The types of tests are collected from the English textbooks grade 10 (the currently published one), grade 11 and 12 (the old ones) and the Interactions Reading 4th edition They are analyzed and discussed in details based on some views of linguists who have written many books on vocabulary and vocabulary testing and my learning experiences, teaching observation, and teaching practice at high schools The analysis shows that although testing vocabulary in isolation has its strong points, Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu it is preferable to test words in context Since language is taught in a communicative context, vocabulary is better to be tested in a context at a level of sentences, short conversations, or texts PART I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale and research aims Some linguists say that learning a language is to learn its words Actually, words have to be learned and taught in the process of learning a language If they are consciously taught, they are demanded to be supportive of how far and how well they are learned In order to know that well, they are required to be tested Why tested? Inherently, teaching requires testing not only because testing is an important part of every teaching and learning experience but also because tests can help create positive attitudes towards students’ class and can benefit students by helping them master the language (Madsen: 1983:3-4) Besides, tests may be used to give the teachers information about where students are at the moment and to give them a decision on what and how to teach next (Penny Ur: 1996:126) Consequently, testing vocabulary is as important as testing other areas of language knowledge and use (Nation: 2000:344) Thanks to testing, teachers can identify where students’ vocabularies have that specific attention canThơ@Tài be given to these Trunggaps, tâmso Học liệu ĐH Cần liệuareas học(Schmitt: tập và2000:164) nghiên(1) cứu In terms of testing, its techniques are not separated from a test As a matter of fact, quite a few techniques are used to test vocabulary knowledge such as multiplechoice completion, multiple-choice paraphrase, simple completion, translation and so on Actually, each technique renders a service for a certain purpose of testing thanks to its inherent strong points Meanwhile, some inevitable weak points exist in them As a result, these strong points as well as weak points are worth investigating, analyzing and discussing in order to take advantage of the strong ones and to diminish the weak ones to effectively serve the aim of testing This more or less offers fresh high school teachers (English language students at university are trained to be high school teachers) a basic service for testing vocabulary, which is a significant aspect of teaching and learning a language (2) While I was completing the module of teaching observation at Bui Huu Nghia High School in my third year, I discovered that my pupils usually asked me to translate the words from English into Vietnamese They almost never asked me how they were used or asked me to explain the meanings of the words by giving them a sentence using the new word They seemed to be oblivious of that important point in language learning Their neglect has awakened my curiosity about how (techniques of testing vocabulary) words tested at high schools because students presumably have a tendency to deal with the ways frequently used to test vocabulary This assumption triggers off a source of inspiration for conducting a research on techniques of testing vocabulary in me (3) Also, the techniques in high school textbooks have indirectly reminded me of those in the reading textbooks (Interactions I and II) at university This reminder originates from the fact that I am also a student who is following a series of textbooks that are designed with certain techniques of testing vocabulary (1), (2) and (3) are the underlying reasons why I have chosen the topic on “Strong points and weak points of different techniques used in testing vocabulary.” In my research, I would try to answer the question: “What are strong points weak points of different techniques used in vocabulary Trungand tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu họctests?” tập nghiên cứu 1.2 Thesis organization The thesis consists of parts: Part 1: Introduction This part deals with the underlying reasons for the research and the research aim Part 2: Literature Review This part contains different views on vocabulary, teaching vocabulary, learning vocabulary, and testing vocabulary Part 3: Research Methodology This part is concerned with the samples of vocabulary tests collected for analysis and discussion Part 4: Analysis and Discussions This part deals with the strong points and weak points of 12 techniques of vocabulary testing Part 5: Conclusion This part is about the results obtained from the analysis and discussion Some suggestions are also put forward for further research PART 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Vocabulary In a popular context, vocabulary means all the words in a particular language In another context, vocabulary implies all the words that a person knows or uses Still in another specific context, it deals with the words that people use when they talk about a particular subject (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary: 2005:1707; Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English: 2003: 1843; Macmillan English Dictionary: 2002:1576) Linguistically, a word is a single unit of written or spoken language (Macmillan English Dictionary: 2002:1630); a word is a single unit of language which means something and can be spoken or written (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary: 2005:1758); a word is the smallest unit of language that people can understand if it is said or written on its own (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English: 2003:1899) However, it is difficult to apply this criterion consistently For Trungexample, tâm Học ĐHword Cầnlike Thơ@Tài họcIstập nghiên cứu can aliệu function the occur onliệu its own? a contraction like can’t (can not) one word or two? (Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics: 1992:406) Therefore, it is logical to say that words are a single unit of language that people can understand if they are used in some specialized applied linguistic contexts When words are used and understood in some particular contexts, they carry specific meanings in those contexts It is said that meaning is the most obvious kind of word knowledge (Schmitt: 2000:22) because the role of language is to communicate meanings, and the learners want to acquire the label-meaning relations (Ellis: 2000:122) Vocabulary has to be learnt in context, which means that it has to be learnt in its relations with other words 2.2 Why is vocabulary important? Vocabulary is considered as a vital part of learning a foreign language A good vocabulary is more important than grammar or structure in communication and in comprehension (Cross: 1995:14) because learners can convey something if they not learn grammar but they convey nothing if they not know vocabulary (Wilkins: 2004:13) In other words, an ability to manipulate grammatical structures does not have any potential for expressing meanings unless words are used because we must have meanings that we wish to express and the meanings in the expressions require the presence of a store of words (Harmer: 1997:53) 2.3 Vocabulary teaching As a result, teaching vocabulary plays a crucial role in teaching a foreign language Actually, in almost every lesson, a teacher has to introduce new words, have them practised, and make clear the meanings and their uses Quite a few vocabulary teaching techniques have been frequently employed to make clear the meaning of a word and to promote ways of teaching and learning vocabulary effectively such as visual aids, realias, flash cards, verbal explanation, affixes, translation, synonyms, antonyms, context and so on (Cross: 1995:5) Each of them be appropriate for the presentation of certain types of vocabulary In Cross’ Trungcan tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu statement (1995), realias create interest; pictures give a clearer focus and a less ambiguous image of meaning; verbal explanation helps the students integrate the meanings of the words they already know to get the meaning of new related vocabulary and this technique is more appropriate for students at a little higher level Although translation is a quick and easy way to present the meaning of words, some problems still exist because it is not always easy to translate words and it may make it a bit too easy for students by discouraging them from interacting with the words (Harmer: 1997:162) However, if the target language and the source language shared a very similar meaning, it would be illogical to ignore the rich and readily available language resource of mother tongue to explain some vocabulary with abstract ideas (Cross: 1995:6) The technique of using a word sharing a similar meaning with another word (synonyms: words that mean more or less the same thing (Cross: 1995:7)) to provide the meaning is also extensively employed; however, it is rarely the case that two words will be synonymous on every occasion - if they were, there would be little need to have both words in the same language (Gairns and Redman: 1999:23) Thus, it is possible to make use of synonyms to get to know the meaning of a new word first, then tell the differences between them and make clear the meanings and their uses in context Why is it in context? - because when teaching new vocabulary, we should begin by teaching the new items in context, but at a later stage learners should be given the opportunity of dealing with the words out of context (Nunan: 1995:122) and because many words have different meanings in different contexts (Cross: 1995:13) Thus, vocabulary provides its meaning more clearly in context than in isolation However, some words’ meanings are clear in isolation such as January, February, summer, winter, computer, binoculars, and telescope, etc 2.4 Synonymy In addition to referential and conceptual properties of word meanings, to understand words fully, learners must know the boundaries that separate them from other words with related meanings (Gairns and Redman: 1999:15) Words with and similar meanings called synonyms Albeit that using Trungrelated tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần are Thơ@Tài liệu học tập the fact nghiên cứu synonyms is often a quick and efficient way of explaining (for the teacher’s part) and understanding (for the learners’ part) unknown words, the learners’ competence to apply what is explained to the brain to what is in contextual production is not simple at all Let us have a look at the following example of Gairns and Redman (1999:15) - We are going to _ the kitchen by ten feet this year A extend B increase C expand The correct answer is (A) The following is an illustration to distinguish the boundaries of semantic differences between the three lexical items A, B, an extend increase expand Besides, words may also be identical in meaning yet aim at a different referent (Gairns and Redman: 1999:16) Look at the pair of words - referee and umpire 10 (Interaction II, Reading, 4th edition, p.35) “ Strong points of (11) According to studies of Nagy, Anderson, Schommer, Scott and Stallman, word family plays a large part in recognizing a word (Nation: 2000:47) Learners will guess meaning of a word thanks to their knowledge of the word family For example, they may not be taught the meaning of to beautify but if they have already learned the meaning of beautiful, they can depend on the meaning of the word attached to its parts of speech they have grasped to infer the meaning of to beautify – different parts of speech of a word sharing the same boundary of meaning As a result, the learners must be aware of which part of speech of a word in its word family needed for a position that it appears in a certain context Moreover, although different parts of speech of a word share the same boundary of meaning, their usage in a context is quite different because the differences in position within a sentence are affected significantly in relation to the neighbouring words This kind of vocabulary test a service of ĐH an ability recognize an liệu appropriate part of and cứu form Trungrenders tâm Học liệu CầntoThơ@Tài học tập vàspeech nghiên required in a context Showing recognition of the part of speech required not only reflects what the learners know of the word family but also mirrors their mastery of basic grammar For example, following a possessive adjective is a noun; following a verb can be a noun or an adverb “ Weak points of (11) Owing to a common factor of different parts of speech of a word sharing the same meaning provided availably in the context, the students may just focus on the word class needed in each blank and ignore the meaning of whole text This will give rise to focusing on word forms rather than on word meanings (12) Guessing meaning from contexts (*) “KLAWOCK, Alaska (AP)-A panel of Tlingit elders began a hearing Thursday to decide whether two Indian teenagers should be banished to uninhabited 35 islands for several beating and robbing a pizza deliveryman in Washington State last year.” A hearing (line 1) is probably _: a a conversation d the sense by which one perceives sound b similar to a trial e listening c a kind of punishment (**) Scientists believe the people of certain high mountain regions have the benefit of a healthy environment with clean air and water and moderate temperatures – not very hot or very cold z What is an environment in this sentence? a clean air and water b a healthy place in the desert c unnatural or extreme atmospheric conditions the conditions of a place that influence people (Interaction II, Reading, 4th edition, p.274-275) “Strong points of (12) This type of test tests how well the students understand the meaning of the guessing the context Actually, hearing various meanings: Trungtarget tâmword Họcbyliệu ĐHinCần Thơ@Tài liệu học carries tập nghiên cứu (α) “the sense which you use to hear sounds”; (β) “a meeting at a court or special committee to find out the facts about a case”; and (l) “an opportunity for someone to explain their action, idea or opinion” (LDOCE: 2003:782) At first, the students can choose (e) for the answer because they think hearing implies (α), the commonest meaning Later, if they read the whole text and understand its context where the target word appears, they will change their answer and have a n option of (b) because the context offers them the cues (to uninhabited islands, several beating and robbing a pizza) of the exact meaning of a hearing Environment in (**) is a familiar word and it is supposed to know by most students In this case, the students have to show their understanding of the context in order to choose the most appropriate sense to the context (g) cannot be the answer since unnatural or extreme atmospheric conditions not refer to the environment of the Earth (e), (f) and (h) seem to fit the context However, the test-takers can immediately eliminate (e) and (f) thanks to the phrase high mountain regions It can 36 be said that the context gives cues for the test-takers to decipher the meaning of the tested word ’Weak points of (12) The problem of the item is that we cannot distinguish the correct answers and the luckily chosen correct ones in case the test-takers not know the meaning of the target words and not make use of context Besides, since the item is a contextually dependent type, the purpose of helping students to make use of the context to guess the meaning of words and to see how words are used in context will be infeasible if the context is badly chosen or baldy devised, i.e most words used as cues are unfamiliar to the test-takers PART 5: CONCLUSION 5.1 Conclusion It is obvious that words can be tested either in isolation or in context, which Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu depends on the purposes of the test The former includes matching words with their synonyms, antonyms or explanations These techniques are particularly appropriate for checking up vocabulary in a class period and for lower level since they provide a foundation for further development in a second language However, it is preferable and appreciative to test words in context since language is taught in a communicative context, vocabulary is better to be tested in a context at a level of sentences, short conversations, or texts Words tested in context (in a sentence and in a paragraph) are of various techniques, among which are gap-filling (simple completion), multiplechoice completion, and multiple-choice paraphrase At sentence levels, gap-filling is appropriate to testing students’ knowledge of word family and word class in subjective scoring With multiple-choice completion, students are required to know the meanings, semantic features, collocation knowledge of the tested words, and register It demands the students’ ability in not only knowing the meaning of the words but also in knowing how to use them in a 37 context Multiple-choice paraphrase is less challenging for students since it is a technique for testers to test whether the students are able to recognize the synonym of the tested word However, choosing a contextually appropriate synonym is a linguistically required skill In contrast, it is difficult to distinguish between a completely understood choice and a lucky choice for both multiple-choice completion and multiple-choice paraphrase types Consequently, the number of testing items should be huge enough to discount the possibility of lucky choices to the lowest degree At paragraph levels, gap-filling with words provided also offers many of the same advantages that simple completion type at sentence level does, but a similar topic that the students have learned in class is not always available to be supportive of a guarantee that the words and structures used in the test must be at the students’ level Multiple-choice paraphrase can also be used in a test but it is more suitable for testing students’ guessing skills to learn the meanings of unknown words from the Trungcontext tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu From the results analyzed and discussed in this thesis, they show that minimal context, multiple-choice completion, inferencing and minimal context, gap-filling with words provided are effective vocabulary testing techniques relevant and pertinent to achievement tests because they offer advantages of testing some aspects of words such as word meanings, word classes, registers, collocations and understanding word use with objective and consistent scoring Multiple-choice paraphrase at paragraph levels is remarkably effective for testing how well the students understand the meaning of the target word by guessing in the context Their guessing skills of the meanings of the target words are exposed to the light by the option they have chosen 5.2 Recommendations for further research The language system consists of vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation Actually, word association is partly involved in grammar such as “be interested in”, “be afraid of”, “be keen on”, “succeed in”, “concentrate on”, “aim at” and many 38 other things of the sort Apparently, techniques used in testing vocabulary are partly related to those used in testing grammar Thus, the results of analysis and discussion obtained from this thesis can be a helpful reference and a subtle hint for an investigation into techniques used in testing grammar, which is beneficial for student teachers who are interested in grammar testing techniques and for newly-graduated English education students Because they will have to devise vocabulary tests for their students at high school some day in the future Hence, the thesis can help them gain some insights into vocabulary testing, which is required during the teaching and learning process Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu 39 REFERENCES Arthur Hughes (1997) Testing for Language Teachers CUP Barry Sesnan (2003) How to Teach English OUP David Nunan (1991) Language Teaching Methodology Prentice Hall David Cross (1995) A Practical Handbook of Language Teaching Phoenix ELT D.A Wilkins (1974) Second Language Learning and Teaching Edward Arnold Fred Genesee, John A Upshur (1998) Classroom-based Evaluation in Second Language Education CUP Harold S Madsen (1983) Techniques in Testing OUP I S P Nation (1990) Teaching and Learning vocabulary New York: Heinle andHọc Heinle Trung tâm liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu I S P Nation (2000) Learning Vocabulary in Another Language CUP Jeremy Harmer (1991) The Practice of English Language Teaching Longman Jeremy Harmer (1998) How to Teach English Longman John Read (2000) Assessing Vocabulary CUP Keiko Koda (2005) Insights into Second Language Reading CUP Laufer (1997) What’s in a Word That Makes It Hard or Easy CUP Laufer, B., & Patribakht, S.T (1998) Effects of Language Learning Context CUP Lyle F Bachman & Adrian S Palmer (2002) Language Testing in Practice OUP Ronald Carter and David Nunan (2001) The Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages CUP Norbert Schmitt (2000) Vocabulary in Language Teaching CUP 40 Paul Nation (1983) Testing and TEACHING vocabulary Guidelines Ronald Carter (2000) Vocabulary Applied Linguistic Perspectives Second Edition Routledge Penny Ur (1996) A Course in Language Teaching CUP Roger Gower, Diane Phillips, Steve Walters (1983) Teaching Practice Handbook Heineman Ruth Gairns and Stuart Redman (1999) Working with Words CUP Stahl, S.A., & Fairbanks, M.M (1986) The Effects on Vocabulary Instruction: A Model-Based Meta-Analysis Review of Educational Research, 56, 72110 Virginia French Allen (1983) Techniques in Teaching Vocabulary.OUP Vivian Cook (1991) Second Language Learning and Language Teaching Edward Arnold Wilkins T Littlewood (1984) Foreign and Second Language Learning CUP Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu Oller, J.W., Jr (1986) Communication Theory and Testing: What and How? In Stansfield (ed.) Materials: Tu Anh, Phan Ha, May Vi Phuong, Ho Tan (2000) English Textbook Grade 12 The Education Publishing House Tu Anh, Phan Ha, May Vi Phuong (2002) English Textbook Grade 11 The Education Publishing House Kirn & Hartmann (2002) Interactions I & II, (4th edition) McGrawHill/Contemporary Hoang Van Van, Hoang Thi Xuan Hoa, Do Tuan Minh, Nguyen Thu Phuong, Nguyen Quoc Tuan (2006) English Textbook Grade 10 The Education Publishing House 41 APPENDICES Appendix 1: VOCABULARY LEVELS TEST colleague erosion format inclination panel violation _ action against the law _ wearing away gradually _ shape or size of something achieve conceive grant link modify offset convert design Trung2.tâm Học exclude facilitate indicate survive _ change _ connect together _ finish successfully keep Thơ@Tài out liệu _ ĐH Cần liệu học tập nghiên cứu anticipate compile convince denote manipulate publish equivalent financial forthcoming primary random visual _ stay alive _ change from one thing into another _ control something skillfully _ expect something will happen _ produce books and newspapers _ most important _ concerning sight _ concerning money 42 alternative ambiguous _ last or most important empirical _ something different that can be chosen ethnic _ concerning people from a certain nation mutual ultimate (Schmitt: 2000:200) Appendix 2: Word tested in isolation: Matching words with their meanings Column A international students postsecondary abroad certificates and degrees college tuition academic lectures campus facilities transportation distance Trung 9.tâm Học learning liệu ĐH 10 the Internet Column B a papers saying you have completed a course of studies b out of your country or in foreign places c methods or ways of going from one place to another, like cars, bicycles, and buses d after high school e charges or fees for instruction f the buildings and equipment of a school, college, or university g courses given by means of video, video conferencing, or computers to students in various locations h aThơ@Tài system of instant communication by computer Cần liệu học tập nghiên cứu i college or university learners from other countries j formal talks by professors or instructors on subjects of study (Interaction II, 4th edition, p.12) Matching words with their meanings Column A atmospheric conditions kinds of extreme weather air temperatures earth’s natural materials and gases countries of the world the largest areas of the globe diseases or health disorders how people feel (adjectives) seasons of the year 10 natural areas or regions of the earth Column B a the ocean, seas, islands, deserts, forests b coal, oil, carbon dioxide, air, water c Asia, Europe, Africa, the Americas d sun, rain, snow, wind, humidity e happy, tired, sad, depressed, nervous, irritable f blizzards, tornados, hurricanes, floods, droughts g Japan, China, Russia, Italy, German, the United States h winter, spring, summer, fall i hot, warm, cool, cold j stroke, asthma, influenza, pneumonia, headaches, high blood pressure, arthritis 43 (Interaction II, 4th edition, p.29) Matching words with their meanings Column A transformation rearrange invention printing press wealth income significant founded emerged 10 accure 11 dominant Column B a machine that prints newspapers and books b established; begun c put in different order d with power or higher position e the thinking of and producing of something for the first time f salary g complete change h appeared; came out i main j maoney and possessions; riches k gain; collect (Interaction I, 4th edition, p.79) Column A Column B reflect a among otherliệu countries Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài học tập nghiên cứu survive b get knowledge from life (not books) transit international invest experience replace prevent combination 10 counterclockwise c moving people or things across places d stop something before it happens e provide something again f in the opposite direction to the hands of a clock g throw back; give back an image of h joining together of people or things i continue to live or exist j put money into a business in the hopes of making a profit (Interaction I, 4th edition, p.95) Appendix 3: Minimal context, multiple-choice completion, non-inferencing Be patient Don’t _ to learn a foreign language in a week a believe b consider c think d expect A good _ of English will help you find a job more easily a expectation b knowledge c condition d satisfaction 44 Smoke from factories will _ the air a pollute b wipe c retain _ can prevent tooth decay a Vapour b Fluoride c Hydrogen Burning coal and oil will release gases _ to humans a dirty b dusty c serious If you burn the garbage, it will give off _ odour a poisonous b dirty c unpleasant Don’t use _ to teach your children a scalpels b ulcers c whip-lashes Just _ your coats on the racks in the hall a take b lie c let Nowadays most women can _ an education a create b join c pursue 10 Women are demanding _ responsible positions a traditionally b equally c completely (English textbooks grade 12: 152-157; English textbook numbers and 10) d discard d Pollen d harmful d harmful d beams d leave d bear d greatly grade 11: 122, Appendix 4: Minimal context, multiple-choice completion, inferencing Trung1.tâm Học liệu Cần liệu học tập nghiên cứu My brother is oldĐH enough to Thơ@Tài _ his own living a earn b produce c share d demand Our grandmother didn’t work outside the home when she was young She only did her _ task a traditional b radical c common d household My sister spends a lot of money on food and on other things She has a _ habit a wasteful b spending c consuming d stimulating Mr Tam teach us how to swim He is a _ a swimmer b swimming teacher c swim teacher d teacher swimming She seldom listens to the teacher She always has _ in class a day-dreams b smoke c expectation d encouraging He looks thin, but _ he is very healthy a also b naturally c actually d consequently This woman works in a publishing house She prepares other people’s writing for publication She is _ a an author b a publisher c a reader d an editor Her parents died in an accident, and she was _ at the age of six a useless b careless c helpless d thoughtless 45 This passage about laser treatment would most probably be found in a _ a dictionary b textbook c newspaper d medical book 10 Their situations are now _ The employee has become employer a reversed b grounded c thrust d mounted (English textbooks grade 12: 153-154, numbers 8, 9, and 10; English textbook grade 11, pp 122-125) Appendix 5: Guessing meaning from contexts Trung To discover the secrets of longevity, health specialists are studying people that reach ages well over one hundred These long-lived individuals enjoy good health all their lives too z What does the noun longevity mean? a health researchers b b a hundred different ages c many years between birth and death d old people in the mountains z What is the meaning of the adjective ling-lived? tâma.Học liệu ĐHtime Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu living a long b dying at an early age c the altitude of the Himalayan Mountains d having a full head of hair and healthy teeth Scientists believe the people of certain high mountain regions have the benefit of a healthy environment with clean air and water and moderate temperatures – not very hot or very cold z What is an environment in this sentence? d clean air and water e a healthy place in the desert f unnatural or extreme atmospheric conditions g the conditions of a place that influence people z What is the meaning of the adjective moderate? a very hot and very cold b not extreme, in the middle c related to the air and water of a region d of the modern world 46 A healthful environment includes unpolluted clean water; the water might come from high mountain streams and contain a lot of minerals z What does the adjective unpolluted mean? a dirtying of the earth and air b high in preservatives and minerals c having a lot of vitamins and minerals d not containing unhealthful substances z What are high mountain streams? a small rivers of moving water b regions with little serious disease c widows that keep birth records for communities d to move a lot from one place to another According to some doctors, long-lived populations have only one thing in common: their members don’t have valid birth records; because the government didn’t write down when these people were born, their claims of unusual longevity are false z What are populations? a members of government b ideas that are widespread all ofliệu the people livingThơ@Tài in the specific areas Trung tâmc.Học ĐH Cần liệu học tập nghiên cứu d kinds of freedom from worry z What does the adjective valid mean? a officially legal or accepted b of high value in the community c to prove something is correct d of the region of Vilcabamba z What is the meaning of the noun claims in this context? a to state something is right and real b attempts to get money that is legally yours c something important about a person d statements of the truth of information (Interaction I, 4th edition, pp 131-134) Psychologists agree that most of us have create ability that is greater than what we use in daily life In other words, we can be more creative than we realize! The problem is that we use mainly one hemisphere of our brainthe left From childhood, in school, we’re taught reading, writing, and mathematics; we are exposed to very little music or art Therefore, many of us might not “exercise” our right hemisphere much, except through dreams, symbols, and those wonderful insights in which we suddenly find the 47 answer to a problem that has been bothering us- and so without the need for logic Can we be taught to use our right hemisphere more? Many experts believe so Classes at some schools and books (such as The Inner Game of Tennis and the Right Side of the Brain) claim to help people to “silence” the left hemisphere and give the right a chance to work z “We are exposed to very little music and art” probably means _: a We are not often in concert halls or museums b We are taught little music and art c Music and art are uncovered d Music and art are not taught much z Insights are _: a dreams that we have while we’re sleeping b moments when we suddenly understand something c logical moments d vision (Interaction II, 4th edition, p 200) Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu 48 Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập nghiên cứu 49 [...]... is instructed is in conflict with the way of what is tested Methodology and testing do not accompany hand in hand As Hughes’ (1997) statement, if testing comes in conflict with teaching, it is testing that should go because testing provides inaccurate information Thus, testing items have to be in context rather than in isolation To sum up, the way of testing words by matching them in isolation as in. .. agriculture in column C matches with farming in column A As far as semantic aspect is concerned, farming is a sub-category of agriculture or the semantic feature of farming is embedded in that of agriculture In other words, the semantic domain of agriculture is extrinsic while that of farming is intrinsic Therefore, the coincidence of extrinsic and intrinsic domains does not happen We can reach a conclusion... The vocabulary can be brushed up by writing them on the blackboard and deciphered by the simultaneous responses produced by the learners 21 ’Weak points of (2*) In addition to the weak points mentioned in (1*), this type of vocabulary test reveals another weak point Undoubtedly, two words, in some cases, may share a similar meaning in a certain context but not in others For instance, agriculture in. .. teach students vocabulary without tests to check if they have acquired vocabulary and if they are on the right way to learn vocabulary For this reason, vocabulary testing holds a great value in a well-run language-teaching program (Schmitt: 2000:163) Therefore, numerous kinds of vocabulary tests have been used for years 15 2.12 Vocabulary testing Vocabulary Levels Test has been widely used since its first... often inadequate as a means of conveying the meaning(s) of a word It can be inferred that testing words by giving a definition to the word does not guarantee that students are able to distinguish the boundary of semantic features of the tested word with other words sharing the same meaning as get something back such as recoup or retrieve Naturally, testing word meanings in isolation does not suffice 20... with its strong points, the kind of testing vocabulary by using Minimal context, gap-filling, inferencing is still trapped in the situation of (B) In addition, it is Trung tâm Học liệu ĐH Cần Thơ@Tài liệu học tập và nghiên cứu easy for a tester to put distractors into a context to which all of them will be appropriate For example, (5b) She often says in a _ voice to please people a kindly b sweet c... reading passage in the textbook, so students have a chance to know more about the meanings of words that they have 31 learned and to work with them in other contexts It goes without saying that the words bearing the meanings of words that are learned in class are considered being available for use or for comprehension In other words, words carrying meanings provided in the textbook are being tested in. .. context For example, in (q), originally and initially are just synonymous in isolation but not in context According to Oxford Wordpower Dictionary (2006:384), initially means at the beginning or at first, while originally means in the beginning, before any changes or developments (Oxford Wordpower Dictionary: 2006:508) Thus, if we replace originally with initially, the meaning of the sentence will change... since the four alternatives go with their own particles The test-takers may just recognize the preposition following them and then choose the right answer In this case, the test tests the adjectives and their preposition rather than tests word meaning and word usage In conclusion, the testing items in Minimal context, multiple-choice completion, non-inferencing can be an effective way of testing vocabulary. .. look for 16 the meaning of words through the context of the sentence, and they help their students to increase comprehension by taking advantage of common affixes and guessing skills (Madsen: 1983:13) Methodologically speaking, words are taught and learned in contexts Therefore, words should also be tested in contexts since if testing comes in conflict with teaching, it is testing should go (Hughes: