Running head: TEST PROPOSAL 1

Test Proposal: Reading Comprehension Test for Korean EFL Learners

Jee Eun Park

Colorado State University

TEST PROPOSAL 2

Abstract

While all of the decisions made by a language assessment have consequences for

stakeholders, some researchers point out problems of English achievement tests in middle

schools in Korea and suggest improvement of the test quality. The purpose of this paper is to

propose a more reliable and valid reading comprehension test for Korean EFL learners by

following Nam‟s (2012) suggestions. Description of the test such as purpose of the test, specific

description of the TLU domain, construct definition, and the type of the test is first discussed.

Then procedures for possible administration of the test and appropriate statistical analysis of the

test result are followed. Finally, in order to provide the evidence of the test usefulness, reliability,

construct-related evidence for validity, consequential evidence for validity, and practicality are

discussed.

Key words: summative test, interpretive exercise, target language use domain, table of

specification, reliability, validity

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Test Proposal: Reading Comprehension Test for Korean EFL Learners

Assessment plays a critical role in every stage of the language instructional process.

According to Miller, Linn & Gronlund (2009), assessment contributes to identification of

instructional goals, diagnosis of learners‟ needs, provision of relevant instruction as well as

appraisal of the intended learning outcomes. Accordingly, assessment has the potential to have a

positive (or negative) lasting impact on test takers, teachers, administrators, education systems,

and society.

While various researchers assert the importance of classroom assessment (Cohen, 1994;

Gronlund & Waugh, 2009; McMillan, 2007), some researchers point out problems of English

achievement tests in middle schools in Korea and suggest the improvement of the test quality

(Lee, J., 2002; Lee, M., 2007; Nam, 2012). The following is the summary of the most common

problems in middle school achievement assessment in Korea:

1. Low validity derived from a high proportion of selection type test items, reading test

items, and grammatical knowledge items;

2. Low authenticity derived from lack of authentic materials; and

3. Lack of assessment of productive skills derived from the lack or scarcity of

performance-based tests

Nam (2012) also examines how English achievement tests in middle schools have been

done and analyzes the test items, and suggests various ways of testing for middle school

students. She argues that high proportion of reading comprehension test leave substantial room

for improvement. She claims that while reading portion in the middle school paper-and-pencil

tests in Korea accounts for 60.5 %, the reading test quality contains considerable room for

improvement. She analyzed the content validity and the test items‟ quality of Korean middle

TEST PROPOSAL 4

school tests and found that 53.3 % of the entire test items need to be revised or discarded. (Nam,

2012) The following is the summary of the problems Nam identified from her study (2012):

1. Teachers make test items by copying from the students‟ textbooks, workbooks,

test books, or self-teaching manuals;

2. Teachers rely on a multiple-choice type too much by reason of reliability or

practicality.

3. The reading test items mainly test students‟ grammatical knowledge

In order to improve the quality of the current reading tests in Korea, the following

suggestions could be implemented based on Nam‟s (2012) study:

1. Reading skills should be measured from the diverse authentic materials, not by

copying English examination questions in the students‟ textbooks, work books, or test

books.

2. Reading skills should be measured through the various reading test items. Teachers

should not relay on a multiple-choice type by reason of reliability or practicality. Various

kinds of test types can be used such as true-false, matching, short answer, or extended

answer.

3. Communicative competence should be measured in the reading test. Teachers should

not focus only on grammatical knowledge. Reading ability should cover all competences

of language ability such as strategic competence, textual knowledge, functional

knowledge, and sociolinguistic knowledge, as well as grammatical knowledge.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a more reliable and valid reading comprehension

test for Korean EFL learners by following Nam‟s (2012) suggestions. Description of the test

such as purpose of the test, specific description of the TLU domain, construct definition, and the

TEST PROPOSAL 5

type of the test is first discussed. Then procedures for possible administration of the test and

appropriate statistical analysis of the test result are followed. Finally, in order to provide the

evidence of the test usefulness, reliability, construct-related evidence for validity, consequential

evidence for validity, and practicality are discussed. TLU domain description, Table of

specifications, copy of revised test, scoring key, answer sheet, reading passages, and student

score report are provided as appendices.

Description of the Test

Test Design

General description of the scenario. The intended test takers are 9th grade middle

school EFL learners in Korea. The Korean language is the first language for most of them. They

are homogeneous groups in age (14-15) and ethnic background, but the English proficiency has a

wide range, from low-beginner to mid-intermediate. The test will be used for a summative

assessment at the end of an instructional unit, so it is an achievement test.

Purpose of the test. The purpose of this test is to measure the Korean EFL middle school

students‟ reading abilities related to what they learn during the first quarter of the school year,

which means the test is to be used as a summative assessment. In most of the middle schools in

Korea, summative assessment in the classroom includes teacher-made paper-and-pencil

achievement tests, two or three types of performance tests such as listening, speaking or writing

test. My focus is on the teacher-made paper-and-pencil reading achievement test.

The potential impact at the micro level is not likely minimal. First, decisions about the

test takers include as progress and grading: the degree to which students meet minimum

standards of mastery of the content of the instructional unit. Second, the score affects their high

TEST PROPOSAL 6

school admission decision at the end of middle school education. Regarding the potential impact

at the macro level, decisions that will be made about instruction, which will include determining

what portions of a unit have been effectively taught, and what portions might require review. No

decisions about instructors, supervisors, or the program are involved.

Type of test. The test was designed for a syllabus-based achievement test, the goal of

which is to measure knowledge of specific course content. The test will be used as a summative

assessment at the end of each quarter of the school year. Through the test, the test administrator

could “determine the extent to which the instruction goals have been achieved, assign course

grades, and certify student mastery of the intended learning outcomes” (Miller, Linn &

Gronlund, 2009, p. 39). A criterion-referenced interpretation of scores will be used to provide a

measure of performance in terms of a clearly defined and delimited domain of learning tasks.

Specific description of TLU domain. “In language testing, our primary purpose is to

make inferences about test takers‟ language ability” (Bachman &Palmer, 1996, p. 44), and in

most cases, we make the inferences from the target language use domain (TLU). There are two

sub-categories of TLU. One is a real life domain in which the target language is used for

communication, and the other is language instruction domain, in which language is not used for

communication outside the classroom and is used only inside the classroom for the purpose of

teaching and learning.

This test identifies the TLU characteristics in the language instruction domain, because

Korean students are learning English as a foreign language, which means they hardly use English

outside the classroom for communication. In the classroom, teachers use the syllabus content for

their teaching and learning objectives or targets. However, the learning tasks in the classroom are

TEST PROPOSAL 7

intended to correspond to situations outside the classroom in which students might possibly use

English, or can imagine themselves using English.

The reading tasks accurately reflect classroom tasks that learners encounter throughout

their academic careers. The C textbook, which is used in many middle schools in Korea, consists

of twelve units, and each unit has separate listening, speaking, reading, and writing sections.

Throughout the reading section, students typically read three-to-five-page short passages and do

many reading activities with the learning objectives specified by the Ministry of Education,

Science, and Technology, which is a cabinet-level division of the government of South Korea. A

summary of reading objectives indicated in the 2009 Revision of the National Curriculum by the

Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology is provided below. According to these standards

for reading, students should be able to do the following at the end of their course of instruction:

identify the main idea of a short passage about daily life,

understand different kinds of charts used in daily life, such as a train time schedule,

restaurant menus, a TV channel guideline, or advertisements,

read and understand personal writing, such as letters, e-mails, or blogs,

find the specific details of a short passage about daily life by skimming and scanning,

comprehend explicitly marked relationships among sentences in a simple easy text,

infer meanings of a word or a phrase by understanding the organization or contexts of a

simple text.

Construct definition. The construct, broadly defined, is „the ability to use language to read

and understand academic textbooks written in English for the 9th graders in middle schools in

Korea.‟ This definition is based on the syllabus used in the middle schools in Korea, and includes

the following abilities:

TEST PROPOSAL 8

ability to recognize written vocabulary and comprehend its meaning,

ability to grasp main idea of written words or sentences,

ability to recognize specific details,

ability to recognize the structure of a short text,

ability to recognize the characteristics of different genres such as email, advertisement,

or timetable.

Ability to infer the meaning from the information provided in a short text

Strategic competence is assumed and topical knowledge is included in terms of the involvement

of personal experiences. Listening, speaking, and writing skills are not included.

Table of Specifications. A table of specification (TOS) is intrinsically important because

it guides the selection of the test items and makes it possible to measure a representative sample

of instruction (Miller, Linn & Gronlund, 2009). TOS relates the instructional objectives to the

instructional content. The test has three instructional elements, which are aligned with three

instructional units (It‟s One World; Global Advertising; Great Inventions of the World). The

instructional objectives of the test consist of knowledge, understanding, and analysis. The

objective of knowledge is subcategorized into vocabulary (three test items: 1, 7, and 10) and

specific detail (three test items: 4, 8, and 11). The objective of understanding is subcategorized

into main idea (three test items; 2, 5, and 9), restatement (two test items: 3 and 12), and

organization (one test item: 6). The objective of analysis has one subcategory, which is inference

(13 test items:13 to 25). TOS indicates both the total number of test items and the percentage

allotted to each objective and each area of content. The test includes 25 test items in total. Each

of the instructional units includes a similar number of test items (12, or 13) and similar

TEST PROPOSAL 9

percentage (32 % or 36%) because the amount of emphasis allotted to each instruction unit is

almost the same.

Description of Test Tasks. Instructions are provided in written English with the test

items on the same sheet of paper. Considering that the test takers‟ English proficiency level is

not advanced, the phrases of directions are especially written with simple vocabulary and

linguistic structures. The test takers are provided six-page-long paper sheets and an answer sheet.

They are asked to choose the best answer to each question after reading 10- to 20-line-long

passage written in English, which is the target language. In total six passages are provided, with

four or five items per each passage. The test takers are expected to respond to the test task in

English through written texts by marking the symbol of the answer on a separate answer sheet

provided. The symbols they choose are alphabetical letters such as A, B, C, D for the multiple-

choice test items and T, F, or N for the interpretive exercise test types. The relationship between

the input and the response is non-reciprocal. In the classroom, students ask the teachers questions

about the reading task and teachers give answers and can adjust the task if needed. However, in

the test, students are just required to circle the correct answer on the answer sheet according to

the written directions. Each correct answer selected receives 4 points, so the total points range

from 0 to 100. In the directions, the test takers are told to finish the entire tests within 45

minutes. The allotted time limit for the test was decided from the information that test

administrators gathered from the previous equivalent test administrations in years.

Structure of the Test. The test is divided into two parts: Part A and Part B. Part A

consists of twelve multiple-choice test items and covers two instructional objectives, which are

knowledge and understanding. Part B consists of 13 interpretive exercise test items with the

instructional objective of analysis. Each part has a similar percentage of test items (48% for Part

TEST PROPOSAL 10

A and 52 % for Part B). Written directions are provided at the beginning of the test about how to

mark on the answer sheet, the time limit, and scoring. Part A and Part B include their own

separate directions. In the general directions, participants are told that there are 25 test items in

total, and that they have 45 minutes in total to read the passages, choose the best answers, and

mark the symbols of the answer on the answer sheet. In Part A, directions are followed by a stem

and four alternatives per test item because it is a multiple-choice type. In Part B, directions are

followed by a passage and four or five items for each paragraph. There are three passages and 13

test items in Part B.

Test Procedures

Participants

The test will be administered to EFL learners (n = 400) who are in 9th

grade in a middle

school in Korea. The participants are male and female students between the ages of 14 to 15.

The number of male students is a little higher than that of the female students. For most of them,

Korean is their L1. All of them learn English as a foreign language, and some of them learn

Japanese or Chinese as a foreign language as well. They started EFL English education from

their 3rd

grade in the public elementary schools, but their English language proficiency has a

wide range from low-beginner to mid-intermediate because many of them start to learn English

at a private English academy in their kindergarten periods, and some of them much earlier than

that. Due to the homogeneity of their ethnic backgrounds, the test takers commonly share the

topical knowledge including language, course content, and routine daily life which are relevant

to their age. Most of them are familiar with the selective type such as true-false, matching, and

multiple-choice item type, and short-answer type as well because they had a lot of test

TEST PROPOSAL 11

experience with the same item type through the lesson and the test since they started their

elementary education.

Administration

The test will be administered in the classroom at the end of first quarter of the school year

as a summative test. The participants will have the same kind of tests four times a school year.

Prior to the test, all participants will be informed about the purpose, procedure, and scoring of

the test by the instructor. A copy of the test form including directions and one answer sheet will

be distributed to each student. Then, students will be asked to read the directions carefully and

mark the number that they think is the right or best answer on their answer sheet. Students will

be given 45 minutes to complete the test before the instructor collects it.

Proposed Test Result

Item Statistics. Item analysis is different for norm-referenced tests (NRTs) and criterion-

referenced tests (CRTs). Since this test is a CRT, which is aimed to determine whether the

instruction goals have been achieved or not, so I would use a B-index to analyze the items. The

B-index is defined as “the item facility on the particular item for the students who passed the test

minus the item facility for the students who failed” (Brown, 2003a). I would use B-index,

because it will show how well each item is contributed to the pass/fail decisions. The higher the

B-index is, the better the test is.

Descriptive Statistics.

For the information of central tendency, mean, median, and standard deviation would be

analyzed for this test. I would analyze mean and median to provide information about the center

in the score distribution. The mean is preferred because it is the best known of these measures, so

test administers and test takers would understand it easily. The median would be added since it

TEST PROPOSAL 12

would be more useful information than mean, if there is extreme values or outliers (Miller, Linn

& Gronlund, 2009, pp. 501-503).

I would analyze standard deviation (SD) as well since SD is the most widely used and

most informative measure of score distribution or variability. With SD, the scores can be more

adequately described by knowing how much the scores spread out above and below the measure

of central tendency. (Miller, Linn & Gronlund, 2009, pp. 504-507).

Reliability and Standard Error of Measurement. Since this test is objective test, coefficient

alpha would be used for estimating the reliability of assessment scores from a single

administration. There are two kinds of methods to measure the internal consistency. One is split-

half method and the other is coefficient alpha method. Coefficient alpha estimates of reliability

provide information about the degree to which the items in the assessment measure similar

characteristics. I would use coefficient alpha instead of split-half, because coefficient alpha does

not require splitting the assessment in half for scoring purposes, like split-half method, and

coefficient alpha is most useful with traditional test items that are scored as right or wrong. In

addition, the proportion passing and standard deviation, which are required for the coefficient

alpha method, are available since this test would be scored through computation (Miller, Linn &

Gronlund, 2009, pp. 114-115). Standard Error of Measurement would be analyzed as well to

interpret the reliability based on errors. The lower the SEM is, the higher the reliability the test

has.

Description of masters/non-masters. Subkoviak (1988) introduces two contrasting techniques

for determine whether a group of students have mastered certain objectives. One is the

agreement coefficient and the other is the kappa coefficient. However these techniques are two

difficult for classroom teachers to implement. Subkoviak (1988) provides two more alternative

TEST PROPOSAL 13

techniques, but are still difficult with the need of computation. Subkoviak (1988) finally

recommends the easiest technique, which is to use matery-nonmastery tables from which

approximate values of the agreement coefficient or the kappa coefficient can be read directly. In

conclusion, I would use the table from which approximate values of the agreement coefficient

(Table of the agreement coefficient) for analyzing mastery-nonmatery. The reason is that the

table from the agreement coefficient is easiest for classroom teachers to implement and it is a

measure of overall consistency of mastery.

Discussion

Evaluation of Test Usefulness.

Reliability. This test is generally considered somewhat high reliable with the main

reason of objectivity. The test items of this test are the objective type: multiple-choice and

interpretive exercise, therefore, the resulting scores are not influenced by the scorers‟ judgment

or opinion. Since such highly objective procedures are used, the reliability of the test results is

not affected by the scoring procedures. Another reason for the relatively high reliability of this

test is derived from the number of assessment test items. In general, the larger the number of

tasks on an assessment, the higher its reliability will be. (Miller, Linn & Gronlund, 2009, pp.

114-115) This reading test includes 25 test items in total. The number of the entire test items

seems small, but it is quite large if we consider that the test takers‟ proficiency is generally low

and the portions of reading instruction taught is not big because English subject cover many

skills including listening, speaking, grammar, vocabulary, and writing.

Construct Related Evidence for Validity. The construct related validity of this test is

considered as generally high. The test defines the construct definition clearly and the test items

TEST PROPOSAL 14

represented the defined definition well. Also, there is a high degree of agreement between the

test characteristics and the in-class characteristics.

To increase construct related validity, this test made three improvements in developing

test items by following Nam (2012)‟s suggestions. First, test items were made from the diverse

authentic materials such as middle-school-age students‟ emails or a Christmas tree

advertisement. Second, as more various reading test items improve the validity of the test, an

interpretive test item was added to multiple-choice test items. Finally, this test was intended to

cover more competences of language ability such as textual knowledge, functional knowledge,

and sociolinguistic knowledge, as well as grammatical knowledge.

Despite all the efforts to improve the test validity, there are still some limitations of this

test. Especially, disagreement found between the test characteristic and the in-class

characteristics is that the relationship between input and output is reciprocal in the class, but non-

reciprocal in the test.

Consequential Evidence for Validity. The potential impact at the micro level is not

likely minimal as expected. First, students who pass the test will be considered that they have

met minimum standards of mastery of the content of the instructional unit and will be accepted to

a high school. At the micro level, decisions that will be made about what portions of a unit have

been effectively taught. I assume that there will be one negative impact of the test derived from

the multiple-choice test type. Teachers‟ instruction and students‟ studying English might focus

narrowly on what is on the test while ignoring important parts of the curriculum not covered by

the test. For example, the multiple-choice type tests cannot measure the students‟ higher order

thinking knowledge such as synthesis or evaluation.

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Practicality. In selecting assessment procedures, practical considerations cannot be

neglected. Practicality of this test is generally considered quite high. First, for ease of

administration, directions of this paper are simple and clear and subsets is only two, and the

time needed for administration of the assessment is short. Ease of administration is especially

important if this test is administered and interpreted by teachers with only minimum of training

in measurement. Second, the 45 minutes of the time allotted to assessment is reasonable; it is not

too short to reduce the reliability and it is not too long to hurt the practicality of administration.

Third, the cost of assessment is very cheap because this test will be implemented at school level.

TEST PROPOSAL 16

References

Brown, J. D. (2003a). Criterion-referenced item analysis. JALT, 7, 18-24. Retrieved from

http://jalt.org/test/bro_18.htm

Bachman, L. & Palmer, A. (1996). Language testing in practice. New York: Oxford

University Press.

Cohen, A. D. (1994). Assessing language ability in the classroom. 2nd ed. Boston: Heinle &

Heinle.

Miller, M. D., Linn, R. & Gronlund, N. (2009). Measurement and assessment in teaching (10th

ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill, Prentice Hall.

Gronlund, N. E., Waugh, C. K. (2009). Assessment of student achievement. 9th ed. Upper Saddle

River, N.J.: Pearson.

Lee, J. (2002) An analysis of regular English tests in middle schools and some suggestions

(Master‟s thesis). Retrieved from http://www.riss.kr/link?id=T8275849

Lee, M. (2007). An Analysis of English Tests in Middle Schools (Master‟s thesis). Retrieved from

http://www.riss.kr/link?id=T11015287

McMillan, J. H. (2007). Classroom assessment: principles and practice for effective standards-

based instruction. 4th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

Nam, E. (2012). Problems of English tests in middle schools and suggestions for their

improvement (Master‟s thesis). Retrieved from http://www.riss.kr/link?id=T12697209

TEST PROPOSAL 17

Subkoviak, M. (1988). A practitioner‟s guide to computation and interpretation of reliability

indices for matery tests. Journal of Educational Measurement, 25, 47-55.

The Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (2009). The 2009 Revision of the National

Curriculum . Retrieved from

http://www.mest.go.kr/web/48194/ko/board/view.do?bbsId=286&boardSeq=24812&mod

e=view

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Appendix A

Table of TLU Characteristics

Characteristics of the setting

physical characteristics Classroom

participants Students, instructor

time of task Daytime

Characteristics of the test rubric

instructions

language English – target language

channel Visual

specification of procedures and tasks Written, brief

structure Directions, a stem, and 3-4 alternatives per each item

time allotment 45 minutes

scoring method

criteria for correctness Selects right or best answer

procedures for scoring the response 0=wrong, 4=right

explicitness of criteria and procedures Each OK ans= 4 points in directions

Characteristics of the input

format

channel Visual (written)

form Language

language English – target language

length 10-20 line paragraphs

type Multiple-choice, Interpretive exercise

degree of speededness Somewhat speeded

vehicle Reproduced

language of the input

language characteristics

organizational characteristics

grammatical Simple vocabulary, morphology, syntax, recognition of graphemes and phonological structures, short sentences

textual Cohesion, rhetorical or conversational organization

pragmatic characteristics

functional Ideational and manipulative

sociolinguistic Register, naturalness, and cultural references

topical characteristics Daily activities (email, advertisement, invention)

Characteristics of the expected response

format

channel Visual (written)

form Language

language English - target language

length

type Selected response (multiple choice)

degree of speededness Somewhat speeded

language of the input

language characteristics

organizational characteristics

grammatical Simple vocabulary, morphology, syntax, recognition of graphemes and phonological structures, short sentences

textual Cohesion, rhetorical or conversational organization

pragmatic characteristics

functional Ideational and manipulative

sociolinguistic Register, naturalness, and cultural references

topical characteristics Daily activities (email, advertisement, invention)

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Relationship between input and response

reactivity Non-reciprocal

scope of relationship Narrow

directness of the relationship Indirect

TEST PROPOSAL 20

Appendix B

Table of Specifications

Objective

Texts

Knowledge Understanding Analysis

# of

items

% of

items Vocab

Specific detail

Main idea

Restatement Organization Inference

Email (It‟s One

World)

1

A1

1

A4

1

A2

1

A3

4

B13, B14,

B15,

B16

8 32

Advertisement

(Global

Advertising)

1 A7

1 A8

1 A5

1

A6

5

B17,

B18, B19,

B20,

B21

9 36

Inventions

( Great

Inventions of

the World)

1 A10

1 A11

1 A9

1 A12

4

B22,

B23,

B24, B25

8 32

# of items 3 3 3 2 1 13 25

Points per

section 24 24 52

100

% of items per

section 24 24 52 100

TEST PROPOSAL 21

Appendix C

Test

2012 FINAL TERM EXAMINATION

GRADE 9 ENGLISH READING

DATE: November 7th, 2012

Name: ________________

ID #: _________________

XX MIDDDLE SCHOOL

TEST PROPOSAL 22

Directions: There are two main parts to this test: PART A and PART B. Read the directions for

each part carefully, choose the best answer provided, and mark the symbol of your choice on the

answer sheet. The answer sheet is provided separately. Each correct answer for each test item

will receive 4 points. You have 45 minutes to complete all 25 test items.

PART A (48 points in total)

Directions: Read the following emails and choose the best answer for each question.

PASSAGE A-1

From: Irma Kaufman

To: Mina Park

Subject: I'm happy for you.

Hi, there! Yesterday I saw on the Internet that family members from North Korea and South

Korea met with each other after 50 years. It was so touching that I cried. You see, Germany was

divided into East and West, but we were reunified in 1990. After such a long time as a divided

country, it was not easy for us to get used to the many changes. It took a lot of (A)___________.

But now, we Germans are one country and we are very happy. I hope Korea will be reunified

soon.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Julio Rodriquez

To: Yongho Yi

Subject: My Korean friend

Hello from Rio! Guess what! My father bought a Korean car. It's a shiny red car, and we all love

it. I also told Maria about the car. Who is Maria? She's my Korean friend who lives next door.

Her Korean name is Sunmi, but here we call her Maria. I visited her yesterday and she taught me

how to make bulgogi. It was so delicious that I ate two dishes full.

Do you know anything about Brazil? Yes, Brazil is famous for soccer. But many foreigners also

know about our Rio Mardi Gras. We dance samba and eat many kinds of food. Please visit Brazil

sometime this year, won't you?

#1. Which is the most appropriate phrase for the blank (A) in the first email?

a. competition and cooperation

b. fight and war

c. time and patience

d. rest and peace

TEST PROPOSAL 23

#2. What is the main idea of the first email?

a. the reason for reunification

b. the importance of family

c. the reunification of family

d. the use of the Internet

#3. The bold faced sentence below is a summary of the second email. Which is the most

appropriate word for the blank?

Julio talks about his neighbor, Sunmi, who is from Korea. He also mentions some famous

things in Brazil, such as soccer and ____________.

a. bulgogi

b. friendship

c. cars

d. Rio Mardi Gras

#4. Which is TRUE according to the second email?

a. Julio is a German.

b. Julio bought a Korean car.

c. Maria is Julio‟s Korean friend.

d. Sunmi liked Bulgogi a lot and she ate two dishes full.

PASSAGE A-2

In the world of advertising, selling products is the most important goal. The more

communication develops, the smaller the world becomes. With the development of

transportation, the world is small enough to travel anywhere in one day. As companies become

global, they need to find new ways to sell their products all over the world. Thus, the problems

of global advertising-problems of language and culture-have become more serious than ever.

(A)__________, Braniff Airlines wanted to advertise its nice seats. But when its

advertisement was translated from English to Spanish, it said, “You can fly naked!”

Another interesting example of wrong translation is when Chevrolet tried to (B)________

the Chevy Nova in Latin America. In English, the word "nova" means "a star." But in Spanish, it

means "doesn't go." Would you buy a car with this name? Maybe not.

To solve these problems of translation, most advertising companies are now beginning to

write completely new ads for the world market. In the world of advertisements, nothing is more

important than communication. Thus, in writing new ads, global advertisers should think about

different styles of communication in different countries. In some cultures, the meaning of an

advertisement is delivered by the exact words. This is true in many Western countries such as the

United States and Britain. But in other cultures, such as in Korea or Japan, the message depends

TEST PROPOSAL 24

more on situations and feelings than the words.

People around the world have different customs as well as different likes and dislikes. So

to win the competition in the global market, it is important to know about the culture of each

country.

#5. What is the most appropriate title for the passage?

a. Effective Translation

b. Diversity of Language

c. Global Advertising

d. Globalization of Companies

#6. Which one of the following is the most appropriate expression for the blank (A)?

a. For example

b. In addition

c. In conclusion

d. Thus

#7. Which one of the following is NOT appropriate for the blank (B)?

a. advertise

b. import

c. market

d. sell

#8. Which is TRUE according to the passage?

a. Chevy means “a star” in Spanish.

b. In Korea, the meaning of an advertisement is delivered by the exact words.

c. Language and culture are important to know about for the global advertisement.

d. Braniff Airlines and Chevrolet wrote completely new ads when they tried to sell their products

in the global market.

PASSAGE A-3

Great Inventions of the World

Look around you. Your home and classroom are full of familiar things like computers

and DVD players, televisions and smart phones, ballpoint pens and paperclips. Nowadays, we

take all these things for granted. But only a hundred years ago, we didn't have any of these. We

can do a lot of things with these inventions. Many are used in the home and some are used in the

workplace. But they all have one thing in common: it is difficult to imagine life without them.

(A)________________________________ Sometimes it is an adventurous spirit that

makes people invent things. People had little idea how useful airplanes would be. They just want

TEST PROPOSAL 25

ed to fly through the air like birds. Sometimes people invent things to find an answer for a

problem. Do you know it was Napoleon who invented canned food? His need to feed his army

during a war led him to invent canned food. Sometimes inventions take place (B)________. We

use the microwave oven to have food cooked. The inventor of the microwave oven had little

interest in cooking. He was working for a radar company when he discovered that microwaves

could be used to produce heat. But most often, people invent things because they think things do

not work well enough. Many of the inventions were replacements for earlier, less convenient

inventions. People used a stick before someone invented the plow. The paperclip replaced the

pin as a way of holding papers together. Electric lights replaced oil and gas lamps. The sailing

ship was replaced by the steamship.

All of these inventions were great steps forward. From time to time the step was made by

one inventor. But more often, an invention is the product of a number of minds that work

together to make life easier for us all.

# 9. Which one of the following is most appropriate for the blank (A)?

a. How often do people invent things?

b. Why do people invent things?

c. What kinds of people invent things?

d. What kinds of things do people invent?

#10. Which one of the following is the most appropriate expression for the blank (B)?

a. by design

b. by accident

c. on purpose

d. step by step

#11. According to the above passage, which one of the following is NOT true?

a. An airplane was invented out of adventurous spirits.

b. Most inventions are made by one inventor.

c. Napoleon invented canned food in order to feed his army during a war.

d. People used the stick before the plow was invented.

#12. The boldfaced passage is a summary of the second paragraph. Decide which one of the

following is the most appropriate word for the blank.

There are four reasons why people invent things. First, invention occurs due to people’s

adventurous mind. Second, people invent things accidently. The third reason people invent

things is to fix problems. Finally, most inventions are the _____________ for old inventions

which may have had some problems.

a. collection

b. exchange

c. extinction

TEST PROPOSAL 26

d. replacement

PART B (52 points in total)

Directions: This part requires you to decide whether you can infer something using information

provided. Read the passage carefully. Then,

choose T if the statement may be inferred as TRUE;

choose F if the statement may be inferred as UNTRUE;

choose N if NO INFERENCE can be drawn about it from the paragraph.

PASSAGE B-1

From: Sambu Narayan

To: Sudong Kim

Subject: Hello

Annyeonghaseyo? Am I saying that correctly? I want to learn how to speak Korean. Maybe you

can be my teacher. Do all Koreans speak Korean? In my country there are fifteen languages and

more than 800 dialects. Sometimes it is difficult for me to understand other Indians. In India,

every student must learn at least three languages. English, of course, is one of them.

Do you know that India makes the largest number of movies in the world? I really like movies.

How about you? Tell me about Korean movies, won't you?

#13. Sambu does not speak Korean well.

#14. Sudong is an Indian.

#15. English is an important language in India.

#16. Sambu knows that “Annyeonghaseyo?” means “hello” in Korean.

PASSAGE B-2

Light Up the Holidays with the World’s Finest Christmas Trees!

Johnson Christmas Tree

(970) 111-2222

www. johnsonchristmastree. com

Johnson.christmastree@gmail.com

TEST PROPOSAL 27

Factory Direct: Save 40 % - 60%

100 % Satisfaction Guarantee

Open Weekends Only

Always Free Delivery

Extra 15 % Bonus Discount Until Dec. 10th

#17. You can buy Christmas candles and cards here.

#18. You can buy a Christmas tree on Monday.

#19. If you want further details, you can contact the company by phone or email.

#20. Christmas trees are cheaper at this store if you buy them before Dec. 10th

.

#21. If something is wrong with a tree you buy, you can exchange it for another or get a refund.

PASSAGE B-3

Davison

(970) 675-4832

844 Alex Drive, East Prospect Road, Fort Collins, Co 80525

For over 20 years, Davison has helped everyday people prepare and present their ideas to companies, manufacturers, and retailers for possible licensing. Our exclusive idea to product method is responsible for more products in the stores than anyone else in this industry. Founder George Davison has spent his entire career creating our method that helps inventors and idea people chase their dreams at an affordable price. Davison will build your product idea into a working prototype or product sample that we can then present to a company.

#22. Davison is the name of a company and the founder as well.

#23. Davison has helped people change their idea into a sample product for over 20 years.

#24. People get help from Davison for free.

#25. Davison does not provide online consultation.

TEST PROPOSAL 28

Appendix D

Answer Key

PART A

#1. c #2. a #3. d #4. c #5. a #6. b #7. c #8. c #9. b #10. b #11. b #12. d

PART B

#13. T #14. F #15. T #16. N #17. N #18. F #19. T #20. T #21. N #22. T

#23. T #24. F #25. N

TEST PROPOSAL 29

Appendix E

Reading Passages

Lesson 1. It's One World

Have you ever tried the Internet? It unifies the whole world. It is easy for everyone to use

the Internet. With only a computer and a phone line, you can surf the Internet and find the

information that you need.

With the Internet, there are no borders between nations. You can visit libraries in New York and

go to museums in Paris. You can read the news from all over the world and also see concerts in

other countries-all in your own room! Best of all, you can make new friends through the Internet.

From: Sambu Narayan

To: Sudong Kim

Subject: Hello

Annyeonghaseyo? Am I saying that correctly? I want to learn how to speak Korean. Maybe you

can be my teacher. Do all Koreans speak Korean? In my country there are fifteen languages and

more than 800 dialects. Sometimes it is difficult for me to understand other Indians. In India,

every student must learn at least three languages. English, of course, is one of them.

Do you know that India makes the largest number of movies in the world? I really like movies.

How about you? Tell me about Korean movies, won't you?

From: Irma Kaufman

To: Mina Park

Subject: I'm happy for you.

Hi, there! Yesterday I saw on the Internet that family members from North Korea and South

Korea met with each other after 50 years. It was so touching that I cried. You see, Germany was

divided into East and West, but we were reunified in 1990. After such a long time as a divided

country, it was not easy for us to get used to the many changes. It took a lot of patience and

understanding. But now, we Germans are one country and we are very happy. I hope Korea will

be reunified soon.

From: Julio Rodriquez

To: Yongho Yi

Subject: My Korean friend

Hello from Rio! Guess what! My father bought a Korean car. It's a shiny red car, and we all love

it. I also told Maria about the car. Who is Maria? She's my Korean friend who lives next door.

Her Korean name is Sunmi, but here we call her Maria. I visited her yesterday and she taught me

how to make bulgogi. It was so delicious that I ate two dishes full.

Do you know anything about Brazil? Yes, Brazil is famous for soccer. But many foreigners also

know about our Rio Mardi Gras. We dance samba and eat many kinds of food. Please visit Brazil

sometime this year, won't you?

TEST PROPOSAL 30

Lesson 2. Global Advertising

In the world of advertising, selling products is the most important goal. The more

communication develops, the smaller the world becomes. With the development of

transportation, the world is small enough to travel anywhere in one day. As companies become

global, they need to find new ways to sell their products all over the world. Thus, the problems

of global advertising-problems of language and culture-have become more serious than ever.

For example, Braniff Airlines wanted to advertise its nice seats. But when its

advertisement was translated from English to Spanish, it said, “You can fly naked!“

Another interesting example of wrong translation is when Chevrolet tried to market the Chevy

Nova in Latin America. In English, the word "nova" means "a star." But in Spanish, it means

"doesn't go." Would you buy a car with this name? Maybe not.

To solve these problems of translation, most advertising companies are now beginning to

write completely new ads for the world market. In the world of advertisements, nothing is more

important than communication. Thus, in writing new ads, global advertisers should think about

different styles of communication in different countries. In some cultures, the meaning of an

advertisement is delivered by the exact words. This is true in many Western countries such as the

United States and Britain. But in other cultures, such as in Korea or Japan, the message depends

more on situations and feelings than the words.

People around the world have different customs as well as different likes and dislikes. So

to win the competition in the global market, it is important to know about the culture of each

country.

CLASSIFIED

Hwarang 21

Home on the road.

The more you drive it, the more you feel at home.

Arirang Kimchi

A taste good enough to move the world.

Daehan Bookstore

Open a book

Open a new world

Open your mind

Moving Sale

Desk

Like new. Has a desktop lamp.

$ 30. 381-4265

Coffee Table

65X30X40 inches

Modern style

$ 24.00

TEST PROPOSAL 31

A babysitter who can take good care of a 3-year-old boy.

$ 5 for an hour. Tel:784-4265

Now Hiring

Looking for a salesperson who can work from 4 to 8 p.m. at Orchard Bookstore. Call Mr.

Holmes at 617-919-3645.

Lesson 3. Great Inventions of the World

Look around you. Your home and classroom are full of familiar things like computers

and CD players, televisions and telephones, ballpoint pens and paperclips. Nowadays, we take all

these things for granted. But only a hundred years ago, we didn't have any of these. We can do a

lot of things with these inventions. Many are used in the home and some are used in the

workplace. But they all have one thing in common: it is difficult to imagine life without them.

What makes people invent things? Sometimes it is an adventurous spirit that makes

people invent things. People had little idea how useful airplanes would be. They just wanted to

fly through the air like birds. Sometimes people invent things to find an answer for a problem.

Do you know it was Napoleon who invented canned food? His need to feed his army during a

war led him to invent canned food. Sometimes inventions take place by accident. We use the

microwave oven to have food cooked. The inventor of the microwave oven had little interest in

cooking. He was working for a radar company when he discovered that microwaves could be

used to produce heat. But most often, people invent things because they think things do not work

well enough. Many of the inventions were replacements for earlier, less convenient inventions.

People used a stick before someone invented the plow. The paperclip replaced the pin as a way

of holding papers together. Electric lights replaced oil and gas lamps. The sailing ship was

replaced by the steamship.

All of these inventions were great steps forward. From time to time the step was made by

one inventor. But more often, an invention is the product of a number of minds that work

together to make life easier for us all.

TEST PROPOSAL 32

Appendix F

ANSWER SHEET

NAME: _______________________ ID #: _______________________

Directions: Circle the correct answer for each question.

ITEM # ANSWER ITEM # ANSWER

1 a b c d 13 T F N

2 a b c d 14 T F N

3 a b c d 15 T F N

4 a b c d 16 T F N

5 a b c d 17 T F N

6 a b c d 18 T F N

7 a b c d 19 T F N

8 a b c d 20 T F N

9 a b c d 21 T F N

10 a b c d 22 T F N

11 a b c d 23 T F N

12 a b c d 24 T F N

25 T F N

TEST PROPOSAL 33

Appendix G

2002 Final Term Examination Grade 9 English Reading

Student Score Report

Name: __________________________________ ID#: _______________________

Park 1: Multiple-Choice Test

Vocabulary correct (3): _____ x 4 =_____

Specific detail correct (3): _____ x 4 =_____

Main idea correct (3): _____ x 4 =_____

Restatement correct (2): _____ x 4 =_____

Organization correct (1): _____ x 4 =_____

Subtotal Correct (12): _____ x 4 =_____

Subtotal : ______/48 points

Part 2: Interpreting

Email correct (4): _____ x 4 =_____

Advertisement correct (5): _____ x 4 =_____

Invention correct (4): _____ x 4 =_____

Subtotal Correct (13): ______ x 4 =_____

Subtotal: ______/52 points

Total Score: /100 points (Passing Score: ≥ 60.)

Grade: ______