Malagarriga G., Edith Testing Skills and Components: A Practical Guide for EFL Teacher Trainees.

CHAPTER I

TESTING TECHNIQUES FOR VOCABULARY

It must be said, that while many language testers have paid little attention to vocabulary
tests, second language acquisition researchers have shown special interest in this field.
For many years, teachers of English as a foreign language have given more importance to
the testing of grammatical aspects and have disregarded the value of vocabulary
knowledge and its testing.

Nevertheless, nowadays the testing of this component is gaining importance as teachers

are devoting more time to a conscious teaching of vocabulary and as a consequence its
testing is becoming a common practice.

According to Read (2000), the purpose of a vocabulary test is to measure the level of
vocabulary knowledge and the ability that learners have reached. On the other hand,
Madsen (1983) establishes that the aim of vocabulary tests is to measure the
comprehension and production of words used in speaking and writing. I think that while
Reads consideration is comprehensive, Madsens tends to be so specific that I will dare to
claim that he is missing two other skills (listening and reading) where vocabulary
knowledge and comprehension may also be measured.

Vocabulary knowledge can be thought of as falling into the following types according to the
four major language skills:

SKILL VOCABULARY CHANNEL

Listening Passive Oral

Speaking Active Oral

Reading Passive Written

Writing Active Written

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The first is passive listening vocabulary, which consists of words that the listener
recognizes but cannot necessarily produce when speaking. The second is active speaking
vocabulary, that is, words that the speaker is able to use in speaking. The third type is
reading passive vocabulary, which refers to words that a reader recognizes but would not
necessarily be able to produce. Finally, there is active writing vocabulary, which is related
to words that a writer is able to use in writing.

In the same chart the term channel refers to the channel used for communication. For
instance, reading and writing tests can be referred as the written channel because they
both involve language written on paper.

A test may measure one or all of these types of vocabulary, but the test maker should be
aware of the differences among these types and which is being tested. That is, the test
designer must have very clear specifications of the purpose of the test and the level of the
students to be tested. Then the teacher trainee will have to decide the testing techniques
to be used in order to measure what he wants to measure to obtain reliable results that will
help him make the right decisions.

Once you have decided what you want to assess, you then have to choose the technique
that best gathers the information about the specific vocabulary knowledge you want to test.

Throughout this guide you are going to find the term technique in every chapter in order
to present the group of procedures which are going to be used in the designing of the
items to test a specific skill or component. On the other hand, the term level refers to the
demanding character of the item, that is, if the testees have just to identify or if they have
to produce something in particular. For instance, the multiple-choice items require the
testees to recognize the right answer and mark it, the only thing that these testees are
doing is to produce a tick () or to draw a circle around the correct option.

In this chapter we are going to deal separately with each of the following techniques:

TECHNIQUE LEVEL

Multiple-choice definition Recognition

Multiple-choice completion Recognition

Multiple-choice paraphrase Recognition

Paraphrase (supply type) Production

TECHNIQUE LEVEL

Simple completion Production

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Simple Completion with Recognition

Word Box

Sets of associated words Recognition/Production

Morphology cloze Production

Matching Recognition

Pictures Recognition/Production

SELECTION OF TEST WORDS

The selection of vocabulary test words is relatively easy if all the students have been using
the same syllabus. In this case we may be talking about achievement tests and so the
sources of words would be the course syllabus, the text book, students reading materials,
and lexical errors from students written work.

On the other hand, if the testees have not been using the same syllabus, we may be
referring to a proficiency test and consequently the problem of choosing vocabulary
becomes more complicated. In this particular case, since the students do not have a
common syllabus to draw on, it is probably most appropriate to draw on the vocabulary of
the task for which the testees are being tested. An example would be the case in which
the test is being used to choose students to follow a course of study at a British university,
then the items for the test can be chosen from academic vocabulary of a particular subject
area.

Final notes: a) It is important to remember that usually only content words, such as
nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs are included in vocabulary tests. Function words
(articles, determiners, prepositions, conjunctions, pronouns, auxiliary verbs) appear in
grammar tests. b)The grammatical structures, when testing vocabulary, should be easy to
understand. If the grammatical structures are difficult, the test would be testing both, the
ability to understand the grammatical structure and the knowledge of the vocabulary item.

MULTIPLE-CHOICE ITEMS.

Probably the most common ways of testing vocabulary objectively are the multiple-choice
tasks. These tasks are not as demanding as others since the right answer is provided and
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so the testees job will only be to choose the correct option. This means that students will
not have to produce anything, they will just have to recognize the right answer.

Multiple-choice items consists of two parts: The stem and the alternatives which include
the correct option and the distractors or incorrect options. In the following paragraphs
each one of these parts is going to be explained and suggestions for constructing high
quality items will be provided. Then later in the chapter some of the most problematic
cases will be illustrated with examples.
Gap Stem
Example:
If Cindy stays up after midnight, she looks very ________ the next morning.
A. happy
Alternatives B. frustrated distractors
C. enthusiastic
D. sleepy right answer

The Stem.
The stem is the first part of a multiple choice item and is often called the question, even
though the stem may have different forms.
It may appear in a number of ways, depending on the purpose of the item. So we are
going to find questions, incomplete statements, single words, definitions, and even
complete ideas as stems.
It is important to remember that the item-stem should clearly formulate the problem.
Provide in the stem all the information needed to arrive to an unambiguous answer to
the item.
Include in this part of the item any words that would be repeated in each option.
Use an introductory sentence for the item if it seems useful. Two sentences may
express the problem more clearly than one.
Avoid the use of negative wording in items. If negatives are necessary, emphasize them
with bolding, underlining or capitalization. Do not use negatives in both the stem and the
responses because double negatives can be confusing.

The Alternatives.
Use 3 to 5 options. Four or five options are desirable to reduce guessing, but a good
item with three options can be useful. Do not discard an item with only three good options
or add implausible options, but make the number of alternatives consistent. In this sense,
it is a very particular recommendation to provide 4 options, since it allows the test maker
the possibility to design items that appear to have a balance in terms of content and
length. This balance will be obtained by the even distribution of the options, for example
two alternatives will be longer than the rest.
All the alternatives should be homogeneous in content and grammatically consistent
with the stem.
Do not use All of the above as an option.
None of the above should not be used as an option with best answer items but can
be used effectively with computational items. In this case, that option must be included in
all the items.
Present the options in a list format rather than in a paragraph with the stem.
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The Correct Option.

The correct option or answer should be about the same length as the other options. In
the case of paraphrase items, test makers often make the right answer longer because
they want to be sure they have paraphrased the key word adequately.
Randomize the occurrence of correct responses.
Do not provide more than one correct or clearly best answer.
Do not repeat key words from the stem in the keyed option.

The Distractors or Incorrect Options.

These should be reasonably attractive and plausible so be aware of distractors which
are obviously absurd.
They should not be much easier or more difficult than the correct option.
The distractors must provide the same word form as the correct answer.
The test maker must avoid grammatical clues that will give away the right answer.
When composing the distractors, include any misconceptions that students are likely to
hold.
Make the distractors plausible and equally attractive to students who may not know the
correct answer.
Consider as distractors responses that are correct but do not answer the question posed
by the stem.

INSTRUCTION PREPARATION.
The test maker should provide brief, clear and simple instructions. The students should
not spend much time reading long and complicated instructions since they are not being
tested on them. Conversely, this situation may cause undue anxiety that would affect the
performance of the student in the test. Oral instructions can be given as a reinforcement
of the written ones, but these should never replace the ones in their papers. Some
teachers like to include an example as a part of the instructions in order to show how to
answer the questions. Examples should be included only when necessary, it is not
recommendable to abuse of this strategy and make instructions so long that students will
skip them all.

Final note: Do not forget to specify the marks assigned to each item at the end of the
instructions for that set of items.

TECHNIQUES FOR TESTING VOCABULARY.

This part of the chapter presents a detailed description of each of the techniques used for
testing vocabulary followed by examples illustrating those techniques. A special
emphasis has been given to the preparation of the instructions and for this reason every
example is preceded by one or two ways of presenting the directions. Some of the
Malagarriga G., Edith TESTING SKILLS AND COMPONENTS: A Practical Guide for EFL Teacher Trainees. 6

techniques will offer a section labeled more items where you are going to find additional
forms of the technique being described.

MULTIPLE-CHOICE DEFINITION

This type of vocabulary item consists of a test word followed by several possible definitions
or synonyms.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Read each word carefully. Then look at the four definitions and choose the
one that best defines the word. Mark with a tick the chosen option.

Read the following words and mark with a tick the letter that represents the
best definition of the given word.
Example:
1.1. Seal
A. small stamp
B. marine animal
C. wild pig
D. sharp knife

A variation of the foregoing reverses the order and places the definition first. This version
is preferable in that it permits the testing of several problem words per item.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Read the following definitions /descriptions and mark with a tick the letter that
contains the word described.
Example:
1.2. A marine animal
A. seal
B. pig
C. serpent
D. frog

MULTIPLE-CHOICE COMPLETION
This kind of item is constructed by deleting a word from a sentence so that the students
will have to fill in that gap in the stem by choosing the right option from the alternatives.
Here there are some examples:
INSTRUCTIONS.
Read the following statements and mark with a tick the letter that best
completes the idea.
Read carefully the following statements. Choose the letter that best completes
the sentence among the alternatives. Mark with a tick the selected letter.
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Examples:
1.3. Though the flowers looked very real, they were actually ___.
A. fundamental
B. prosperous
C. artificial
D. abundant

1.4. I admire him and wish to ________my banquet as a guest.

A. assist
B. attend
C. come
D. appear

1.5. A set of connected events on which a story, play or film is

based is known as ____________.
A. theme
B. place
C. setting
D. plot

1.6. Mr. Smith ___________ goes to the cinema on Wednesdays.

A. carefully
B. normally
C. suddenly
D. completely

More Items:
In this section you will find examples illustrating some additional forms of the technique
being described that is multiple-choice completion.
(Opposites)
1.7. The opposite of sad is ___________.
A. depressed
B. happy
C. ashamed
D. greedy
(Synonyms)
1.8. The synonym of murderer is ____________.
A. mugger
B. robber
C. killer
D. thief

MULTIPLE-CHOICE PARAPHRASE.

This technique requires the testees to choose, the best paraphrase or synonym that
would replace the vocabulary item in the stem among the given alternatives. The
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problematic word must be highlighted in a way that the students are able to see it easily.
The test maker then may write it in bold face, italics or underline it. This is an excellent
technique for testing idioms and other lexical items. Here there are some examples:

INSTRUCTIONS.
Read the following statements and find the one that best paraphrases each
underlined word among the alternatives. Mark with a tick the right option.

Read the statements below and mark with a tick the letter that contains the best
paraphrase for each underlined word.
Examples:

1.8. To take hold of someone without any warning.

A. notice
B. disturb
C. attack
D. surprise

1.9. Our director is a man whom everyone looks up to.

A. admires
B. obeys
C. tolerates
D. criticizes

1.10. The upset teacher went at once to the principals office.

A. undoubtedly
B. immediately
C. suddenly
D. unexpectedly

1.11. Lets hear you make that violin talk.

A. play it expertly
B. repeat it again
C. repair it too
D. play it louder

PARAPHRASE SUPPLY.
This technique is similar to the one described above, except that testees are not given
alternatives from which to choose. In this case students are required to produce the word
or phrase that has the same meaning of the word that is being tested and is highlighted
(bold face, italics or underlined) in the stem. Here there are some examples:

INSTRUCTIONS:
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Read the statements below and write an equivalent to the underlined words or
phrases.

Read the following statements and provide a synonym or paraphrase to the

underlined words.
Examples:

1.12. Madison Avenue was blocked with traffic, so I backed up and

drove down one of the side streets.
Students answer: put the car in reverse went
backwards.

1.13. There are many Italian tourists traveling to Chicago.

Students answer: a lot of

SIMPLE COMPLETION.
In this technique the test maker provides an incomplete statement and the students have
to produce the word or phrase to fill in the gap. This is a more challenging technique than
the multiple-choice completion one, since there are not any alternatives and the only clue
is the context. The context plays a very important role, this is the only element in the item
that the test maker has to make the testee produce what he wants him to produce. It will
be very valuable for the tester to remember that he may prepare an answer key, but he
must be aware of the different possible answers that students may produce. Here there
are some examples:

INSTRUCTIONS:
Read the following incomplete statements and fill in the blanks with the words
that best completes the idea.
Examples:

1.14. I know apartments are ___________, but Ill be making good

money.
Suggested answer: expensive
1.15. The celebrations began in April with a dance called the senior
prom, a formal occasion with ___________ and evening
gowns.
Suggested answers: tuxedos dinner jackets formal
suits

1.16. I worked and traveled in South America for a while, but

eventually I _______ homesick.
Suggested answer: got
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1.17. It isnt easy for the Johnsons to make ends meet, so Adela
spends their money very _____________.
Suggested answer: carefully

More Items:
In this section you will find examples illustrating an additional form of the technique being
described that is simple completion.

INSTRUCTIONS.
Complete the following sentences by writing the right form of the word within
parenthesis.
Examples:
1.18. (wonder) He had a _______________ idea.
The students write: wonderful

1.19. (interest) There were some _____________people here.

The students write: interesting

SIMPLE COMPLETION WITH A WORD BOX.

In this kind of item the students have to fill in the gaps by choosing the right word or
phrase from a given Word Box. This box will not only provide the correct answers but
some distractors.

NSTRUCTIONS.
Complete the following sentences with the right word from the given word box.

pharmacist mechanic carpenter

gardener plumber barber

Examples:
1.20. A _____________is someone who is trained to prepare
drugs and Medicines
1.21. A _____________ is a person whose job is making and
repairing wooden objects.
1.22. A ______________ is someone whose job is to repair water
pipes and sinks.
1.23. A ______________ is a person who cuts mens hair.
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SETS OF ASSOCIATED WORDS.

The purpose of this technique is to make the students identify (multiple-choice) or produce
(supply) the word that is related to the stimulus word. Here there are some examples.

Multiple Choice:

INSTRUCTIONS:
Read the following words and mark with a tick the letter of the alternative that
represents the word that is related to the stimulus word.
Examples
1.24. OFFICE
A. suitcase
B. carry-on bag
C. briefcase
D. backpack

1.25. AIRPORT
A. customs officer
B. ticket collector
C. toll collector
D. mail carrier

Supply:

INSTRUCTIONS:
Read the following groups of words and write down the particular word which
represents each group.
Examples:
1.26. yacht canoe ferry steamer = _______________
Students answer: ships and boats

1.27. love hate anger horror = ________________

Students answer: feelings

MORPHOLOGY CLOZE.
Cloze tests are made from stories or essays by deleting words at regular intervals. A more
detailed explanation of the Cloze Procedure will be presented in Chapter V. As the name
suggests, this technique consists of deleting inflectional suffixes, non inflectional suffixes
and prefixes. The students will have to complete the missing parts by producing that part
of the word. This technique as all Cloze Procedures has the advantage of providing
more context in which students can rely to produce their answers. Look at the example
that follows:
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INSTRUCTIONS:
Read the following paragraph and complete the missing parts of the words with
the right inflections, prefixes or suffixes. Write an X whenever you think there
is nothing missing.
Example:

1.28 In my opinion advertis____(1) is nothing more but a money-making plot to

control our live____(2). Television and radio commercials, as well as newspaper
and magazine ads, all cry out to us BUY, BUY, BUY. I believe that their
catch____(3) songs and slogans, bright, attract____(4) ads, and beauty____(5)
models all conspire to sell us product____(6) we either do not want or do not need.
Even when we do not need to buy something, we usual____(7) buy it for the
wrong____(8) reason. Color____(9) packages and amus____(10) ads get better
sale results than the actual quality does. In addition, many commercials are
(11)____leading or (12)____honest and give the public false information. It is clear
to me that until we stop believ____(13) everything we see and hear in
advertise____(14), they will continue to control us. (Taken from: Paragraph Patters 1983)

Students answer: (1) advertising; (2) lives; (3) catchy / catching; (4)
attractive; (5) beautiful; (6) products; (7) usually; (8) X; (9) colorful; (10)
amusing; (11) misleading; (12) dishonest; (13) believing; (14)
advertisements.

MATCHING.
The basic matching task requires the students to make a connection between target words
and their synonyms or definitions. In the designing of this type of item the test maker must
pay attention to its presentation; that is, he must provide two columns, one for the target
words and another for the definitions. The number of definitions must be superior to the
number of words in order to avoid the automatical resolution of the last word. In this sense
it is recommendable to provide at least two or three more synonyms or definitions. Here
there are some examples:

INSTRUCTIONS:
Look at the following words in column A and find the definition in column B.
Then write the letter of that definition next to each word.

Examples:

1.29. A B
1. friendly (b) a. incurable and lost
2. frightful (e) b. amicable and sociable
3. disappointed (f) c. close and familiar
4. intimate (c) d. unreasonable and unsuitable
5. hopeless (a) e. terrible and dreadful
f. sad and deceitful
g. unhappy and miserable
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1.30. A B
1. libraries (d) a. places where children are taken care of
2. nurseries (a) b. buildings where things are kept and shown
3. bookstores (f) c. rooms where legal documents are kept
4. museums (b) d. rooms where books can be borrowed
5. ports (g) e. places where doctors can rest
f. shops where books and magazines are sold
g. places where ships load an unload people

Final note: Even though it is recommendable to present this item as shown in examples
(1.26 and 1.27), you may also present the definitions in column A and the words in
column B but again you must provide at least two or three distractors for those
definitions.

PICTURES.
It is very convenient to use pictures when testing children or beginning-level adults. In this
way you avoid using language skills that those learners have not reached yet or you may
just reduce the reading part. These testing activities are usually used together with oral
commands in order to avoid written instructions that learners are not going to be able to
read. Here you are going to find only a few examples that will illustrate some cases.

Multiple-Choice
INSTRUCTIONS.
Listen to the following words and Put an X on the picture that illustrates what you
hear.

Examples:

1.31 The students hear:

This is a veterinarian.

X
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1.32. The students hear:

This is a detective.

Matching
INSTRUCTIONS.
Write the number of the word from column B that corresponds to the picture
in column A.
Example:
1.33..
A B

1. Subway
4 .
2. Train

3. Boat
6 .
4. Car

5. Bus
2 .
6. Truck

7. Plane
7 .
8. Ship

5 .

Identification
INSTRUCTIONS.
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Look at the picture and draw a circle around each of the objects the teacher wll
say.

The students hear:

1.34. A) television set

B) radio
C) table lamp
D) rug

Completion

INSTRUCTIONS.
Complete the following sentences using the words illustrated in the pictures.

Example:
.

1.35. The __________ is in the living

room.

1.36.. There is some __________ in the

kitchen.

1.37. My new __________ are in the

library.

1.38. Cindys __________ is in her office.

ADVICE ON ITEM WRITING.

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Since it is almost impossible to cover all the problems language teacher trainees may face
when designing items, this part of the chapter attempts to discuss some of the most
common mistakes teacher trainees make in order to help them produce more valid and
reliable items.

Grammatical cue.

1.39 .() The results revealed that, Susan was an ________ subject for the
experiment.
A. conservative
B. appropriate
C. realistic
D. representative

Option (B) is obviously the correct answer and it does not prove any knowledge of the
vocabulary item. On the contrary, the student could have answered it just by selecting the
only word that fits in that context because of the article. Now that you know the problem
your job will be to improve this item by making the proper changes.
Unrelated word.

1.40. () A thick growth of trees covering an extensive tract of land, is known as

a _____________.
A. farm
B. field
C. foam
D. forest

Option (D) is the correct answer but the problem here is that option C is a very poor
distractor since it is not related to the topic. All choices should be related to the same area
or kind of activity. Now you will have to improve this item by making the proper changes.

Repetition in the options.

1.41. () All our clothes shrank in the water.

A. They got smaller.
B. They got larger.
C. They got useless.
D. They got colorless.

Option (A) is the correct answer but the problem here is the repetition of the same words
at the beginning of each alternative. Your job will be to make all the necessary changes to
improve this item.

Length of the options.

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1.42. () Sensitiveness to the pain and to the suffering of others.

A. embarrassment
B. astonishment
C. pity
D. presupposition

Option (C) is the correct answer. The problem here is the length of the options because
the right one is the shortest. This fact may give away the proper answer since students
may discard the other options and decide for the visually different one. Now that you
know the problem, make all the necessary changes to improve this poor item.

Mistakes in the stem.

1.43. () People who can make changes quite easy are _______________.
A. adaptable
B. enthusiastic
C. cooperative
D. hardworking

Option (A) is the correct answer and there is not any problem with the alternatives.
However mistakes could also be found in the stems. Locate the mistake in order to
improve this item.

Testing another component.

1.44. () He _________ up the radio so that he could hear the music.

A. turns
B. turned
C. turning
D. turn

Option (B) is the correct answer, there is not any doubt about it. The problem is that this
item is not testing vocabulary knowledge; instead it is testing grammatical competence.
So now that you know what the problem is, make all the necessary changes in order to
make it test what you want to test.

ACTIVITIES FOR PRACTICE.

In this section you will find activities for each of the testing techniques introduced in this
chapter. Notice that no specific student level is established in every exercise since the
particular technique determines the level and kind of students. Those cases requiring
additional directions will be considered as they are assigned.
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A. MULTIPLE-CHOICE DEFINITION.

1. Prepare four multiple-choice definition items for the following vocabulary words:
laziness/ treasure/ ashamed/ wages.

2. Choose two short definitions and for each one prepare four alternatives (the right option
and three distractors).

B. MULTIPLE-CHOICE COMPLETION.

1. Prepare four multiple-choice completion items for the following vocabulary words:
shock/ inevitable/ undoubtedly/ satisfy. For each word provide a good context and four
alternatives (the right option and three distractors).

2. Choose words to be used for testing opposites and synonyms. Prepare four
alternatives (the right option and three distractors).

3. The following items contain problems, identify and indicate the weakness(es) in each
one. Then correct those problems in order to improve them.

3.1. People ________ in their reaction to the same problem.

A. vary
B. upset
C. replace
D. very

3.2. The news of the accident had a ___________ effect on her.

A. disturbing
B. disturbs
C. disturbed
D. disturb

3.3. insipid
A. safe; harmless
B. very high; grand
C. uninteresting (e.g. conversation); bland
D. of importance; relevant

3.4. It will be fun to go there and have a __________.

A. illusion
B. picnic
C. entre
D. opening
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C. MULTIPLE-CHOICE PARAPHRASE.

Prepare four multiple-choice paraphrase items for the following word and phrases: to give
up/ to hand in/ opposition/ courage. Provide an appropriate context and prepare suitable
equivalents and three distractors for each.

D. PARAPHRASE SUPPLY.

Prepare an appropriate context for each of the following: to show up/ to figure out/
restoration/ barely. Provide the synonym or the paraphrase that would work as possible
answers.

E. SIMPLE COMPLETION.

Prepare an appropriate context for each of the following vocabulary words: prohibited/
helpless/ economize/ requirement/ successfully.

F. SETS OF ASSOCIATED WORDS.

1. Look at the following words and provide four alternatives (the right option and three
distractors). Vocabulary words: restaurant/ supermarket/ poultry/ library.

2. Prepare sets of associated words (four words) for each of the following: fruits/ titles/
fish/ landscapes.

G. MORPHOLOGY CLOZE.

Find a text and prepare a morphology cloze. Specify the level for which it is intended.

H. MATCHING.

1. Design matching items for testing the vocabulary related to: a) the parts of the body; b)
clothes.

2. Examine very carefully the following matching exercise and decide whether it is good or
poor. In case you decide it is poor: identify the problem(s) and make the necessary
change(s) in order to improve it.

A B
1. resum a. a list of explanations of words, especially unusual ones.
Malagarriga G., Edith TESTING SKILLS AND COMPONENTS: A Practical Guide for EFL Teacher Trainees. 20

2. biography b. a room where you do work that involves different activities.

3. office c. a collection of all the writing of a particular kind.

4. glossary d. an account of a persons life written by someone else.

5. corpus e. a written account of your education and previous jobs.

I. PICTURES.

1. Find a picture (or sketch) for the students to identify vocabulary items by drawing an X
on the specific object. Prepare five specific oral directions related to that picture.

2. Design a matching exercise using pictures and written information.

3. Write out a set of six incomplete statements for the students to write the missing
information illustrated in the pictures.

4. Find sets of individual pictures for the students to identify vocabulary items by drawing
an X in the space provided.

CHALLENGE.

Design an item that shows your inventiveness and creativity. Specify the level and kind of
students.