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ContentsoftheEnglishPlacementTest
TheUWEnglishPlacementTest(EPT)[Link],SentenceCorrection,andReading
Comprehension.TheentireEnglishPlacementTestisdesignedtobecompletedin90minutes,whichrequiresanaverageofapproximately30
[Link].
FollowthislinkforaPracticeEnglishPlacementTest
BackgroundoftheTest
Intheearly1970's,theCollegeWritingAssociation,consistinglargelyofcompositionteachersintheUniversityofWisconsinSystem,beganto
[Link],
reliablewaystoidentifystudentsneedingsuchworkforsurvivalincollege,andtoestablishfair,uniformstandardsformeasuringstudent
[Link]
[Link],
therefore,thatoneofitsimmediatetaskswastheconstructionofaplacementtestwhosecontentandstandardswouldsuittheparticularneedsof
[Link]
asitsmajorpurposetheidentificationofthosestudentswhoneedimmediateremedialhelpand,attheotherendofthescale,thosestudentswho
couldjustifiablybeplacedintoadvancedcourses.
Sixinstructors,fromvariousUWSystemcampuses,[Link]
themembershipoftheCollegeWritingAssociation,andwithmembersoftheirownandotherEnglishdepartments,thecommitteemembers
[Link]
[Link],thecommitteeattendedworkshops
ontestconstructiondirectedbyaconsultantfromtheEducationalTestingService,andinthefollowingmonthsmetwiththeOfficeofTesting
[Link],the
committeeturnedtoitsmajortasks:thecreationoftestitemsontheskillsdeemednecessaryforgoodwriting,thecollecting,refining,correcting
andapprovingofsuchitemsforinclusioninthetest,[Link]
wasgiventoabout3,[Link],thetestcontinuestoberefinedandimprovedsothatit
effectivelydistinguishesthestudentswiththestrongestlanguageskillsandthestudentswiththeweakestlanguageskillsfromthegeneral
populationofstudents.
TestDescription
TheEnglishTestDevelopmentCommitteedecidedonthreebroadcategoriesofitemswhichbecamethethreesubtestsoftheUWSystem
[Link],[Link]
designedtobecompletedin80minutes,[Link]
[Link]'sabilitytodistinguishproblemsinthe
followingclassifications:
VerbProblemsagreement,tenseconsistencyandweakconstruction
PronounProblemsconsistency,case,agreementandreference
DictionProblemsdictionandidiom
ModifierProblemsadjectiveandadverbform,placementandcomparison
SentenceProblemsfragment,commafault,parallelism,subordination,punctuationforclarity,economy,wordorderandlogic.
[Link]
toselecthemosteffectiveexpressionfromamongfivechoices.
TheReadingComprehensionsubtestrequiresstudentstodemonstratetheabilitytounderstandandinterpretprosepassagescomparabletothose
[Link]
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[Link],tointerpretfigurativelanguage,todraw
inferencesfromwhattheyread,torecognizeprinciplesoforganizationandtoidentifythefunctionofprominentstylisticfeatures.
SampleItems
EnglishUsageItems
Directions:
Someofthefollowingsentencescontainanerroringrammar,usage,punctuation,[Link]
[Link],ifthereisone,[Link]
[Link],followtherequirementsofstandardwrittenEnglish.
Ifthereisanerror,selecttheoneunderlinedpartthatmustbechangedinordertomakethesentencecorrectandblackenthecorrespondingspace
onyouranswersheet.
Ifthereisnoerror,markthefinalanswerspace,E.
EXAMPLES
[Link],[Link].
ABCDE
Becausetwosentencesdividedonlybyacommacreateacommafault,eitheraconjunction
mustbeaddedorthepunctuationmustbechangedtoaperiod,asemicolon,oradash.
Therefore,Cmustbechanged,andyouwouldmarkConyouranswersheet.
Note:whenthepunctuationisinquestion,theunderliningmayextendbeneathaspace,asin1C.
[Link],whohadjusteaten,[Link].
ABCDE
Becausewedonotgenerallysay"thoughtconcerning,"but"thoughtabout,"Bmustbechanged,andyouwouldmarkBonyouranswersheet.
ThefollowingitemsaresamplesofthetypeusedintheUsagesectionoftheEnglishPlacementTest:
[Link].
ABCDE
[Link],[Link].
A
BCDE
[Link].
ABCDE
[Link],thesteamernexttookustoBirdIsle,[Link].
ABCDE
[Link].
ABCDE
Thecorrectanswersfortheabovequestionsare:
3.C
4.B
5.E
6.A
7.A
SentenceCorrectionItems
Directions:[Link],followtherequirementsofstandardwritten
Englishthatis,payattentiontoacceptableusageingrammar,wordchoice,sentenceconstruction,[Link]
producesthemosteffectivesentenceclearandexact,[Link]
originalsentence.
Ineachofthesentencesofthissection,[Link]
thefirstofthesealwaysrepeatstheoriginal,[Link]
suggestedchanges,choosethefirstanswerAotherwise,selectthebestrevisionandblackenthecorrespondingspaceonyouranswersheet.
EXAMPLE
[Link].
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
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BecausestandardEnglishrequiresthesamegrammaticalformfortwounitsconnectedbyand,
[Link],
onlytheformHeavysmokingandovereatingisparallel,andyouwouldmarkyouranswersheetD.
ThefollowingitemsaresamplesofthoseusedintheSentenceCorrectionsectionoftheEnglishPlacementTest:
[Link],whereonecanquicklywalktothegreeninghillsofSpring.
A.,whereonecanquicklywalk
[Link]
C.,whereonecanquicklywalk,
D.,onecanquicklywalk
[Link],quicklywalk
[Link]:althoughsixty,heisasvigorousasever.
[Link],heisasvigorousasever.
[Link],seeingthatheissixty,isasvigorousasever.
[Link],beingasvigorousasever.
[Link],heissixtyyearsofage.
[Link];howeverheissixty.
[Link],acceptablemanners,andhehadlittle
elseinhisfavor.
[Link],acceptablemanners,andhehadlittleelseinhisfavor.
[Link].
[Link],acceptablemannersorlittleelseinhisfavor.
[Link].
[Link],includingmoralconvictionsandacceptablemanners.
[Link].
[Link].
[Link].
[Link].
[Link].
[Link].
[Link]'srecommendationwasbelievedtobesufficientandthatitwouldguaranteemygettingajob.
[Link].
B.,andthatitwouldguaranteemygettingajob.
C.,andthatitwouldguaranteemetogetajob.
[Link].
[Link].
Thecorrectanswersfortheaboveitemsare:
2.D
3.A
4.B
5.C
6.E
ReadingComprehensionItems
Directions:
Thepassagesbelowarefollowedbyquestionsonthevocabulary,style,[Link],choosethebest
[Link].
Theprevalenceofpositiveornegativefeelingsaboutphysique
isasignofwhichtraitsarevaluedandappreciatedbyasociety
[Link]
subordinationofasocialgrouponthebasisofrealorattributed
(5)physicalfeatures,themembersofasubordinatedgroupmaycome
torepudiatetheirownphysicalcharacteristicsandinmixed
populationsevenpenalizethoseindividualswhomanifestthe
[Link]
negritudeinAfricaisanexampleofavigorousattempttoreassertthe
(10)primacy,foragivengroup,[Link]
recognizetherisingdemandforthekindofworldinwhichpeoplecan
enjoythewaytheylook,beproudofthewaytheirparentslooked,and
lookforwardtothewaytheirchildrenwilllook.
MargaretMead,"RacialDifferencesandCulturalAttitudes"
1. Initscontext,theword"attributed"(line4)meansmostnearly
[Link].
[Link].
[Link].
[Link]
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[Link].
[Link].
2. Inthispassage"physique"(line1)referstoallofthefollowingexcept
[Link].
[Link].
[Link].
[Link].
[Link].
3. Thesubjectof"lookforward"inline13is
A.I.
[Link].
[Link].
[Link].
[Link].
4. The"conceptofnegritude"(lines8and9)
[Link].
[Link].
[Link].
[Link].
[Link].
5. Whichofthefollowingcomesclosesttoexpressingtheauthor'sopinion?
[Link].
[Link].
[Link].
[Link].
[Link].
Thecorrectanswersfortheabovequestionsare:
1.C
2.A
3.C
4.E
5.D
UniversityofWisconsinCenterforPlacementTesting,1025WJohnsonSt,Madison,WI53706|6082625863
2011BoardofRegentsoftheUniversityofWisconsinSystem
[Link]
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