Vocabulary is all the words in a language that person knows or uses. It important to helps us to communicate and express what we mean.
Because vocabulary is important, there is vocabulary testing. Vocabulary testing is a test of knowledge of the meanings of different words. We need to test vocabulary for some reasons:
1. Vocabulary knowledge is strongly related to reading comprehension
2. A limited vocabulary represents a limited understanding of concepts
The first task for the writer of vocabulary test is to determine the degree to which he or she wishes to concentrate on testing the students’ active or passive vocabulary. Active vocabulary are words that students able to use in speech where they have to invent the right word which fits into each sentence. Passive vocabulary means vocabulary which students recognize in a text, they do not have to invent any words, they just circle the right letter. There are two ways to test; production and recognition.
We use recognition when:
1. More materials need to be covered
2. You want to test different levels of learning
3. You have little times to scoring
4. You have a large number of test takers.
We use Productive when:
1. You want to evaluate a person’s ability to formulate a correct answer
2. You have more times to score the items
3. You want to test a person’s ability to apply concepts and information to a new situation
4. You have clear idea of the aspects and concepts that should be tested.
The next task is to decide whether the lexical items in the test should be taken from the spoken or written language. Selection of vocabulary can be divided according to four major skills:
- Listening : passive/spoken
A person's listening vocabulary is all the words he or she can recognize when listening to speech. This vocabulary is aided in size by context and tone of voice.
- Reading : passive/written
A literate person's reading vocabulary is all the words he or she can recognize when reading. This is generally the largest type of vocabulary simply because a reader tends to be exposed to more words by reading than by listening.
- Speaking : active/spoken
A person's speaking vocabulary is all the words he or she uses in speech. It is likely to be a subset of the listening vocabulary. Mastering vocabulary is very important for the students who learn English as a foreign language. That is why everybody who learns English or a certain language should know the words. The mastery of vocabulary can support them in speaking when they are communicating to people can write and translate the meaning of words when they definite English.
- Writing : active/written
This type of testing is productive. Students have to show their knowledge in writing. For instance, students are given a set of word which they have to translate or making an essay about a topic.
A test may test 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. The test constructor’s task is made much easier if all the students have followed a particular syllabus. Lexical items can then be selected from:
- The syllabus (including a word frequency list if available )
- The students’ textbook (provided the items approximate to those used in natural speech situations)
- The students’ reading material (e.g. simplified readers, literary text)
- Lexical errors taken from students’ free-written work (or from students’ incorrect answers in a cloze test)
1. Multiple choice items (Liu, 121)
Multiple choice is a form of assessment in which respondents are asked to select the best possible answer out of the choices from a list. It has two groups; multiple choice group A and group B.
Group A. Choose the letter of the word which is the nearest in meaning to the word in italics.
Example: He’s been very feeble since his illness. (a complete statement )
a. unwell b. thin c. foolish d. week
Group B. Choose the letter of correct or best word to complete each sentence.
Have you heard the planning committee’s ……. For solving the city’s traffic problem?
a. theory b. design c. proposal d. purpose (incomplete statement)
The following items types are example of four vocabulary recognition items which fall within the first group.
Type 1. In this type recognition item the stem is replaced by a picture. The testees see the picture and have to select the most appropriate word relating to the picture from four or five options.
a. running
b. jumping
c. standing
d. kicking
Type 2. Here, the stem consist of a definition: the testees have to select the correct option to which the definition refers.
A person who receives and pays out money in a bank
a. broker b. accountant c. creditor d. cashier
Type 3. The stem consists of a lexical item: the testees have to select the best synonym or definition.
Advocate
a. support b. advise c. contradict d. damage
Dilatory
a. growing gradually larger
b. slow in getting things done
c. showing care and effort
d. heavy with drops of water
Type 4. The stem here consists of a sentence. Hence, this type of recognition item is generally to be preferred to the previous three types in so far as the ‘problem’ word appears in context. Vocabulary is much more usefully tested in context since it is the context that gives specific meaning and relevance to a word, thus creating a situation which is as linguistically valid as possible in the circumstance.
It’s rained continuously for two whole days.
a. without stopping
b. heavily
c. regularly
d. at odd moments
Students have to underline those words which belong to the key word : “FURNITURE: cupboard, table, floor, window, curtain, bed, kitchen, chair”
( Berka Vanova, 46 )
3. Pairing and matching items
Pairing and matching items are presented in groups as a series of stems or prompts that must be matched by the student to one of a group of possible answer options.
1. Village
2. Poor
3. Average
4. Surprise
5. Wealthy
6. Mule
7. Apparently
8. Peep
9. Turn down
10. Lie
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A. Not telling the truth.
B. To try to see secretly.
C. Have a lot of means.
D. To refuse.
E. An animal which look like a horse but a bit smaller.
F. Have limited means.
G. A cluster of human community in the rural area.
H. A value that represent the general significance.
I. Seem.
J. An unexpected event.
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4. Odd one out
Students have to determine which item does not belong among others. The amount of items can be various. This kind of exercise is easy to prepare, however, the teacher must know which words her or his students know so that they could find the odd one.
Example:
Find the odd word: parrot hen eagle cow penguin goose sparrow
The completion item requires the student to answer a question or to finish an incomplete statement by filling in a blank with the correct word or phrase.
Type 1.
Read through the following passage containing a number of incomplete words. Write each completed word on your answer sheet at the side of the appropriate number. (Each dash represents on letter).
Snakes are one of the (1) d – m – n - - t groups of (2) r – pt - - - -: there are at least 2.000 different (3) sp – c - - s of snakes (4) sc – t - - - - d over a wide area of the earth. Not all snakes are (5) p - -s – n - - s: in fact, the (6) m – j - - - - y are quite harmless. Contrary to (7) p – p – l - - belief, a snake’s (8) f - - k – d tongue is not (9) d – ng - - - - - to human beings: it is merely for touching and smelling (10) s – bs - - n - - s. Snakes (11) in - - ct poison into their (12) vi - - - - s’ body by (13) b – t - - g him with their (14) f - - gs.
Type 2.
(a) Complete each blank with the most appropriate word to replace each number in the text.
ROSNAH : What’s the (1) today? (1)………………
ANA : It’s seventh .
ROSNAH: At what (2) does the concert start? (2)……………….
ANA : Seven o’clock, I think. Just a moment.
I made a note of it in my (3) (3)……………….
ROSNAH: How long do you think it’ll (4) (4)……………….
ANA : It finishes about ten.
ROSNAH: That’s quite a long (5), isn’t it? (5)………………
ANA : I suppose so. It’s three hours.
(a) Complete the following paragraph on problems caused by weightlessness by writing ONE word in place of each blank.
Increasing………….is now being……….on the effects of weightlessness on man. For……….., scientists are………….the role of gravity on the way cells function. Even in the first manned space-flights doctors were largely unaware of the various problem…………by absence of gravity. They found that weightlessness……………in the redistribution of blood and other fluids from the legs to the top of the body. They were able to………..how astronauts’ legs actually shrank and their faces swelled during the first few days of space flight. Moreover, doctors had a chance to………………astronauts both at the time of the flight by …………..of television cameras and after the flight during extensive medical …………..Scientists are now………….into the effects of diet and exercise as a ……………..of reducing some of the problems ……………..by weightlessness. …………., most of the fundamental scientific questions will never be satisfactorily …………. By scientists working on the Earth.
6. Word formation test items
a. Write a word in each blank. The word you write must be the correct form of the word on the left.
(i) CARE Be………..when you cross the road.
(ii) CRUEL To mistreat animals is a form of…………..
(iii) INTEREST Do you think this book is…………?
(iv) ENTER Can you show me the ……….to the cave?
b. Rewrite the following paragraph putting in each blank the correct form of the word in capital letters.
MOMENT
Can you spare a ………….?’ Peter asked his brother. He thought he could detect a ……….. look of impatience on his elder brother’s face, but it was gone in an instant.
‘I’m very busy at ……….’his elder brother said.
‘What is it you want to speak to me about?’ he asked Peter.
Peter’s mind ………….. went blank. ‘I’ve forgotten’ he said.
‘Well, then it must have been nothing of …………..importance,’his elder brother said rather sarcastically.
7. Definitions
a. Use each of the following words in a sentence so as to show the meaning of the word.
Book Teacher School (etc..)
b. Explain the meaning of each of the underlined words in the following phrases.
an archaic word a fortuitous event
