7. Inferences based upon details of the situation. These questions ask you to draw a logical conclusion
based upon the specific information provided in the passage. The questions may ask you what a speaker implies suggests, what problem a speaker is facing, or what assumption a speaker is making.
Here’s an example:
Man: So, how’d you do on the physics midterm?
Woman: Let’s just say that I won’t be making the Dean’s List this semester. Question:
What does the woman mean?
a. She got the highest score in the class. b. She’ll be too busy to be on the Dean’s List.
c. She didn’t take the exam after all. d. She thinks she did very poorly on the exam.
Answer: d.
Tip: Remember that these questions are different from those that ask you to identify specific facts or details.
Here, you need to draw a conclusion based upon those specific facts or details in the passage. What inference can you make based upon the situation or scenario?
8. Inferences about the future predictions. These questions ask you to draw a logical conclusion about
what the speakers will do based upon the conversation. Here’s an example:
Man: Oh, no Look what time it is If I leave now, I’ll still be late for class. It’s a 15-minute
walk.
Woman: You will just make it if you take my car. Question:
What will the man probably do?
a. Borrow the woman’s car and drive to class. b. Run as fast as he can to class.
c. Skip class and stay with the woman. d. Call a taxi.
Answer: a.
Tip: Again, you need to draw a logical conclusion here based upon the specific facts and details in the pas-
sage. Think about the situation or scenario and the second speaker’s response. Really, she’s making a sugges- tion—to borrow her car—though she doesn’t explicitly state the offer. See which answer best matches the
second speaker’s reply.
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Other Questions on the Computer-Based Test
All of the questions on the paper-based exam are multiple-choice questions with just one correct answer. Most of the questions on the computer-based test are also multiple choice. But the computer-based exam also
includes the following additional types of questions:
1. Questions that have more than one answer. A few questions may have more than one possible correct
answer. You will be asked to select the options that correctly answer the question. Here’s an example:
Question: According to the professor, Frankenstein deals with which aspects of science and technology?
[Click on two answers.]
a. fictional impact b. social impact
c. historical impact d. moral impact
Answer: b and d.
2. Questions with visuals. You will be asked to select an image a drawing, picture, or chart, for example
that corresponds to or represents information from the passage. Here’s an example:
Question: Choose the drawing that best represents how Dr. Frankenstein felt when his creation first
came to life. [Click on a drawing.]
Answer: You would choose the picture that shows Frankenstein looking horrified or afraid.
3. Sequencing questions. These questions ask you to place information or events in the proper sequence.
Here’s an example:
Question: The professor describes the four stages of grief. Summarize the grieving process by placing the
stages in the proper order. [Click on a word. Then click on the space below where it belongs. Use each word only once.]
depression acceptance
denial anger
1 2
3 4
Answer:
1 denial
2 anger
3 depression
4 acceptance
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4. Classification or matching questions. These questions ask you to match information by placing facts
or sentences into the appropriate categories.
Question: The professor describes Freud’s theory of the personality. Match the element of the personal-
ity with its definition. [Click on a sentence. Then click on the space where it belongs. Use each sen- tence only once.]
The part of the personality that is the conscious awareness of the self and is driven by the reality principle.
The part of the personality that is beneath our conscious awareness and is driven by the pleasure principle.
The part of the personality that includes awareness of the self as a member of a larger society; the conscience.
Id Ego
Superego
Answer:
Id Ego
Superego The part of the personality
The part of the personality The part of the personality
that is beneath our con- that is the conscious awareness
that includes awareness of scious awareness and is
of the self and is driven by the self as a member of a
driven by the pleasure the reality principle.
larger society; the principle.
conscience.
L i s t e n i n g S t r a t e g i e s
Many people think of listening, like reading, as a passive activity. But you can comprehend much more of what you hear if you listen actively. Indeed, knowing how to listen can make a tremendous difference in how much
is understood.
Hearing versus Listening
The first step to active listening is to understand the difference between hearing and listening:
hearing: perceiving sounds with the ear listening: the process of receiving and constructing meaning from an auditory message
In other words, you can hear things without really listening to them. Listening means to hear and to process that information—to evaluate, analyze, and understand what is heard.
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