| Front |
Examinations
Listen to the Entire Lesson
What is a school without examinations? They all have
it. So, we will have to spend a session talking about exams.
There are many types of tests and different terminologies. You can be taking an
in-class test, or it could be a take-home final. It could be a multiple choice
exam or an essay type format. In either case, we will cover it here. First,
let's learn the different terminologies associated with testing.
Examination
Mid-term
Finals
Test
Quiz
Pop-quiz
Exam
Take-home final
Research paper
Final paper
Report
Essay
Presentation
Open-book test/final
Common questions you can ask about exam format:
How
many tests did you have to take in your Math class?"
What
was the mid-term like?"
How
much percentage is the mid-term towards the final grade?"
Do
you have to write any papers in that class?"
How
many pages did you have to write for your essays?"
Was
the open-book exam hard?"
How
difficult was the take-home final?"
Was
the final exam short answer questions, or was it multiple choice?"
Did
you have any pop-quizzes in your geology class?"
How
much time did you get to write your research paper?"
How
often did you have a quiz?"
What
day did you take your final?"
When
did you take your final?"
Are
you done with your mid-terms?"
When
is finals week?"
The
syllabus for the econ class says you have six exams. What were they like?"
How
difficult is the mid-term for psychology 101?"
Examinations - Finding Information
Having a lot of information about tests can help
prepare for exams. The next several questions are geared towards finding
specific information.
Does
Professor Giles use old exam questions for his tests?"
Can
I borrow your old exams for Intermediate Accounting? I want to use the
questions to test myself before the real exam."
Do
you know anybody who took Physics 340? I want to know the types of questions
that were asked on the final."
Do
you think I need to study chapter 6 for the mid-term? It's so boring, and I
can't seem to apply it anywhere."
What
topics did the professor cover the most in the final exam?"
What
were the long essay questions on?"
Do
you remember the long essay questions you had on the final?"
I
was thinking about buying the study supplement for the engineering class. Do
you think it will help?"
And of course, you may be required to answer these types of questions, so let's
get into answering:
How
many tests did you have to take in your Math class?"
We
had a total of 4 tests in that math class." Or more
simply, '4 tests.'
Answering can be real easy. The reason I put full sentences is for your
practice. But remember when you really answer, you are not required to put them
in full sentences. I'll try to mix it up so you get a familiar feel answering
both long and short ways.
What
was the mid-term like?"
The
mid-term was hard. If you read all the material, you will still have a hard
time because the professor wrote up all the questions in a difficult way."
Examinations - General Information
The hardest types of questions to answer are the,
'What was it like' types, and the 'how was' types. The reason it is hard is
because you have to explain in your own words the answer. It's not as simple as
a number or a 'yes' or 'no.'
How
much percentage is the mid-term towards the final grade?"
The
instructor said it was twenty percent of our final grade."
Do
you have to write any papers in that class?"
No.
We only had one mid-term and one final."
Yes.
We had to write 2 essays for that class."
How
many pages did you have to write for your essays?"
We
had to write 5 pages for both essays."
Was
the open-book exam hard?"
Most
of the time, open-book exams are harder, but this one was really easy. All the
questions were in the glossary so I found the answers quickly."
How
difficult was the take-home final?"
It
is easy that we have the material to look through, but it is very time
consuming. I had to do an all-nighter just to finish."
All-nighter means to stay up all night.
Examinations - More Information
Was
the final exam short answer questions, or was it multiple choice?"
It
was multiple choice."
Neither.
The exam had 2 long essay questions."
Did
you have any pop-quizzes in your geology class?"
We
had 3 pop-quizzes in that class. Luckily, only five percent counts toward the
final grade."
Fortunately
we didn't have any."
How
much time did you get to write your research paper?"
We
had two months to write the research paper."
How
often did you have a quiz?"
Once
a week."
What
day did you take your final?"
I
took the final last Monday."
I
didn't take it yet. I take the final tomorrow."
The
syllabus for the econ class says you have six exams. What were they like?"
It
was pretty easy because they only covered 2 chapters. If you keep up, then you
shouldn't have a hard time."
Does
Professor Giles use old exam questions for his tests?"
He
always creates new test questions so old ones will not help you."
Can
I borrow your old exams for Intermediate Accounting? I want to use the
questions to test myself before the real exam."
Sure,
I have it in my dormitory. I'll bring them tomorrow."
He
didn't return the exams, so I don't have them."
What
were the long essay questions on?"
Both
questions were on supply and demand. Make sure you know that stuff inside and
out."
I
was thinking about buying the study supplement for the engineering class. Do
you think it will help?"
I
highly recommend it. I didn't have it for the first exam, and I got a B-. But
after I studied with the supplement, I aced the next test."
Examinations - Interactive Practice
Click on Listen
All and follow along. After becoming comfortable with the entire conversation,
become Person A by clicking on the Person A button. You will hear only Person B
through the audio file. There will be a silence for you to repeat the sentences
of Person A. Do the same for Person B. The speed of the conversation is native
speed. Use the pause button if the pause between each sentence is too fast for
you. After practicing several times, you will be able to speak as fast as a
native.
|
1
|
|
Listen All |
Person A |
Person B
|
|
A: "Did
you already take the history exam?"
B: "Yeah. It was hard. When do you take it?"
A: "I take it tomorrow morning. There is so much material, that I don't
know what to emphasize on. What types of questions did you get?"
B: "Mostly on the civil war. You should also study the impact Martin
Luther King Jr. had on American society."
A: "How about Abraham Lincoln? Did you get any questions about
him?"
B: "I only had 1 question about him. But you might get more. I don't
know if he will have the same exam or not."
A: "Hopefully he will use the same exam, cause I'm going to spend most
of my time studying the civil war. It is a huge section and that is what he
lectured the most on in class."
B: "If you can't study everything, then that is probably the best way to
go."
A: "Aright. Thanks for the info. I gotta go to the library now."
B: "Good luck."
A: "Thanks. See ya."
|
|
2
|
|
Listen All |
Person A |
Person B
|
|
A:
"Hey Jack. You look tired. What's going on?"
B: "It's finals week and I have been up all night studying."
A: "How many exams do you have left?"
B: "Three more to go?"
A: "Have you been keeping up, or are you cramming everything?"
B: "If I was keeping up, I wouldn't need to stay up all night."
A: "Ha ha ha. Looks like you are in for a tough week."
B: "Tell me about it. How about you? What have you been up to?"
A: "I finished my last final this morning."
B: "So you're completely done?"
A: "No. I have one more report that is due this Friday. I haven't
started it yet, but it shouldn't be too tough."
B: "How many pages do you have to write?"
A: "It's a 10 page paper on habitual behavior for psychology 211."
B: "You wanna take one of my exams for me?"
A: "I would if I could, but you know that's not possible."
B: "Yeah, I know."
A: "If you need help with your chemistry class, I can help you over the
weekend."
B: "That would be great."
A: "Let's get together Saturday around lunch time."
B: "You don't know how much this means to me. Thanks."
A: "Don't mention it. I'll see you on Saturday." | |