INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTING AND ASSESSMENT

Chapter 3 TESTING AND ASSESSING

VOCABULARY

CHAPTER AIMS

After reading this chapter, students will be able to:

• explain the reasons for testing and assessing vocabulary
and determine what kind of vocabulary should be tested.
• describe types of vocabulary assessment tasks.
• construct vocabulary items in a vocabulary test or those
incorporated in a reading test.

MAIN TOPICS
• Why and what to be tested and assessed
• Vocabulary assessment tasks
• Procedure for constructing vocabulary items
• Other objective vocabulary items
• Chapter summary
• Quiz 3
• Follow-up activities
• References 3

3.1 WHY AND WHAT TO BE TESTED AND ASSESSED

3.1.1 Rationales for testing and assessing vocabulary

Vocabulary refers to all the words that a learner knows and uses,
and words are considered the basic building blocks of a language,
so testing and assessing learners’ vocabulary is crucial for several
reasons, especially in light of current trends in English language
teaching.
First of all, learners’ four language skills such as listening,
speaking, reading and writing are all influenced by vocabulary,

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which is the foundation of their language mastery. Assessing

vocabulary helps the teacher as well as learners understand how
well they can comprehend and use language. Second, in
communicative language teaching, vocabulary is key to functional
language use; as a result, testing vocabulary helps to assess
learners' ability to communicate effectively in real-life situations.
Third, according to Laufer (1997), testing vocabulary is essential to
make judgement about a learner’s ability to understand texts
because there is a strong correlation between their vocabulary size
and reading comprehension.
In addition, at the beginning of an English course, vocabulary
testing, as argued by Read (2000), can serve as a diagnostic tool to
identify specific areas of language weakness, enabling targeted
instruction and intervention. Next, according to Schmit (2010),
vocabulary tests can either be discrete, focusing on specific words,
nor embedded broader proficiency tests. Receptive vocabulary
tests are usually selective, as test designers choose the words in
advance. In contrast, assessing vocabulary in productive skills like
speaking or writing can be comprehensive, but challenging due to
unpredictability in test-takers’ word choices. Vocabulary items can
vary in context dependence, from context-independent tasks to
context-dependent ones, with the latter better assessing deeper
word knowledge like collocation and register (Schmitt, 2010,
p.137). Finally, in line with using technology in English teaching,
computerized or online vocabulary tests can offer instant feedback
and adaptive testing catered to the proficiency levels of each
learner (Chapelle & Douglas, 2006).
In summary, vocabulary testing plays a vital role in the present
English language teaching. Being aware of the reasons for testing

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vocabulary will help teachers to decide when, what, and how to

test learners’ vocabulary in an English course.

3.1.2 What to be tested and assessed

The purpose of vocabulary tests is to measure learners’

comprehension and production of words used both in spoken and
written language. Test constructors must answer questions before
choosing words to be tested. For example, does the test measure
learners’ ability to recognize a word when they see or hear it? Does
it measure learners’ ability to produce a word in speech or writing?
Production of a word requires a distinct set of abilities from those
needed for reception of a word, so both modes of performance
need to be taken into consideration (Brown & Abeywickrama,
2019, p.276). However, in this external learning material, only
vocabulary tests that measure learners’ comprehension of words
used in written language are examined.

As presented in chapter one, validity or content validity in

particular is among the principles used to evaluate an English test;
and the purpose of the classroom tests of vocabulary is to measure
learners’ progress and motivate their learning; therefore, the
words to be tested must be relevant to those described in the
course syllabus. Specifically, the difficulty level of the words must
be aligned with the course expected learning outcomes, and the
contexts in which the words are used must be relevant the themes
in the course syllabus.

For example, the newest English curriculum for high school

learners in Viet Nam (designed by the Ministry of Education and
Training of Viet Nam) as described in Circular 32/2018/MOET,
covers four main themes such as (1) our lives, (2) our society, (3)
our environment, and (4) our future. After fulfilling this English

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curriculum, learners are expected to totally master 2500 words in

which 600-800 words belong to these four themes and are at level
3 of VSTEP equivalent to B1 level of CEFR. Therefore, vocabulary
tests for high school learners should include words of the four
themes above and their level of difficulty should be at level 3 of
VSTEP.

Besides the number and themes of the words described in the

national English curriculum, Heaton (1988, p.51) advised
vocabulary test constructors to select words from other sources
such as learners’ textbooks, their extensive reading materials (i.e.,
graded or simplified readers, literary texts), and lexical errors from
their free written assignments, incorrect answers in a cloze test.

3.2 VOCABULARY ASSESSMENT TASKS

3.2.1 Receptive vocabulary assessment tasks

Deciding how to test vocabulary depends on how it is taught in

order to ensure the construct validity of the test. In addition, in the
classroom tests, teachers often construct vocabulary tests which
aim at assessing learners’ progress in vocabulary learning and give
them feedback and encouragement to continue learning.
Therefore, the practicality of such tests, in terms of constructing
and scoring, is teachers’ greatest concern. Many vocabulary
classroom tests are limited to single sentences.

According to Brown & Abeywickrama (2019, pp.280-282) there are

three common receptive assessment tasks. First, the receptive
assessment task in which vocabulary is tested in a one-sentence
context includes multiple-choice completion, multiple-choice
paraphrase, simple completion items. How to construct these
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items are found in the next part of this chapter (procedure of

constructing vocabulary items). Second, vocabulary matching
exercise is another well-known receptive assessment task. This
type of recognition task requires test-takers to match the target
word with its meaning or definition. Two typical examples of
matching items are found on the next page.

Instruction (1): Match the words in the box with the descriptions (1-
5).

hoodie windbreaker boots tie

scarf gloves shoes trainers

1. I wear them in winter to keep my feet warm & dry. ________boot

2. Men wear one around their necks when they go to work. s tie
_____
3. trainer
I wear these on my feet when I run or exercise. _________
4. I wear these to cover my hands when the weather gloves
s is cold. _____
5. It’s like a jacket. It’s very soft & warm, and it has a part to cover
hoodie
my head. ________
Instruction (2): From the list of words given, choose the one which is
most suitable for each blank. Write only ONE letter of the correct word
after each number on your answer sheet.

A. players B. spend C. houses D. games

E. selfish F. energy G. borrow
I really enjoy this game. The aim is to build a city, but there are a
lot of problems to solve along the way. How many (1) __(C)__,
hotels, roads and factories can you build? How much money and
(2) __(F)__ do you need to build them? (3)__(A)__ use money called
‘megabucks’. You start with just a few megabucks, so you must
(4)__B__ them carefully. It’s difficult to build a city on your own,
so many players work together. For example, if you have a little
energy you can (5) __(G)__ some electricity from a neighbor. But
(6) _(E)___ and greedy players don’t make any friends. If they

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haven’t got much money and energy, no one helps them, and they
cannot finish the city. So it’s best to be friendly to the other players!

Third, besides assessing learners’ progress and giving feedback,

teachers give vocabulary tests for proficiency purposes to
investigate learners’ vocabulary size, and word association is a
frequently used test. The procedure involves presenting the target
word or a set of associated words as a stimulus to test takers and
asking them to say the first word that comes to mind. The testing
of word sets is used to measure learners’ familiarity with a range
of word associations. There are two ways of testing sets of
associated words: recognition and production (Heaton, 1988, p.
56).

Type 1: Recognition
Instruction: Read the following lists of 4 words. Circle one word that
does not belong to each list.
stream annoyed explore
waterfall happy rescue
tonado shocked experience
valley worried believe

Type 2: Production

Instruction: Each group of words belongs to a particular subject. Write

down the particular subject which is connected with each group of
words.
suspicious cave answer the phone
proud mountain deal with public
excited forest serve customers
confused desert work long hours
people’s emotions features of landscapes activities at a work place

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3.2.2 Productive vocabulary assessment tasks

Similar to receptive vocabulary assessment tasks, context plays a

significant role in productive vocabulary assessment tasks, which
involve recall and use. A common vocabulary test type is sentence
completion in which a word is deleted from a sentence and the
test-taker must understand the context so as to produce the
missing word. Two typical vocabulary item types are (1) filling in
the blank and (2) selective deletion cloze. The examples and
procedures of constructing these productive assessment items are
found in the next section (completion items).

3.3 PROCEDURE FOR DESIGNING MULTIPLE-CHOICE

TASKS

3.3.1 Multiple-choice completion

Multiple-choice completion, a good vocabulary test type for

learners who can read in English, makes learners depend on
context clues and sentence meaning. Below are samples of
multiple-choice completion items and alternative forms of this
type of item.
Item 3.1: The Browns apologized to their neighbors for ______
much noise at the party last night.
A. doing B. making(*) C. creating D. taking
(Source: English Test-Code Paper 419,
National High School Graduation Exam in Viet Nam, 2023)
Alternative forms of multiple-choice completion
(Source: Madsen, 1983, pp.22-23)
- Definition
Item 3.2: To ___ someone means to save him or her from danger
A. praise B. injure C. rescue (*) D. announce
- Phrase completion
Item 3.3: The committee _____ choosing you as president (idiom)

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A. wound up (*) B. buttoned down

C. wiped out D. sat in
Item 3.4: The newspaper says, “A two-year-old girl _______ today
when stuck by a bus.”
A. kicked the bucket C. was eradicated
B. was killed (*) D. departed
- Phrasal context
Item 3.5: his fingernails
A. tailored B. reduced C. modeled D. manicured (*)
- Multiple-choice cloze
Item 3.6: Read the text in Box 3.1 and choose the correct word for
each space.

Box 3.1
THE ESCALATOR
An American, Charles F. Seeberger, invented moving stairs to transport people
in the 1980s. He (1) ____ this invention an ‘escalator’,(2) ______ the name from
Latin word ‘scala’, (3)________ means ‘ladder’. Escalators move people up and
down short (4) _________. Lifts do the same but only move a small (5)________
of people. If an escalator breaks down, it can still be (6) ____ as ordinary stairs.
An escalator can move between 8,000 and 9,600 people an hour, and it does
not need a person to (7) _____ it. Towards the end of the 19th century, cities
were (8) ______ more crowded and the first escalators were (9) ____ at railway
stations and in big department (10) ________ so that people could move about
more quickly. Today we see escalators everywhere.
(1) A. announced B. called (*) C. translated D. explained
(2) A. fetching B. lending C. taking (*) D. carrying
(3) A. which (*) B. what C. who D. whose
(4) A. directions B. steps C. lengths D. distances (*)
(5) A. amount B. number (*) C. group D. team
(6) A. taken B. worked C. used (*) D. moved
(7) A. fix B. operate (*) C. transport D. check
(8) A. becoming (*) B. coming C. developing D. continuing
(9) A. developed B. built (*) C. installed D. transported
(10) A. houses B. places C. shops D. stores (*)
(Source: Adapted from Cambridge English PET 4, 2014, p.34)

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In order to construct multiple-choice items, test constructors must

follow four main steps: (1) selecting the words to be tested, (2)
getting the right kind of sentence to put each word in (or the stem),
(3) choosing wrong words (distractors) to put the right word with;
and (4) writing clear and simple instruction (Madsen, 1981, p.16).

Steps to construct multiple -choice completion

Step 1 Selecting vocabulary to be tested: passive vocabulary can

be tested in sentence completion items, so this is a good way to test
difficult vocabulary items. Words or phrases from learners’
reading materials, newspapers, magazines and textbooks can be
included in the classroom-based tests. It is important to remember
that only content words such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and
adverbs are included in vocabulary tests.

Step 2 Preparing the context (stem): after choosing words to be

tested, teachers move to the next step-preparing the context or the
sentences to put the words in. Sometimes beginners need more
than one sentence which clarifies meaning, so a two-line mini
dialogue should be used as the stem. In addition, teachers should
avoid writing the stem with complicated sentence structures
which test-takers may find difficult to comprehend. Look at the
following examples:

Item 3.7: Present an analogy which ____ the concept you wish to
convey.
A. implies (*) B. refers C. describes D. shows
Item 3.8: He didn’t actually say so, but he ____ that you lied.
A. implies (*) B. refers C. describes D. shows

The stem in item 3.7 contextualizes the verb ‘implies’, and it looks
difficult to understand. However, it is easy to understand the context in
item 3.8.

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Step 3 Distractor preparation: there are two common ways to

write distractors (the wrong options). Experienced teachers often
create their own distractors; and they also use learners’ errors in
writing assignments as distractors. Both two ways are applicable;
however, teachers should follow the following guidelines:
- Make sure that the distractors are the same form of word (the
same part of speech) as the correct option.

Item 3.9: Although the students in my class have been learning

English for three months, they can _________ confidently with
foreigners. (English Test, Code Paper 401, NHSGE, 2023)
A. communicative C. communicate (*)
B. communicatively D. communicatively
Item 3.10: The child took a more ________ role in his learning and
made great progress (English Test, Code Paper 401, NHSGE, 2024)
A. active (*) B. activate C. activity D. actively
Item 3.11: Scientists have ______ a lot of research into a renewable
energy resource. (English Test, Code Paper 248, University Entrance
Exam, 2012)
A. done (*) B. solved C. carried D. made

The vocabulary items (3.9 & 3.10) above are weak items because the
distractors and the correct option are not in the same form of word, so
test-takers can easily eliminate the distractors by looking at the word in
front of and after the blank in the stem. However, in the item (3.11) all of
the options are in the same word form (verbs in the simple past tense) and
it is better than the other two because it can test candidates’ ability to
choose a word which is correctly used in the context (stem).

- Don’t give away the right answer through grammatical cues.

Item 3.12: She needs to get up earlier, so she has bought an ____
clock.
A. alarm (*) B. time C. watch D. bell

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Item 3.13: Be ______ with what you have got, Mary.

A. suspicious B. humorous C. interested D. satisfied (*)

In items 3.12 & 3.13 above, the stem of each gives a grammar cue (an,
with), so it is easy for test-takers to choose the correct option because all
of the distractors are not grammatically correct when they are put in the
stem.

- Do not include more than one correct option.

Item 3.14: She sent the ____________ yesterday.
A. letter (*) B. gift C. food D. books
Item 3.15: They ____ me to get up right away.
A. asked B. told (*) C. needed D. wanted

It is easy to recognize that the examples (3.14) and (3.15) include more
than two correct options, so they are called poorly written or unreliable
items.

- Make sure that distractors and the correct option are at the same
length and the same level of difficulty.
Item 3.16:
They need lots of training to operate such________ equipment.
A. easy B. complicated (*) C. blue D. wise
Item 3.17: A hitchhiker is ______________.
A. a man who makes ropes
B. a person who travels about by asking motorists to give him
free rides (*)
C. an old-fashioned sailor
D. a boy who walks long distances

In the items above, distractors are weak. On the one hand, item (3.16)
three distractors are easier than the correct option. On the other hand, the
correct option of item (3.7) is the longest.

Step 4 Instruction preparation: the test instructions should be

brief. The following instructions can be used in the classroom tests:

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- Circle/Choose the best completion.

- Circle/Choose the letter of the word that best completes
each sentence.
- Click on the best completion (online tests).
(Sources: Adapted from Madsen (1983, pp.16-23)
& Heaton (1988, pp. 52-57)

In short, the multiple-choice completion items above offer the

classroom teacher some benefits. First, these items help him/her
learners see the full meaning of words by providing natural
contexts. Also, they discourage word-list memorization. Second,
scoring these items is fast and easy. Third, a vocabulary test with
multiple-choice completion items is a sensitive measure of
learners’ achievement. However, this type of vocabulary items has
some limitations. For example, preparing good sentence context
that clearly shows the meaning of the word being tested is very
time consuming; and learners will find it easy to cheat in the
classroom or examination room by copying what others have
circled or by signaling to each other.

3.3.2 Multiple-choice paraphrase

Multiple-choice (MC) paraphrase items in testing vocabulary are

also popular in both proficiency and classroom-based tests. Below
are typical examples of MC paraphrase items. Items 3.18 a) & 3.18
b) ask test-takers to choose the word closet in meaning to the
underlined word in bold in the stem; but item 3.18 c) asks test-
takers to choose the word opposite in meaning to the underlined
word in bold in the stem.
Item 3.18 a) He was irate when he heard about the new plants.
A. interested B. surprised C. angry (*) D. sad

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Item 3.18 b) The boy is unable to provide a good reason for his
strange behavior yesterday. (NHSGE 2024-Paper Code 401)
A. allow B. perform C. give (*) D. take
Item 3.18c) The arguments Prof. Parker made were controversial
and some scholars were taking issue with him. (NHSGE 2022-
Paper Code 401)
A. expressing doubt C. getting annoyed
B. showing agreement (*) D. becoming aware

To write MC paraphrase items of vocabulary tests, teachers also

follow four main steps: (1) selecting words to be tested, (2)
preparing a sentence context (stem), (3) choosing distractors
(incorrect options), and (4) writing instructions. This type of lexical
item aims at checking learners’ understanding of the synonym or
antonym of the word being tested. Context preparation for the
multiple-choice paraphrase items is rather easy; however, writing
distractors is the most difficult steps because weak distractors will
result in unreliable items. Below are the guidelines (suggested by
Madsen, 1983) that help the test constructors or teachers to choose
strong distractors of vocabulary items.

Guidelines to write distractors in MC paraphrase items

- Make sure that distractors are related to the topic/subject
covered in the stem.
Item 3.19: (poor) He just hit his shin.

A. leg (*) B. cousin C. fender D. fruit

In reading item 3.19, test-takers can easily recognize shin as some part
of the body, so they may choose the right option by eliminating three
distractors (B, C, and D) as they do not belong to body parts. Therefore,
these distractors can be replaced by back, foot, and arm, which are more

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challenging for test-takers.

- Avoid pairing a word with the opposite meaning with the
correct option.
Item 3.20: (poor)
He plans to purchase some candy for his mother.
A. make B. buy (*) C. sell D. steal
In item 3.20, distractor C “sell” is the opposite of the correct option B
“buy”, so a more challenging distractor should replace it.
- Avoid using distractors with the same meaning.
Item 3.21: (poor) His remorse was great indeed.
A. wealth B. sadness (*) C. strength D. power
When reading item 3.21, test takers can recognize that strength and
power are close in meaning, so they might choose one of the first two.
- Avoid trick items that use close spelling or sound contrasts
(spelling traps). A spelling trap is found in the item 3.22 below
because “sheep” & “ship” are sound contrasts.
Item 3.22: (poor) They crossed the ocean on a liner.
A. sheep B. streamer C. bolt D. vessel (*)
(Source: Adopted from Madsen, 1983, p.25)

3.3.3 Completion tasks

Completion can be used for testing vocabulary (Heaton, 1988, pp.

62-63). There are two categories of completion items. First, word-
formation items require test-takers to fill in missing parts of words
that appear in sentences. Second, sentence completion vocabulary
is similar to cloze tests in which test-takers choose one word to
complete each blank in a passage with many blanks.
- Word completion
Item 3.23: Complete the words in the sentences below.
- My teach___ is very helpful. (Correct word: teacher)

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- Yesterday he got on the wrong bus. So today he was care ___ to

find the right one. (Correct word: careful)

- Sentence completion
Item 3.24: Complete the sentences below by using the correct form of
the word in parentheses.
- entry to the cave?
(enter) Can you show me the ________
- interesting
(interest)Do you think this book is _______________?

For writing completion items above, the test writers or teachers

follow three main steps: (1) listing prefixes and suffixes and
matching them with content words taught in class, (2) preparing
sentences that clarify the meaning of these words, and (3) writing
instructions and examples.
Box 3.2 Sample of standardized cloze test of vocabulary

Instructions: Write only ONE word for each space in the following postcard.

Dear Heidi,
We’re on holiday in Thailand. It took us ten (1) _______ to get here by plane
and during the (2) _________ I watched three films!
Today, I (3) ________ an elephant who was called Biff, and (4)_________ , I
am going to visit the pineapple (5) ________. I love pineapples- they are my
favorite (6)___________. It’s really hot here- much (7) ________ than in our
country- but luckily, it is cooler at night. I’ll be back (8) _______ in one week-
Why don’t you come round and see my (9) _________? Also, I have already
found a little (10) ________ for you. I bought it in the night market.
See you soon.
Ana
Answer keys: (1) hours, (2) flight, (3) rode, (4) tomorrow, (5) farm, (6) fruit, (7)
hotter, (8) home, (9) photos, (10) present/gift

(Source: Adapted from Sarah Dymond

& Liz Gallivan, 2011, p.45)

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Another category of completion items is cloze testing. To write

cloze items of vocabulary tests, the constructors or teachers follow
similar steps of preparing cloze tests of grammar as described in
Chapter 2 of this textbook. However, the words to be deleted
(tested) must be content words such as verbs, nouns, adjectives
and adverbs.

3.4 Other objective vocabulary tasks

3.4.1 Items involving synonyms/antonyms
Instruction: Write in each space the best word to replace the
underlined word/phrase in each sentence.
immediately
a) Tom went at once to the doctor’s. ______________
quickly & unexpectedly
b) All of a sudden, there was a loud cry. ___________________
accidentally
c) I came across an interesting book. ______________________
long
d) The boat is over fourteen feet in length. found/saw
________
remote
e) Fred loves being in wild, far-away places. _________

3.4.2 Rearrangement
Instruction: Rearrange the following letters to make words. Then use
each word in a sentence of your own to show the meaning of the word.
a) VOEUNSI = envious (I am never envious of my friends’
success.)
b) DROPU=proud (I feel proud to be a part of the team.)
c) YKOCR=rocky (We were tired after a long walk on a rocky
coastline.)
d) LOVONAC= volcano (An active volcano may erupt at any
time.)

Arrangement items look like crossword puzzles. They are not used
in an achievement test, but they might be used at the end of the
lesson in the classroom or as homework assignments.

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3.4.2 Definitions
Instruction 1): Use each of the following words in a sentence so as
to show the meaning of the word.
gardener locksmith stunt performer journalist

Suggested definitions:
- A person whose job is to work in a garden is called a gardener.
- A person whose job is making, fitting and repairing locks is
called a locksmith.
- A person who acts a dangerous and difficult action that
somebody does to entertain people, especially as part of a film,
is called a stunt performer.
- A person whose job is to collect and write news stories for
newspapers, magazines, radio, television or online news sites
is called a journalist.

Instruction 2): Explain the meaning of each of the underlined words in

the following phrases.
a well-paid job a hard- working employee
Suggested explanations: “well-paid” means “earning a lot of money”
and “hard working” means “putting a lot of effort into a job and doing
it well”.

The items above are used to test learners’ writing ability in

addition to knowledge of word meanings. It is not easy for non-
native speakers of English to produce sentences ‘to show the
meaning’ of words. Therefore, these are not useful items, but
teachers can use them to challenge some excellent learners in a
class.

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CHAPTER SUMMARY

This chapter equips students with declarative and procedural

knowledge about testing and assessing vocabulary. First, several
reasons for testing learners’ vocabulary knowledge aligning with
the current trends in teaching English from different authors are
shortly summarized. Second, what to be included in a vocabulary
test and the sources of lexical vocabulary items test constructors
should use to write vocabulary items are listed. That is, in addition
to the number and topics of the words described in the English
curriculum, words from other sources such as learners’ textbooks,
graded reading materials, and their lexical errors from free writing
assignments should be included in vocabulary tests.

Third, two main categories of vocabulary assessment tasks

(receptive and productive) are described. Especially, student-
teachers are instructed how to write multiple-choice completion,
multiple-choice paraphrase, and completion items (cloze tests).
Finally, other objective vocabulary items such as completion items
involving synonyms/antonyms, rearrangement, and definition
which can be used for quick checking learners’ understanding of
newly learned words at the end of the lesson are found in the final
part of this chapter.

QUIZ 3

Choose the best answer.

1. Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons for testing
learners’ vocabulary knowledge?
A. Learners’ performance of the four skills depends on their
comprehension and production of vocabulary.

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B. Vocabulary tests can be used as a diagnostic tool to predict

learners’ lexical weakness at the beginning of an English
course.
C. Learners’ performance on a test of productive items partially
reflects their ability to communicate in real-life situations.
D. Learners’ mastery of vocabulary positively influences their
motivation to continue their English learning.
2. What is the purpose of vocabulary classroom tests?
A. To measure test-takers’ comprehension and production
words used in written language
B. To assess learners’ ability to master the meaning of passive
words in reading literary passages
C. To predict learners’ problems in recognizing and producing
the target vocabulary
D. To measure candidates’ ability to comprehend active and
passive words in spoken language
3. Which assessment task below do the Fill-in-the-blank and the
Selective deletion cloze belong to?
A. Selective C. Productive
B. Receptive D. Interactive
4. Which of the following is NOT a guideline for writing multiple-
choice completion items of a vocabulary test?
A. The stem and the options should belong to the same word
class.
B. The correction option should be more difficult than the
distractors.
C. The stem should be simple if the problem area is in the
options.
D. The distractors and the correct option are of the same length.
5. Which of the following should be avoided when constructing
multiple-choice completion items of vocabulary?

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A. All of the distractors belong to the same word class.

B. The stem includes a complicated grammatical structure.
C. The distractors are correctly spelt when standing by
themselves.
D. All of the distractors are at the same level of difficulty.
6. What will happen in testing vocabulary if the distractors are more
difficult than the correct option of the multiple-choice completion and
paraphrase?
A. This test item may be equally unreliable.
B. Candidates will be very confused.
C. The elimination can hardly take place.
D. The test may have negative effects on candidates.
7. What is the widespread problem of the vocabulary test with multiple-
choice completion and paraphrase items?
A. It is easy for the candidates to cheat in the examination room.
B. Both can be used to measure learners’ production of words.
C. Writing multiple-choice items does not take constructors
time.
D. These types of vocabulary items can be published on online
tools.
8. Which of the following should be avoided in multiple-choice
paraphrase items of vocabulary tests?
A. All of the distractors belong to the subject in the stem.
B. All of the distractors should be the same length.
C. The four options should be at the same level of difficulty.
D. There are two or more distractors close in meaning.
9. Which of the following is one of the advantages of multiple-choice
completion items in testing vocabulary?
A. Preparing a good stem or context that shows the meaning of
the word being tested is not easy.

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B. Candidates can easily get the correct answers by making wild

guess or choosing the correct answers at random.
C. Test-takers find it easy to cheat by copying what others have
circled or by signaling to each other.
D. Multiple-choice completion items are believed to discourage
learners’ word-list memorization.
10. Why aren’t definition items recommended in a vocabulary test?
A. Because vocabulary items of this type are not commonly used
B. Because the constructor cannot measure test-takers’
intelligence
C. Because they test writing skill and word meanings at a time
D. Because these items are too difficult even for native speakers

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES

Activity 1: Look at the following vocabulary items and identify the

weakness of each.
1. You can find a lot of _____ information online for your
project.
A. useful (*) B. usefulness C. use D. usefully
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
2. Do you need some __________ to write on?
A. pen B. pencil C. material D. table
__________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
3. New machinery had enhanced the company’s productivity
and _____.
A. competitiveness (*) C. competitor
B. competitive D. competition
_______________________________________________________

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