Suggestions for Constructing Interpretive Exercises

1. Select introductory material that is relevant to the objectives of the course.

Learning Objective:

Inferring basic

information from

a short reading passage.

By the time George Ruth was 19, he had drawn the eyes of minor league recruiter Jack Dunn. Jack liked the way George pitched and so signed him to the Baltimore Orioles for $600. George was ecstatic to get paid to play the game he loved.

There are several stories about how George Ruth got his nickname "Babe." The most popular is that Dunn was often finding new recruits and so when George Ruth showed up at practice, another player called out, "he's one of Dunnie's babes," which eventually was just shortened to "Babe."

Decide if the following can be inferred as True (T), inferred as False (F), or the information from the paragraph is Insufficient (I) to give an answer.

Bad example:

___ George Ruth was happy to play baseball for money.

Decide if the following can be inferred as True (T), inferred as False (F), or the information from the paragraph is Insufficient (I) to give an answer.

Good example:

__ George Ruth liked the nickname “Babe”.

2. Select introductory material

that is appropriate to the

students’ curricular experience

and reading level.

How many of the animals

in the zoo are giraffes?

a.1/3

b.½

c.¼

(http://imagecharteditor.appspot.com/)

This cartoon shows that the illustrator:

a.strongly approves of an exit strategy in Iraq

b.strongly disapproves of an exit strategy in Iraq

c.assumes another war will follow the war in Iraq

d.thinks that U.S. troops should stay in Iraq longer

(http://realitywired.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/politial_cartoon_06.jpg)

3. Select introductory material that is new to students.

The picture above shows that

a.the fall of Fort Sumter effected Virginia’s decision to secede

b.Missouri seceded later after the fall of Fort Sumter

c.the fall of Fort Sumter effected South Carolina’s decision to secede

http://metalab.unc.edu/pub/academic/history/marshall/military/civil_war_usa/CSA.documents/secede.gif

4. Select introductory material that is brief but meaningful.

A man flies to the airport from Germany, but the airline loses his bag. The assistant at the desk tells the man that she can help him find his bag if he gives her a good description of the bag.

Are the following pieces of information helpful things that the man can tell the assistant about his bag? Circles Yes or No.

Yes No 1. the width of the bag

Yes No 2. the color of the bag

Yes No 3. where he bought the bag

5. Revise introductory material for clarity, conciseness, and greater interpretive value.

(Original)

Regardless, physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices encourage healthy, productive aging, of which cognition is a part. Anecdotally, the most healthy aging people are the ones who remain active — physically and mentally: the octogenarian who does the crossword puzzle every morning, the great-grandfather who reads mystery novels, or the retired couple who travels the globe and learns new languages. The more you use your brain, the better is becomes. Just as becoming a proverbial couch potato will lead to a decline in physical health, becoming a mental couch potato will lead to decline in cognitive health.

http://brainblogger.com/2011/10/01/exercise-your-brain/

(Revised)

Physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices encourage healthy, productive aging, of which cognition is a part. The healthiest aging people are the ones who remain active — physically and mentally. The more you use your brain, the better it becomes.

6. Construct test items that require analysis and interpretation of the introductory material.

(Bad example)

Decide if the following can be inferred as True (T), inferred as False (F), or the information from the graph is Insufficient (I) to give an answer.

___ Starch turns iodine dark blue.

http://images.tutorvista.com/content/feed/tvcs/photosynthesis.jpg

(Bad example)

___ Photosynthesis requires chlorophyll in order for it to occur.

http://images.tutorvista.com/content/feed/tvcs/photosynthesis.jpg

7. Make the number of test items roughly proportional to the length of the introductory material.

If the introductory material is longer, do not have one or two questions.

8. In constructing test items for an interpretive exercise, observe all pertinent suggestions for constructing objective items.

Remember to check true/false, short answer, and all other test items as you would if they were individual items on a non-interpretive assessment.

9. In constructing key-type test items, make the categories homogeneous and mutually exclusive.

Be sure that all of the possible choices are looking for the same category of response.

(Bad example)

Directions: For each of the following statements, mark if the statement is

A. Too long

B. Too short

C. Has grammatical errors

D. Does not have grammatical errors

10. In constructing key-type test items, develop standard key categories where applicable.

Try to construct key types that can be used in various situations. For example,

A. Can be inferred from the provided information

B. Cannot be inferred from the provided information

Linn, R.L. & Miller, M.D. (2004). Measurement

and assessment in teaching. (9th ed.). Upper

Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.