Author Topic: Can we reproduce the practice tests posted in the forum?  (Read 23672 times)

madgirl09

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Can we reproduce the practice tests posted in the forum?
« on: October 26, 2009, 09:25:44 AM »
Wow! Sir Joe, I can't believe you are giving all these test questions free of charge  :o! Preparing questions is laborious. I think I can explain the reasons (for the usage of the correct answers, and reasons why other options could not be considered). What if I reproduce copies of these for my teacher trainees? Would you give us permission? I will always acknowledge your authorship, of course. I want to record my explanations of the usage so learners could easily access them online. Too sad, we cannot order your books due to high shipping fees. When I visit home next year, I promise to get enough books for all of us. Meantime, I would like to compile these exercises and then make a handout ( I'd like you to charge me a small fee for your permission, so I won't feel so guilty of adopting your materials...very small fee, ok  ;D).

It's almost winter here now, so lots of sickness can't be contained; H1N1 flu and other perennial illnesses are attacking children.  :'(
« Last Edit: October 26, 2009, 01:31:34 PM by jciadmin »

Joe Carillo

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Re: TOEIC Practice Test #1 - Reading Comprehension (Part VII)
« Reply #1 on: October 26, 2009, 10:06:34 AM »
You can go right ahead and reproduce the practice tests I’m providing in the Forum. Keep in mind, though, that I can’t claim and I’m not claiming authorship of the sample exercises, so I would rather that you don’t mention my name at all in the reproductions. The information content of the test items may be new, but each item has to rigorously follow the patterns and levels of difficulty set by the official test developer; in the case of TOEIC, it’s the Educational Testing Service or ETS. In that sense, no practice test should ever be original or attempt to be original at all; to do so would defeat the purpose of the test as a measuring instrument. At their best, in fact, practice tests could only be decent but different-looking clones of the actual tests developed and administered by the testing company.

The shipping fees for my books, particularly for a destination as near as Hong Kong, would actually be affordable if you order them in bulk, say 50 copies or more of each title. If the need isn’t that urgent, just ask that they be delivered by surface mail or postal airmail. The rates could be dirt cheap that way, and you also get a very substantial volume discount. You can get a quote from my publisher at books@manilatimes.net; just remember to copy furnish me so I can follow through.

As protection from that nasty HIN1 virus, have those flu shots for you and the children just to be sure! You’d need to be hale and hearty when you come home to the Philippines for that visit.

jdcruz

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Re: Can we reproduce the practice tests posted in the forum?
« Reply #2 on: August 26, 2012, 10:18:16 AM »
BIG THANKS SIR JOE!
May the good Lord bless you more...

Joe Carillo

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Re: Can we reproduce the practice tests posted in the forum?
« Reply #3 on: August 26, 2012, 12:43:31 PM »
Go right ahead, jdcruz! Those practice tests are meant for everybody who needs them or can find use for them. And thanks for your best wishes; I greatly appreciate it.

Mwita Chacha

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Re: Can we reproduce the practice tests posted in the forum?
« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2012, 02:34:19 PM »
Go right ahead, jdcruz! Those practice tests are meant for everybody who needs them or can find use for them. And thanks for your best wishes; I greatly appreciate it.
I would write the final sentence as ''And thanks for your best wishes; I greatly appreciate them.'' Is that not the perfect way of matching a pronoun with its noun atecedent, Sir?

Mwita Chacha

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Re: Can we reproduce the practice tests posted in the forum?
« Reply #5 on: August 26, 2012, 02:35:00 PM »
Go right ahead, jdcruz! Those practice tests are meant for everybody who needs them or can find use for them. And thank for your best wishes; I greatly appreciate it.
I would write the final sentence as ''And thanks for your best wishes; I greatly appreciate them.'' Is that not the perfect way of matching a pronoun with its noun atecedent, Sir?

Joe Carillo

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Re: Can we reproduce the practice tests posted in the forum?
« Reply #6 on: August 26, 2012, 04:01:42 PM »
You're absolutely right! Sorry for the oversight!

Y

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Re: Can we reproduce the practice tests posted in the forum?
« Reply #7 on: January 15, 2013, 11:12:24 AM »
I have just stumbled on this forum, and took the practice test posted at <http://josecarilloforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=388.0>. (G-TELP LEVEL 2 SAMPLE TEST #1:  GRAMMAR SECTION)

Got 19 out of 20 in the first practice test.  Not being able to reply in that post, I'd like to state that even after looking at the correct answer, I would still choose my answer, which I think is still the best choice.

(I just don't like being wrong, I admit it.)

----------
In Question 11, I answered (a).  I would actually have chosen "had," if that were an option.
----------

Anyway, this is just a diversion from my work.  I'm still arguing with my boss, who just received instructions from the administration to change the tarpaulin we're making for the school.  Among other things, they want to correct "Admissions for S.Y. 2013-2014 are ongoing" to "Admission for S.Y. 2013-2014 is ongoing."  I want to scream.
« Last Edit: January 15, 2013, 11:15:09 AM by Y »

Joe Carillo

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Re: Can we reproduce the practice tests posted in the forum?
« Reply #8 on: January 20, 2013, 11:46:05 AM »
Question #11 in that sample test of G-TELP Level 2 Grammar is as follows:

Quote
11.  A cousin of mine recently gave me a hardbound collection of the 500 most outstanding short stories in English. Because the book is quite thick, I cannot carry it around to read outside the house. However, if I __________ to go out of town on a weekend, I would definitely take that book with me.

(a) were
(b) have
(c) am
(d) was

Answer: ⓐ   ⓑ   ⓒ   ⓓ

The correct answer indicated for that test is Answer Choice “(b) have,” but you say that you’d have chosen “had” if that were an option.

The “had” option you are referring to would be correct if the conditional is in the past tense, but then the outcome statement would have to be changed to the past perfect conditional form “would have taken.” The sentence would then read as follows: “However, if I had to go out of town on a weekend during that period in the 1950s, I would have definitely taken that book with me.” (Here, I have added the time phrase “during that period in the 1950s” to definitely establish the past conditional as opposed to the present conditional.)

But then that past conditional sentence would be incompatible with the antecedent two sentences in that statement, which are clearly being made at the point of speaking right now: “A cousin of mine recently gave me a hardbound collection of the 500 most outstanding short stories in English. Because the book is quite thick, I cannot carry it around to read outside the house.” The “had” option is therefore not a correct option here.

If you actually had in mind that that sentence should be in the subjunctive mood, the correct option would be “were” for the conditional clause, but the conditional outcome statement would be unchanged: “However, if I were to go out of town on a weekend, I would definitely take that book with me.” But again, like the past conditional sentence above using “had,” this subjunctive sentence would likewise be incompatible with the antecedent two sentences in that statement, which as I pointed out earlier are clearly being made at the point of speaking, right now.

Indeed, the test sentence in question is neither past conditional nor subjunctive but is a so-called first conditional or real possibility sentence, which talks about a high degree of possibility that a particular condition or situation will happen in the future as a result of a possible future condition. In a first conditional sentence, the “if” clause states the condition in the present simple tense, is followed by a comma, then followed by the result clause in the form “will/would + base form of the verb.” This is the case with the sentence in question if it uses the present tense “have.” It now becomes perfectly compatible with the antecedent two sentences in that statement that are being made at the point of speaking:

“A cousin of mine recently gave me a hardbound collection of the 500 most outstanding short stories in English. Because the book is quite thick, I cannot carry it around to read outside the house. However, if I have to go out of town on a weekend, I would definitely take that book with me.”

We must keep in mind here that “would” is being used not as the past tense of “will” but in the auxiliary function in the conclusion of a conditional sentence to express a contingency or possibility.

For a detailed discussion of the four types of conditional sentences, click this link to “Do better than a calculated guess in handling conditional sentences,” a posting I made in the Forum on January 11, 2011.

Now, as to your argument with your boss over his decision to correct the declarative statement “Admissions for S.Y. 2013-2014 are ongoing” to “Admission for S.Y. 2013-2014 is ongoing,” I suggest you desist from screaming if you still feel like it. Idiomatically, I think you’re right in insisting that the statement using the plural form “admissions” reads and sounds better than that using the singular form “admission.” I must tell you, though, that you’d have to move heaven and earth to convince your boss that his choice is grammatically or semantically wrong. Indeed, his version has perfect subject-verb agreement and there’s hardly anything about his grammar or semantics that you can quibble about. In short, you are taking issue with his personal choice of style, which is partial to using singular noun forms as opposed to using plural noun forms. So let that statement be. There’s no point in getting in the bad graces of your boss or being eased out of your job over such a stylistic trifle.
« Last Edit: January 20, 2013, 12:26:32 PM by Joe Carillo »

Y

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Re: Can we reproduce the practice tests posted in the forum?
« Reply #9 on: February 01, 2013, 12:37:03 PM »
Many thanks, sir.

I appreciate your full and complete answer.  I will look this over properly when I'm not swamped with work. :)

Y