CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Language assessment or language
testing is a field of study under the umbrella of applied linguistics. Its main focus is the assessment of first, second or other language in the school, college, or university
context; assessment of language use in the workplace; and assessment of
language in the immigration, citizenship, and asylum contexts. The assessment may include listening,
speaking, reading, writing, an integration of two or more of these skills, or other
constructs of language ability. Equal weight may be placed on knowledge
(understanding how the language works theoretically) and proficiency (ability to use the language practically), or greater
weight may be given to one aspect or the other.
Teaching
reading to children is all about vocabulary because teaching a child to read is
about teaching words. As a parent, teaching your child to read is one of the
most important things you can do. And it all begins with words. Wherever
children are and whatever they are doing, they need to be learning words. The
critical nature of building vocabularies should be at the forefront of our
efforts to rear and educate children. All those who teach, care for, and spend
time with children must become involved.
CHAPTER II
DISCUSSION
A.
Definition
Vocabulary is the set of words within a
language that are familiar to that person. Jack C. Richard says that
vocabulary is one of the most obvious components of language and one of the
first thing applied linguistic turned their attention to. Vocabulary can be
classified into passive vocabulary and active vocabulary. A passive vocabulary
is used receptively in listening and reading. Meanwhile, an active vocabulary
is utilized productively in speaking and writing.
Vocabulary is essential component of all
use of language. Vocabulary acquisition is one of the prime important in learning
English. When the learners acquaint new vocabulary, they must know the meaning
of words; they must also know how to arrange individual words within the
sentence.
Based on the theories above the writer
concludes that vocabulary is the stock of words used by people to express,
thoughts, feelings and to communicate to other people both oral and written
forms.
Harmer explains that the first thing to
realize about vocabulary item is that they frequently have more than one
meaning. Sometimes words have meaning in relation to other words. Thus students
need to know the meaning of vegetable as a word to describe any one of a number
of other things (e.g., carrots, cabbage and potatoes). ‘Vegetable’ has a
general meaning whereas ‘carrot’ has more specific. Words have opposite
(antonym): the opposite of good for example is ‘bad’ they also have other words
with similar meaning (synonym): for instance the meaning of “strange” is
similar to that of ‘unfamiliar’. As far as meaning goes, then students need to
know about meaning in context and they need to know about sense relations.
Therefore,
the purpose of vocabulary test is to measure the comprehension and production
of words used in speaking or writing.
B. Kinds of Vocabulary Test
1. LIMITED RESPONSE
According to Harold Madson (1983:14) in testing
children at beginning-level, we often use directed physical responses and
visuals. We do this to avoid language skills that have not been mastered yet.
For these test, students do not have to know how to read or write. In fact,
they do not even have to know how to speak.
Individual Testing
Directed physical responses can
easily be used when you test one student at time. Individual interaction can
also be very productive when testing
language skills of beginning students.
In addition, you can test
beginning students by asking for only a few short answer, for example “Is the
book green?” There are of course other kinds of brief answers that can be used
with visuals (“What colors is the book?”/”Green” or “ Is the boy sleeping or
swimming?”/”[He’s] swimming”.)
Group Testing
You
can use nonverbal physical responses as well to the test whole class at the
same time. A good way is to draw or duplicate for them a set of pictures such
as the one below:
Now
draw a circle that matches with the sentence (“My friend is eating”).
2. MULTIPLE-CHOICE COMPLETION
According
to Harold Madson (1983:16) A good vocabulary test type for students who can
read in foreign language is multiple-choice completion. It makes the students
depend on context clues and sentence meaning. For example:
She quickly _____ her lunch.
a) drank *b)
ate c) drove d) slept
After
reading the sentence, the student looks the group of words and chooses which
one best completes what he/she has read.
Context Preparation
With suitable words selected, our next step
is to prepare contexts for them. Sometimes especially for beginning students
more than one sentence is needed to help clarify the meaning. For example, to
check the meaning of a word such as (paint)brush:
“I want to paint, too.”
“All right. Use that ____ over there.”
*a) brush b)
pencil c) broom d) spoon
Instruction Preparation
The instructions for test should be brief;
students should not have to spend a lot of time reading them. And they should
be clear; anxiety can come from poorly worded questions, and resentment from
misunderstood directions. For example:
They drove to work in their new____.
a) house *b)
car c) office d) street
3. MULTIPLE-CHOICE PARAPHRASE
According to Harold Madson (1983:24)
that understanding is checked by student’s having to choose the best synonym or
paraphrase of the vocabulary item. A sentence context is still used. However,
choosing the right word depends more on knowing the key vocabulary item than on
finding meaning in the sentence. In fact, the context may simply show that the
item is a noun.
Vocabulary Choice and Context
Preparation
The meaning come from the emphasized word than from its
context. Here is a typical item:
He was irate when he heard about the new
plans.
a) interested b) surprised *c) angry d) sad
4. SIMPLE COMPLETION (WORDS)
According to Harold Madson
(1983:27) word-formation items require students to fill in missing parts of
words that appear in sentences. These missing parts are usually prefixes and
suffixes for example, the un in untie or the –ful in thankful.
It
is also possible to check student knowledge of when not to add a prefix or suffix. Compare the following:
1. My teach_____ is very helpful.
2. Did she teach_____ you anything?
In
the first sentence, the suffix –er
is required. In the second sentence, no suffix is needed. Such sentences are
not left empty; students must put an “X” in the blank.
5. INFLECTIONAL CLOZE
According to Harold Madson (1983:30)
cloze test are essays by deleting words at regular intervals. Students have to
write in each blank the word that they think belongs there. In this case the
students have to write the prefix or suffix to complete the words or use “X” if
it not necessary.
Every motorist will tell you that radar is used most ___fairly by the police to catch the drivers
who are accidental____ going a little
fast____ than the speed limit. “There
you are,” the motorist will say, “driv____ quite safely at 60 on wide_____ open road almost open in country. Then a
highway patrolman stops you for breaking the speed limit.
6. PRODUCTION
According
to Hughes (1989:149) the testing of vocabulary productively is so difficult
that is practically never attempted in proficiency tests. Information on
receptive ability is regarded as sufficient. The suggestions presented below
are intended only for possible use in achievements tests.
The
main difficulty in testing productive lexical ability is the need to limit the
candidate to the (usually one) lexical item that we have in mind, while using
only simple vocabulary ourselves. One way round this is to use pictures.
Write
down the name of the objects below:
a.
……………….
b.
……………….
c.
……………….
d.
……………….
e.
……………….
f.
……………….
8. MATCHING WORD
With
this question type, the candidate must link items from the first column to
items in the second. This could be individual words, words and definitions,
parts of sentences, pictures to words etc. Whilst it is easy to mark,
candidates can get the right answers without knowing the words, if he/she has
most of the answers correct he/she knows the last one left must be right.
Match
the word on the left to the word with the opposite meaning.
1. Fat Bad
2. Young Tall
3. Dangerous Thin
4. Short Safe
5. Good Old
7. ODD ONE
OUT
You have to choose the
word that is different from three or four words.
a.
Read all the words carefully.
b.
Find a connection before you choose the word which is different.
c.
If you don’t understand a word in the group, it may be connected
to the other words.
Don’t choose a word because you don’t understand it. Find a connection first.
d.
Sometimes you have to explain why it is different. Check the
instructions.
e.
If you don’t know the word which is different, guess. You may be
right!
f.
Check your answers carefully when you finish.
1.
postman - doctor - hospital - secretary - nurse __________
2.
aunt - sister - mother - uncle - niece __________
3.
shoe - skirt - shirt - suit - smart __________
4.
Thursday - November - December - May - April __________
5.
good - nice - friendly - kind - bad __________
C.
Examples of Vocabulary Test
Here are the example of test or
question in vocabulary that we can use for test our student belongs to
vocabulary materials.
MULTIPLE
CHOICE
1.
Choose the alternative (a, b, c, d) which is closest in meaning to the word
“gleam”.
a) gather b)
shine c) welcome d) clean
2.
The flight attendant asked the passengers to ______ attention to the safety demonstration.
a) give b)
devote c) pay d) lend
3.
Tangle means…
a) A type of dance
b) A tropical forest
c) A confused mass
d) A kind of fruit
4.
Loathe means…
a)
dislike intensely
b) become seriously ill
c) search carefully
d) look very angry
5.
The strong wind _______ the man’s efforts
to put up the tent.
a) disable c) deranged
b) hampered d) regaled
6.
When I feel tired, I can’t stop ______.
a) sneezing
b) yawning
c) coughing
d) weeping
7.
“I want to paint, too.”
“All right. Use that ____ over there.”
a) brush b)
pencil c) broom d) spoon
8. They drove to work
in their new____.
a) house b)
car c) office d) street
9. He was irate when he heard about the new plans.
Which of the following
words that has similar meaning with the word in bold?
a) interested b) surprised c) angry d) sad
10. Anna is very tired and need some rest. Choose the
following words that has opposite meaning with the italic word.
a) sick
b) hopeful
c) sleepy
d) energetic
FILL
THE BLANK
Complete
the sentences below with prefix or suffix (11-15.)
11. When you write your
check, make it pay_____ to my sister.
12. Please wipe your
dirt___ hands on that cloth.
13. The police arrested
him for incit____ the riot.
14. The erupt____ of
the volcano destroyed several villages.
15. The boy didn’t
___tie his shoelaces before taking off his shoes.
CLOZE
Write
down the prefix or suffix to complete the words or use “X” if it not necessary
(16-20.)
Every motorist will tell you that
radar is used most (16)___fairly by the police to catch the drivers who are
accidental(17)____( going a little fast(18)____ than the speed limit. “There
you are,” the motorist will say, “driv(19)____ quite safely at 60 on wide (20)_____ open road almost open in
country. Then a highway patrolman stops you for breaking the speed limit.
MATCHING WORD
Match the word on the left to the word with the
opposite meaning.
21. Fat Bad
22. Young Tall
23. Dangerous Thin
24. Short Safe
25. Good Old
ODD AND OUT
Find which one of four words does not belong to.
26. Postman - doctor - hospital - secretary - nurse __________
27. Aunt - sister - mother - uncle - niece __________
28. Shoe - skirt - shirt - suit - smart __________
29. Thursday - November - December - May - April __________
30. Good - nice - friendly - kind - bad __________
CHAPTER III
CONCLUSION
Vocabulary is the set of words within a language that are familiar
to that person. The purpose of vocabulary test is to measure the comprehension
and production of words used in speaking or writing. The indicators of
vocabulary are recognize the similar meaning (synonym) of certain words based
on the context, recognize the opposite meaning (antonym)
of certain words based on the context, identifying the appropriate words based on the context, identifying
prefix or suffix of the certain words, and identifying the difference in list
or group of certain words.
REFRENCES
2.
Available. http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/exams/grammar-and-vocabulary-exams/vocabulary-exercise-types
3.
Hughes, Arthur. (1989). Testing for Language Teachers. England:
Cambridge University Press
4.
Madson, Harold S. (1983). Techniques
in Testing. Oxford University Press
