Quizzes, Tests, and Examinations
U.S. colleges and universities frequently test students, particularly undergraduates.
Quizzes-short tests on assigned material-are used most frequently in language and mathematics courses. “Pop quizzes”-unannounced tests-are given by the professor to see if students are keeping up with their reading assignments or to verify that students understand the material being presented in the course.
Examinations may call for specific, short replies or for longer responses in the form of essays. Often examinations are a combination of both forms. So-called objective questions have only one right answer. Types include true-or-false, sentence completion (”fill in the blanks”), multiple choice, and matching. They cover a broad range of material and demand a particular type of study. If the class is large, you may be asked to record your answers on a machine-readable form. In such cases, be sure you understand how you are to mark your answers on the answer sheet. Students sometimes fail machine-graded exams simply because they put their answers in the wrong place. If you have a question, be sure to ask.
Many exams include one or two questions requiring essays of several pages, or several questions requiring only a paragraph or two. Essay questions generally specify how you are to approach the material. The questions may be long or short. Terms often used in essay questions are analyze, compare and contrast, criticize, define, describe, discuss, evaluate, explain, illustrate, interpret, justify, outline, prove, review, summarize, and trace. You will become familiar with these forms soon enough, but if you have trouble, see your instructor, your academic adviser, or the foreign-student adviser.
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