Makalah PPD

BAB I

PENDAHULUAN

Pada zaman serba modern ini, tes IQ menjadi tren di beberapa sekolah di kota-kota besar. Untuk meningkatkan ”gengsi”, sekolah ramai-ramai menyeleksi siswanya yang hendak masuk dengan tes IQ. Mereka berteori bahwa sekolah yang bagus adalah jika siswanya pandai dan paham terhadap pembelajaran di sekolah serta memiliki kecerdasan IQ diatas rata-rata. Karena itulah mereka mengadakan tes IQ. Meskipun, mereka kurang memahami landasan teoritis dan filosofis dalam pengadaan tes IQ itu, apa kelemahan dan kelebihannya, dan kapan semestinya hal itu dilakukan. Malangnya lagi, para penjual tes IQ pun seperti kurang peduli terhadap perkembangan ilmiah tentang teori kecerdasan. Lengkaplah sudah. Kenyataan demikian, untuk konteks Indonesia, sepertinya merupakan konsekuensi logis dari krisis paradikmatik dan epistemologis yang diderita oleh bangsa kita, sebagai akibat dari hegemoni IQ dan paradigm ilmiah Barat yang positivistik.

Mengenai masih hegemoniknya teoti kecerdasan IQ memang tidak terlepas dari latarbelakang historis, ilmiah dan kultural. Secara hiatoris,teori kecerdasan IQ memang merupakan teori kecerdasan pertama dan sudah berumur lebih dari 200 tahun, yang dimulai dari frenologi Gall. Mengacu pada kesimpulan Howard Gardner, temuan-temuan ilmiah bagi perkembangan teori kecerdasan manusia sesungguhnya juga sudah lama ditemukan oleh saintis, terutama neuro-saintis, yang berceceran disana-sini. Sampai akhirnya Howard Gardner sendiri melakukan studi dengan serius kemudianikenal dengan menyimpulkan bahwa kecerdasan manusia itun tidak tunggal, tapi majemuk, bahkan tak terbatas. Belakangan teori kecerdasan Howard Gardner ini dikanal dengan Multiple Intelligence (Kecerdasan Majemuk).

BAB II

PEMBAHASAN

1. A. Definisi IQ, Sejarah IQ, Masalah IQ

Sejak kecil biasanya seorang anak diharapkan orang tuanya untuk mempunyai nilai yang bagus di sekolah. Setelah lulus sekolah, mereka diharapkan untuk mendapatkan pekerjaan yang dapat membantunya meraih "masa depan yang cerah" dan gaji yang tinggi. Banyak orang tua bahkan pendidik berpikir bahwa nilai tinggi dan lulus sekolah merupakan jaminan untuk mendapatkan pekerjaan dan kesuksesan. Di samping itu, jika seseorang memiliki tingkat kecerdasan (IQ) yang tinggi maka dianggap orang tersebut neniliki peluang unuk meraih kesuksesan yang lebih besar dibanding orang lain. Istilah IQ mulai dikenalkan oleh Alfred Binet, ahli psikologi dari Prancis pada awal abad ke-20. Pada kenyataannya, ada banyak kasus dimana seseorang yang memiliki tingkat kecerdasan intelektual yang tinggi, tersisih dari orang lain yang tingkat kecerdasan intelektualnya lebih rendah. Ternyata IQ (intelligence Quotient) yang tinggi tidak menjamin seseorang akan meraih kesuksesan. Akan tetapi, kenyataannya dalam lapangan kerja yang semakin kompetitif dan spesialistis, membuat tidak seorangpun individu atau institusi yang dapat mencapai tujuan mereka tanpa harus bekerja sama dalam tim, karenanya setiap orang dituntut untuk berkemampuan bekerja sama dengan orang lain.

Ada seseorang anak yang sangat mampu dalam pelajaran logika atau menghitung khususnya matematika, namun ada juga seorang anak yang tidak memiliki kecerdasan dakam pelajaran tersebut, namun dia memiliki potensi misalnya menggambar. Banyak orang berpandangan, bahwa jika seseorang memiliki kemampuan eksakta atau berhubungan dengan pelajaran, maka masa depan anak itu akan sukses, karena memiliki kemampuan untuk menghitung. Padahal setiap kemampuan orang masing-masing berbeda-beda. Orang yang sangat ahli matematika belum tentu ahli dalam seni, olahraga, musik dan lain-lain. Bahkan orang yang sangat pandai dalam pelajaran belum tentu sukses seperti seniman terkenal yang belum tentu mereka memiliki pendidikan yang tinggi, bahkan mungkin malah putus sekolah. Seorang psikolog dari Yale University, Peter Salovey melakukan suatu penelitian, melalui sebuah tes sederhana dimana anak-anak berusia 4 tahun diundang masuk ke dalam suatu ruangan dan diberi instruksi sbb, "Siapa yang mau satu buah permen marshmallow sekarang ini bisa langsung mendapatkannya (kelompok I), tapi jika ada yang mau menunggu sampai saya kembali, akan mendapatkan 2 buah permen (kelompok II)." Kemudian peneliti itu meninggalkan ruangan tersebut Kelompok I seketika itu juga mengambil marshmallow saat peneliti keluar ruangan. Kelompok II menunggu sampai peneliti kembali. Kemudian hasil pengelompokan anak dicatat dan para peneliti menindaklanjuti sampai dengan anak-anak tersebut tumbuh berkembang memasuki usia sekolah lanjutan (SLA). Rupanya terjadi perbedaan yang berarti di antara kedua kelompok anak tersebut. Kelompok anak yang memperoleh dua buah marshamallow memiliki kemampuan adaptasi yang lebih baik, lebh populer, berjiwa petualang, percaya diri dan mandiri daripada kelompok yang pertama. Sedangkan kelompok anak yang pertama lebih bersifat menyendiri, mudah frustasi, keras kepala, tidak tahan stres, pemalu dan menghindari tantangan. Ketika kedua kelompok mengambil tes bakat yang berhubungan dengan pelajaran akademik sekolah, kelompok II yang mampu bertahan, mendapat nilai sebesar 210 poin daripada kelompok I (nilai bervariasi mulai dari yang terendah 200 sampai dengan 800 poin, dengan angka rata-rata 500 poin untuk seluruh murid).

Kemampuan untuk bersikap sesuai dengan peraturan merupakan bagian dari yang disebut istilah EQ. Peter menyatakan, bahwa IQ menyebabkan seseorang mendapat suatu pekerjaan, sedangkan EQ menyebabkan seseorang mendapatkan promosi (kenaikan pangkat/jabatan) dalam pekerjaan itu. Beliau juga menyarankan pentingnya mendefinisikan dalam dunia yang kompleks ini apa sebenarnya arti menjadi cerdas. Singkatnya ketika seseorang akan memprediksi sukses yang akan datang, kekuatan otak sebaimana diukur oleh IQ dari achievement test, sesungguhnya lebih kecil dibanding kekuatan karakter, atau EQ-nya. Definisi IQ (Intelligence Quotient) adalah seberapa cerdas seseorang, sedangkan definisi EQ (Emotional Quotient) adalah seberapa baik seseorang mempergunakan kecerdasan yang dimilikinya.

B. Beberapa Kritik Terhadap IQ dan Tesnya

1. Kritik Multiple Intelligence (MI) oleh Howard Gardner

Gardner, dalam bukunya “Frames of Mind” (1993), mengkritik tes IQ sebagai buta secara empiric, “blindly empirical”. Karena, tes IQ didasarkan semata-mata pada kekuatan dugaan (predictive power) tentang kesuksesan di sekolah dan hanya secara marginal pada sebuah teori mengenai bagaimana pikiran bekerja. Tidak pernah ada pandangan tentang proses, tentang bagaimana seseorang memecahkan permasalahan. Yang ada hanyalah isu tentang apakah seseorang sampai pada jawaban benar. Kelemahan lainnya adalah bahwa pada tugas tes IQ itu bersifat mikroskopik, sehingga sering tidak berhubungan antara satu dengan yang lain, dan Nampak menggunakan pendekatan “shortgun” dalam mengungkapkan intelek manusia (assessment of human intellect). Dalam banyak kasus, tugas-tugas tersebut berjarak dari kehidupan sehari-hari. Tugas-tugas tersebut terlalu bergantung pada bahasa dan keterampilan seseorang dalam mendefinisikan kata-kata, dalam mengetahui fakta-fakta tentang dunia, dalam menemukan hubungan-hubungan(dan perbedaan-perbedaan) di antara konsep-konsep verbal.

Kebanyakan informasi tes kecerdasa itu merefleksikan pengetahuan yang diraih dari hidup dalam sebuah lingkungan social dan pendidikan. Sebaliknya, tes kecerdasan jarang sekali mengukur keterampilan dalam mengasimilasikan informasi baru atau dalam memecahkan masalah-masalah baru. Tes IQ menyingkapkan hanya sedikit saja potensi seseorang untuk pertumbuhan selanjutnya.

Masih menurut Gardner, tes IQ juga mengabaikan aspek biologi, karena terlalu fokus pada pemecahan masalah logika dan bahasa. Tes psikologi seperti itu akan gagal dalam melakukan penilaian terhadap kreativitas tinggi, selain juga tidak akan sensitive terhadap rentan peran masyarakat. Konsekuansinya, diperlukan fakta-fakta yang dapat menunjukkan pandangan-pandangan alternative yang dengan tepat menfokuskan diri pada wilayah-wilayah yang diabaikan oleh tes IQ tersebut.

2. Kritik Emotional Intelligence (EQ) oleh Daniel Goleman

“Setinggi-tingginya, IQ menyumbang kira-kira 20 persen bagi faktor-faktor yang menentukan sukses dalam hidup, maka yang 80 persen diissi oleh kekuatan-kekuatan lain”. Dengan pernyataan diatas, Goleman benar-benar sedang mengkritik anggapan bahwa IQ dapat meramalkan kesuksesan seseorang. Menurut Goleman, statis akhir seseorang ditentukan oleh factor-faktor bukan IQ melainkan oleh kelas sosial hingga nasib baik. Kecerdasan akademis-praktis tidak menawarkan persiapan untuk menghadapi gejolak atau kesempatan yang diciptakan oleh kesulatan-kesulitan hidup. Bahkan IQ yang tinggi pun tidak mampu menjamin kesejahteraan, gengsi, atau kebahagiaan hidup. Sementara menurut Goleman, sekolah dan budaya melakukan sebaliknya, yakni menitikberatkan pada kemampuan akademis dan mengabaikan kecerdasan emosional yang sangat berpengaruh besar terhadap nasib kita. Bahkan, sebagai contoh, peringkat pertama di kelas itu tidak menjadi indikasi tentang bagaimana seseorang akan berhasil mengatasi kesulitan-kesulitan hidup.

Sebagai kritik terhadap IQ, Goleman menyatakan bahwa semata-mata IQ yang tinggi tak kan membuat orang menjadi cerdas. Tanpa kecerdasan Emosional, kemampuan untuk memahami dan mengelola perasaan tidak akan sempurna karena emosi adalah bahan bakar yang sangat diperlukan bagi kekuatan penalaran otak. Kecakapan emosi itu sendiri mencakup tiga hal penting yaitu: kemampuan memahami emosi, kemampuan mendengar orang lain dan bersimpati kepada emosi mereka, juga kemampuan mengekspresikannya secara produktif.

Orang yang paling cerdas di antara kita dapat terperosok ke dalam nafsu tak terkendali dan impuls meledak-ledak ketika dia tidak dapat mengendalikan emosi dari dalam dirinya. Singkatnya, bagaimana mungkin seorang yang cerdas dapat melakukan hal-hal bodoh kecuali jika ada permasalahan terhadap aspek emosionalnya.

3. Kritik Spiritual Quotient (SQ) oleh Danah Zohar dan Ian Marshall

Dalam beberapa segi, kekeringan spiritual ini terjadi sebagai produk dari IQ manusia yang tinggi. Mereka telah menjauh dari alam dan makhluk lainnya, juga dari agama dengan penalaran mereka. Menurut Danah Zohar dan Ian Marshall, IQ atau kecerdasan rasioal saja belum cukup. Alasan-alasan yang dicari orang untuk hidup tidak semata-mata rasional dan tidak pula murni emosional. Zohar dan Marshall tidak menolak manfaat dari IQ, tapi kita masih belum menemukan cara untuk menjadikan semua itu berharga. Lengkapnya mereka menulis, “kita tak punya konteks keutuhan bagi hidup kita, suatu aliran makna alami dimana kita bisa ikut ambil bagian. Dalam loncatan kemajuan teknologi yang pesat ke depan, kita telah meninggalkan budaya tradisional dan nilai-nilai yang melekat padanya. IQ kita telah meringankan tenaga kerja, meningkatkan kesejahteraan manusia, serta menghasilakan pernak-pernik kecil yang tidak terhitung jumlahnya, yang sebagian di antaranya justru mengancam diri dan lingkungan kita. Namun kita belum kita belum mampu menemukan cara untuk menjalankan semuanya itu berharga.”

Mereka juga menegaskan bahwa budaya modern itu secara spiritual bodoh, tidak hanya di Barat, tapi juga di negara-negara yang semakin terpengaruh oleh Barat. Dikatakan bodoh secara spiritual, karena menurut mereka kita telah kehilangan nilai-nilai mendasar yang melekat di bumi dan lingkungan kita. kita melihat, menggunakan, dan mengalami sesuatu yang hanya bersifat langsung, dapat dilihat dan pragmantis. Kita buta terhadap tingkatan simbol dan makna lebih dalam. Kita tidak buta warna, tapi kita buta makna.

Barat yang meneladani tradisi filsafat Aristoteles telah mendefinisikan manusia sebagai hewan yang berakal (rational animal). Akar manusia sejati terletak dalam akal yang dalam istilah modern, menurut Zohar dan Marshall, adalah IQ kita dan dalam produk-produk akal: ilmu pengetahuan, teknologi, logika dan ada pragmantisme. Oleh karena itu, Zohar dan Marshall seakan menyimpulkan bahwa Barat dan Asi itu berbeda secara diametral dari segi kualitas spiritual.

Bagi mereka, dalam IQ Barat ada keunggulan, prestasi, kualitas produk dan jasa, komitmen, dan pertumbuhan tanpa akhir. Sedangkan dalam SQ Timur ada cinta, kerendahan hati, pengabdian kepada keluarga, pengabdian pada dasar keberadaaan itu sendiri, Tuhan. Dalam pemahaman Timur, yang juga pemahaman Zohar, seorang pemimpin yang penuh pengabdian merupakan sumber makna dan nilai. Model pemimpin yang penuh pengabdian, menurut Zohar, adalah Mahatma Gandhi, Ibu Teressa, dan Nelson Mandela. Mereka adalah para pemimpin yang spiritual besar sekaligus pengabdi masyarakatnya. Masing-masing telah telah berhasil “meningkatkan” moralitas, makna, dan pelayanan.

4. Kritik Successful Intelligence (SI) oleh Robert J.Stenberg

Menurut Robert J.Stenberg, dalam Successful Intelligence, teori-teori yang mendukung kecerdasan tunggal tidak dapat mengukur kompleksitas mental manusia. Bagaimanapun, menurutnya, teorinya mengenai kecerdasan kesuksesan jauh melewati IQ menuju pemahaman. Jadi, bukan hanya kecerdasan tapi juga kecerdasan kesuksesan (successful intelligence) dalam segala aspeknya.

Selanjutnya di bawah ini adalah pernyataan-pernyataan kritis Robert J.Stenberg atas teori IQ dan tesnya:

“We sometimes refer to people whose achievement is higher than we would expect from their IQ as overachievers. Again, the predictor becomes more important than the achievement itself, and in stead of acknowledging that there is something wrong with the test, we conclude that there must be something wrong with the person.”

“Kita terkadang mengacu kepada orang-orang yang prestasinya lebih tinggi dari pada apa yang kita harapkan dari IQ mereka sebagai overachievers. Lagi, predicator menjadi lebih penting dari pada prestasi itu sendiri. Dan sebaliknya, mengenali bahwa di sana ada sesuatu yang salah dengan tes, kita menyimpulkan pasti ada sesuatu yang salah dengan orang itu.”

“Reaserch is done that shows IQ only weakly to predict later outcomes. But in stead of concluding that IQ is not very important, certain researchers then strangely conclude that the abilities measured does not show this. It shows a statistical relation, not a causal one.”

“Penelitian yang dilakukan menunjukkan bahwa IQ hanya menduga hasil-hasil belakangan. Sebaaliknya, hal itu menyimpulkan bahwa IQ tidaklah sangat penting. Para peneliti tertentu lalu dengan aneh menyimpulkan bahwa kemampuan-kemampuan yang diukur tidaklah menunjukkan ini. Itu menunjukkan sebuah hubungan statistik, bukan sebuah hubungan kausal.”

TOEFL Practice Test Arranged by M.Faruq Ubaidillah

TOEFL Practice Test

Arranged by M.Faruq Ubaidillah

Section 1: Listening

The Listening section of the test measures the ability to understand conversations and talks in English. Answer all the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied by the speakers you hear. Do not take notes.

Listening: Part A

In this part you will see short conversations between two people. Choose the best answer to each question. Answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied by the speakers.

1. Woman: Pardon me. Do you know what time that this store opens?

Man: I do not, but I believe that it is written on the door.

Narrator: What does the man imply that the woman should do?

a. Look on the door

b. Open the door

c. Ask someone else

d. Come back later

2. Woman: I am going to buy Johnny a toy train for his birthday.

Man: Are you sure he’d like one?

Narrator: What does the man imply?

a. Johnny loves toy trains

b. Johnny already has too many toy trains

c. Johnny said he wants a toy train

d. Johnny may prefer something else

3. Man: I need some shampoo for my hair.

Woman: All of the shampoo is in the back of the store on the third shelf.

Narrator: What will the man probably do?

a. Walk out of the store

b. Buy the shampoo

c. Come back later

d. Go to another store

4. Man: Are you going to go to the University of Texas to get your Doctorate?

Woman: I don’t think so.

Man: Why, have you been accepted to any other schools?

Woman: Yes, I have received news of acceptance from LSU, University of Tennessee, and Harvard.

Narrator: What are the speakers discussing?

a. The University of Texas

b. Schools with Doctorate programs

c. Where the woman will go to school

d. Who can get accepted to the most schools

5. Man: I’m really tired on studying for economics every weekend.

Woman: I hear you.

Narrator: What does the woman mean?

a. She has excellent hearing

b. She has heard the man talk about this frequently

c. She understands his point of view

d. She needs to have her ears checked

6. Man: We are going to get ice cream. Would you like to come with us?

Woman: I am waiting for a package to be delivered.

Narrator: What does the woman imply?

a. She does not eat ice cream

b. She has no money

c. She does not like packages

d. She will not be going

7. Woman: Are you going to go to the ball game?

Man: You bet!

Narrator: What does the man mean?

a. He will place a wager on the ball game

b. He will definitely go to the ball game

c. He likes to gamble

d. He does not like ball games

8. Man: That’s a nice car.

Woman: I got it almost four years ago.

Man. It looks brand new.

Woman: Yes, it’s in good shape.

Narrator: What does the woman mean?

a. The woman needs a new car

b. She likes to exercise

c. She has a new car

d. The car is in good condition

9. Man: Did you get you movie passes?

Woman: I spoke to your secretary about it, and she took care of it for me.

Narrator: What does the man mean?

a. The secretary was responsible for getting the movie passes

b. The are no movie passes

c. He has the movie passes

d. The movie passes are in the mail

10. Man: How do you like living in America?

Woman: I am used to it know.

Narrator: What does the woman mean?

a. She has always liked living in America

b. She hates living in America

c. She is accustomed to living in America

d. She would rather live in America

11. Woman: Marie sure likes shopping.

Man: If only she liked doing homework as well!

Narrator: What does the man imply about Marie?

a. She is very likeable

b. She does not put much effort into her homework

c. She goes to the mall everyday

d. She has a lot of homework

12. Man: I thought I was supposed to perform the experiment in Room 45.

Woman: No. Ticket 45 is in Room 54.

Narrator: What will the man probably do?

a. Go to Room 54

b. Go to Room 45

c. Buy a ticket

d. Go home

13. Man: Did you know that Tracey and Bob are back from their honeymoon to Las

Vegas?

Woman: So they did get married after all.

Narrator: What had the woman assumed about Tracey and Bob?

a. They were still in Las Vegas

b. They would not get married

c. They had a spectacular wedding

d. They hate Las Vegas

14. Man: Do you usually take a nap?

Woman: I do now and then.

Narrator: What does the woman mean?

a. She occasionally takes a nap

b. She always takes a nap

c. She never takes a nap

d. She used to take a nap

15. Man: Can you believe it? I got an A on my Finance exam

Woman: Way to go!

Narrator: What does the woman mean?

a. She is asking where to go

b. She wants him to leave her alone

c. She is congratulating him

d. She thinks he is a liar

16. Man: How did the job interview go?

Woman: I could not have been more pleased.

Narrator: What does the woman mean?

a. The interview went very well

b. The woman did not like the interview

c. The interview was cancelled

d. The interview went terrible

17. Man: Do you mind if I turn on some music for a while?

Woman: No, I don’t mind.

Narrator: What does the woman mean?

a. Music will not bother her

b. She hates listening to music

c. She wants to think harder

d. She does not have any music

Listening: Part B

In this part you will see several longer conversations and talks. You should answer each

question on the basis of what is stated or implied by the speakers in the conversation or

talks.

Narrator: Listen to a lecture by a biology instructor.

Many people think of gorillas as dangerous killers. One reason for this is that

television and movies often show these animals this way. But gorillas are really gentle animals.

The gorilla is a vegetarian. It lives in the African rain forests where it finds the

fruits and plants it needs to survive. A large, wild gorilla might eat over 40 pounds of

leaves and fruit in one day. Unfortunately, these peaceful creatures are in danger of becoming extinct. Each year, large areas of the rain forests are being cut down. Because there is less and less food from these forests, the number of wild gorillas is becoming smaller and smaller.

18. The passage describes gorillas as being:

a. Dangerous killers

b. Carnivores

c. TV and movie stars

d. Gentle animals

19. According to the passage, why are gorillas in danger?

a. Because people keep hunting them.

b. Because they eat too much.

c. Because forests get too much rain.

d. Because their food supply is being destroyed.

20. If something is becoming extinct, it is:

a. Becoming lively.

b. Dying out.

c. Growing wild.

d. Getting sick.

Narrator: Listen to the conversation between two graduate students.

Woman: What did you think about the assignment we were supposed to complete for our

statistics class?

Man: I haven’t done mine yet. Is it difficult?

Woman: Kind of. It was full of problems.

Man: Derivative problems?

Woman: Not really, More a review of the whole semester.

Man: Oh.

Woman: It was time consuming.

Man: Really?

Woman. Yes. I started it at about lunch time and didn’t finish it until supper.

Man: I’m surprised at that.

Woman: I was too, I did not expect our professor would give us so much.

Man: He usually doesn’t.

Woman: I know. That is why I was surprised.

Man: Well, I do have some free time this afternoon. Do you know when it is due?

Woman: Tomorrow.

Man: Well, I better get moving.

21. What was on the assignment?

a. Derivative problems

b. A review of the whole semester

c. What was for lunch

d. A surprise

22. What did the students find surprising?

a. The length of the assignment

b. The problems

c. Lunch

d. The professor

23. What did the woman start at lunchtime?

a. The assignment

b. Derivative problems

c. Eating

d. A surprise

24. What will the man probably do next?

a. Eat supper

b. Move out

c. Complete the assignment

d. Ask the woman to supper

Narrator: Listen to part of a conversation between a student and a clerk in a college bookstore.

Man: I need to buy an basic English textbook.

Woman: Okay. What is the course number?

Man: You mean there is more than one

Woman: Sure. We offer Poetry, Writing, and Literature.

Man. If I take Poetry will we write sonnets?

Woman: Not really. The Poetry class is very basic rhyming.

Man: Great. That is what I wanted to hear. How much is that one?

Woman: It’s twenty-nine dollars, plus a ten-dollar notebook fee.

Man: Wait a minute, can’t I just use my own notebook.

Woman: Most students prefer the special poetry notebook, so we made it a requirement.

Man: Okay. I’ll take one Poetry book and notebook. Do you take credit cards?

Woman: Yes, but you don’t have to pay now. Just fill out this form and we will bill you.

Man: Sounds great.

25. What kind of English textbook does the man decide to buy?

a. Writing

b. Literature

c. Poetry

d. Sonnets

26. How much does the Poetry book cost?

a. Twenty-nine dollars

b. Ten-dollars dollars

c. Thirty-nine dollars

d. Twenty-eight dollars

27. Why do the students purchase a poetry notebook?

a. Because they like poetry

b. They are out of paper

c. It is required

d. It makes them feel special

28. How will the man pay for the textbook?

a. With a check

b. With cash

c. With a credit card

d. With an exchange

29. What will the man probably do?

a. Pay now

b. Pay with a bill

c. Go to another store

d. Buy another textbook

Narrator: Listen to part of a lecture in a wetlands ecology class. The professor is talking

about sanderlings.

Urbanization and coastal development has dramatically reduced the beach habitat

available for foraging shorebirds worldwide. This study tested the general hypothesis that

recreational use of shorebird foraging areas adversely affects the foraging behavior of sanderlings Calidris alba. Observations conducted on two central California beaches from

January through May and September through December of 1999 showed that number and

activity of people significantly reduced the amount of time sanderlings spent foraging.

Although the sample size was low, the most significant negative factor was the presence

of free running dogs on the beach. The experimentally determined minimal approach

distance did not vary significantly with the type of human activities tested. Based on these results, policy recommendations for minimizing the impact of human beach

activities on foraging shorebirds include: (1) people maintain a minimum distance of 30

m from areas where shorebirds concentrate and (2) strict enforcement of leash laws

A total of 492 focal birds were observed, of which a sanderling was disturbed by

passing humans on an average of one every 15 min with 96% of those sanderlings

responding to humans at a distance of 30 m or less (Fig. 1). Sanderlings responded to

human activity by either running (42%) or flying (58%). Within the 1-min sampling time,

the disturbed sanderling generally moved once (58%), with 42% moving more than once

due to human disturbance.

30. What hypothesis did this study test?

a. People maintain a minimum distance from where shorebirds congregate.

b. Recreational use of shorebird foraging areas conversely affects the foraging

behavior of sanderlings.

c. Recreational use of shorebird foraging areas adversely affects the foraging

behavior of sanderlings.

d. Recreational use of shorebird foraging areas adversely affects the foraging

behavior of sanderlings. 42% of shorebirds move due to human disturbance.

31. What percent of responding sanderlings were disturbed by passing humans at a

distance of 10 meters or less?

a. More than 70 percent

b. More than 80 percent

c. Less than 60 percent

d. Less than 0 percent

32. What are some environmentally sound results to come from this study?

a. Enforcement of leash laws would be effective.

b. Observe Calidris Alba daily.

c. People should maintain a minimum distance of 30 meters from shorebirds.

d. Coastal development has dramatically reduced the beach.

33. This experiment determined that the most significant negative factor to reduce the

amount of time that sanderlings spent foraging was:

a. Humans passing once every 15 minutes.

b. Humans disturbing the sand

c. Sanderlings running or flying

d. Free running dogs

Narrator: Listen to a conversation between a student and a graduate assistant in the

marketing department.

Man: May I help you?

Woman: Hello, My name is Rebecca Smith and I have an appointment Monday at ten

o’clock with Dr. Cudd.

Man: Yes, ten on Monday. I see it here on his planner.

Woman: Well, I was wondering if it would be possible to move my appointment until

later in the afternoon on Monday.

Man: I’m sorry, but Dr. Cudd is tied up in meetings all afternoon.

Woman: Oh.

Man: There is an appointment earlier that morning, if that would help you. Or you could

see him Tuesday afternoon at two.

Woman. No thanks. I’ll just rearrange my schedule.

34. Why did the woman go to the marketing department?

a. To change her appointment time

b. To schedule her appointment

c. To cancel her appointment

d. To rearrange her class schedule

35. What does the man say about Dr. Cudd?

a. He will be out of town Monday

b. He will be rescheduling all Monday appointments for Tuesday

c. He is busy Monday afternoon

d. He is available Monday afternoon

36. What did the graduate assistant offer?

a. To give her an appointment Monday afternoon

b. To give her an appointment Tuesday at two, or earlier Monday

c. To cancel her appointment

d. To give her an appointment next week

37. What did the woman decide to do?

a. Make a new appointment

b. Keep the original appointment

c. Go to the meeting with Dr. Cudd

d. Go to another department

Narrator: Listen to part of a lecture in a macroeconomics class. The professor will be

taking about the indicators business cycle.

Because the business cycle is related to aggregate economic activity, a popular indicator of the business cycle in the U.S. is the Gross Domestic Product or GDP. The financial media generally considers two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth to indicate a recession. Used as such, the GDP is a quick and simple indicator of economic contractions. However, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) weighs GDP relatively low as a primary business cycle indicator because GDP is subject to frequent revision and it is reported only on a quarterly basis (the business cycle is tracked on a monthly basis). The NBER relies primarily on indicators such as the following:

• employment

• personal income

• industrial production

Additionally, indicators such as manufacturing and trade sales are used as

measures of economic activity.

38. What is the main topic of this lecture?

a. Gross Domestic Product

b. Indicators of the business cycle

c. National Bureau of Economic Research

d. Employment

39. Which of the following is used as a quick and simple indicator of economic

contractions?

a. Gross Domestic Product

b. Employment

c. Personal Income

d. Industrial Production

40. What is used to indicate a recession?

a. two consecutive quarters of negative growth

b. two consecutive quarters of positive growth

c. four nonconsecutive quarters of negative growth

d. four nonconsecutive quarters of positive growth

41. What is an indicator that the NBER relies upon? Please choose two answers.

a. growth

b. employment

c. product movement

d. personal income

Narrator: Listen to part of a conversation between a student and her professor.

Emily: Thank you for letting me speak with you today, Dr. Miller. I would like to talk

with you about my semester average.

Dr. Miller: I see.

Emily: Well to be honest with you, I was upset when I saw my grade. I thought that it

would have been better.

Dr. Miller: Why is that?

Emily: I got an A on my midterm project.

Dr. Miller: I remember how good yours was.

Emily: I received an A on my final exam, but I still received a B in your class.

Dr. Miller: Your grades were very good according to my grade book.

Emily: Can you explain why I received a B instead of an A?

Dr. Miller: Twenty percent of you grade was based on your participation in the class

discussions. Even though you always did well on you assignments, you never added your

opinions or volunteered in class.

Emily: But I tried, I am just shy.

Dr. Miller: I am sorry Emily the syllabus states that everyone must participate in order to

receive there full grade for the class.

42. What event prompted this discussion?

a. Emily’s semester average

b. Emily’s midterm project

c. Emily’s final exam

d. Emily’s participation

43. Where is the conversation most likely occurring?

a. Grocery store

b. Dr. Miller’s office

c. Emily’s office

d. Swimming pool

44. What is the grade that Emily received on her final exam?

a. A

b. B

c. C

d. D

45. Why did Emily receive that grade in the course?

a. Dr. Miller did not like her

b. She was late to class

c. She never did her assignments

d. She did not participate in the class discussions

Section 2: Structure

This section is designed to measure your ability to recognize language that is appropriate

for standard written English.

1. The Eiffel Tower ___________ Paris, France.

a. landmarks

b. is landmarked in

c. is a landmark in

d. is in a landmark

2. Young deer _________.

a. are called fawns

b. be fawns

c. is fawns

d. are fawns called

3. Not until a dog is several months old does it begin to exhibit signs of

independence ___________.

a. its mother from

b. from mother

c. to mother

d. from its mother

4. The Treasury Department a.is take a new look at regulations limiting the b.number

of interest that bank and c.savings, and loan associations d.can pay on deposits.

5. a.Him should b.be careful with that vase because c.it is very old d.and extremely

fragile.

6. The repair shop a.keep my cassette player for six weeks before b.returning it,

c.nevertheless, d.it still does not work properly.

7. To score a goal in soccer you ________.

a. must kick the ball

b. must kicks the ball

c. may kick them ball

d. must kick them balls

8. The observation deck at the Sears Tower _________ in Chicago.

a. is highest than any other one

b. is highest than any other one

c. is higher than any other one

d. is higher that any other one

9. If it _________ so cloudy, we would plan on having the fair outside.

a. was

b. was not

c. weren’t

d. had not

10. At the 1984 Democratic National Convention in San Francisco, Geraldine Ferraro

became the first woman _________ for the vice presidency.

a. to being nominated

b. to has been nominated

c. to have been nominated

d. to will be nominated

11. Pearl Buck, a.a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize b.for Literature in 1938 c.strove

to bring understanding and peace d.on everyone.

12. In most circumstances a.the person that owns the property b.can claim the rights

c.as money made d.from drilling oil on their property.

13. _______ chocolate will give you a tummy ache.

a. Eat too much

b. Eating to much

c. Eating too much

d. Eating too many

14. If she ____________ to advance her clock one hour, she wouldn’t have been late

for work.

a. should have remembered

b. could remembered

c. remembered

d. would have remembered

15. It a.was obvious from his response in the press conference b.that the candidate

c.prepare his answers d.well.

16. A dream about falling _________.

a. scary is

b. is scary

c. are scary

d. very scary is

17. George Washington _________first U.S. President.

a. was the

b. became

c. were the

d. are the

18. Amelia Earhart was _______________ to pilot her plane across the Atlantic

Ocean.

a. the first and a woman

b. the first woman

c. who the first woman

d. the woman who first

19. a.Crawfish farming b.have been practiced in south Louisiana c.for many d.years.

20. The main purpose a.of this class is to b.help you better understand the c.history of

there country, and how d.it came to be.

21. ____________ a tree can be grown from a seedling.

a. That is generally believed

b. Believed generally is

c. Generally believed it is

d. It is generally believed that

22. The White Rose Bridge, a.which close today, for b.resurfacing will not be c.open

for d.two months.

23. a.When I joined the staff b.of the newspaper, I c.were taught to write short,

powerful d.headlines.

24. a.Since the official school colors b.are red and white, c.all of us d.has worn red and

white to the championship game.

25. The poverty level in the United State is currently set __________________.

a. at 12,000 dollars or less.

b. as 12,000 dollars or less.

c. at 12,000 dollars as less

d. at 12,000 dollar or less.

Section 3: Reading

This section is designed to measure your ability to read and understand short passages

similar in topic and style to those that students are likely to encounter in North American

universities and colleges. This section contains reading passages and questions about the

passages.

Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in Vinci, Italy. He was the

illegitimate son of Ser Piero, a Florentine notary and landlord, but lived on the estate and

was treated as a legitimate son.

In 1483, Leonardo da Vinci drew the first model of a helicopter. It did not look

very much like our modern day “copter,” but the idea of what it could do was about the

same.

Leonardo was an artist and sculptor. He was very interested in motion and

movement and tried to show it in his art. In order to show movement, he found it helpful

to study the way things moved. One subject he liked to study was birds and how they

flew. He spent many hours watching the birds and examining the structure of their

wings. He noticed how they cupped air with their wings and how the feathers helped

hold the air. Through these studies, Leonardo began to understand how birds were able

to fly.

Like many other men, Leonardo began to dream of the day when people would be

able to fly. He designed a machine that used all the things he had learned about flight,

and thus became the first model of a helicopter.

Poor Leonardo had only one problem, however. He had no way to give the

necessary speed to his invention. You see, motors had not yet been invented and speed

was an important part of the flying process. It would be another four hundred years

before the engine was invented and another fifty years before it was put to the test in an

airplane. Leonardo’s dream of a helicopter finally came to pass in 1936.

The Italian painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, and scientist, Leonardo died on

May 2, 1519, and was buried in the cloister of San Fiorentino in Amboise.

1. What is the author’s main point?

a. The invention of the helicopter.

b. Birds cup air with their wings and use feathers to help hold the air.

c. An overview of one of Leonardo da Vinci’s many skills.

d. Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452 and died in 1519.

2. The word problem in paragraph five could best be replaced by the word:

a. dilemma

b. mistake

c. danger

d. pain

3. The word it in paragraph two refers to:

a. Leonardo da Vinci

b. The first model helicopter

c. 1483

d. motion and movement

4. Which paragraph explains why Leonardo’s helicopter was not successful in his

lifetime:

a. paragraph 1

b. paragraph 2

c. paragraph 4

d. paragraph 5

5. The word illegitimate in paragraph one is closest in meaning to:

a. against the law or illegal

b. not in correct usage

c. incorrectly deduced; illogical

d. born out of wedlock

6. The following sentence would best complete which paragraph? “Since then

people have been living out Leonardo’s dream of flying.”

a. paragraph 3

b. paragraph 4

c. paragraph 5

d. paragraph 2

7. What was the main problem with Leonardo’s invention?

a. motors were not yet invented

b. the birds lost their feathers

c. he was illegitimate

d. he couldn’t draw

8. The word they in the third paragraph refers to:

a. the feathers

b. the birds

c. the studies

d. the wings

9. In what year was the first helicopter flown

a. 1483

b. 1452

c. 1519

d. 1936

10. What two things did birds have that Leonardo da Vinci noticed helped them to

fly?

a. wings and beaks

b. feathers and talons

c. wings and feathers

d. cups and feathers

11. The word thus in the fourth paragraph could best be replaced by:

a. Hence

b. After

c. Unsuitably

d. Inappropriately

Glass fibers are extremely strong; for their weight, they are stronger than steel.