On Mon, 15 Jan 2001 19:47:49 -0500, Rich Ulrich <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
>Concerning the MCAS. There was a discussion last month
>in another Usenet group, alt.usage.english, concerning one of
>its math questions which was written too loosely.
>
>Here is the start of that thread. The thread has 130+ (not very
>interesting) entries in Deja, which is where I recovered this from.
>
>=================== start of Deja message.
>Subject: Fix the wording in this test question?
>Date: 12/10/2000
>Author: Daniel P. B. Smith <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
>
>Below is a verbatim question from a standardized math test. The
>concepts and mathematics are clear enough, I think. I'm presenting
>this is an English puzzle.
>37. When Matt's and Damien's broad jumps were measured accurately to
>the nearest foot, each measurement was 21 feet. Which statement best
>describes the greatest possible difference in the lengths of Matt�s
>jump and Damien's jump?
>
>A. One jump could be up to 1/4 foot longer than the other.
>B. One jump could be up to 1/2 foot longer than the other.
>C. One jump could be up to 1 foot longer than the other.
>D. One jump could be up to 2 feet longer than the other.
>
> END QUESTION TEXT
>
>ObPuzzle: Assume that the wording needs improvement. Assume that the
>concept to be tested is that "the range of real numbers for which the
>closest integer is 21 is the interval from 20.5 to 21.5 not including
>either endpoint, sometimes notated (20.5, 21.5)." What is a simple,
>natural wording in everyday language that would test someone's
>understanding of this concept while providing a single, unambiguously
>correct choice?
Maybe, I am missing something, but think the original question and
response items are quite clear and concise. I see nothing
particularly "loose" about it. The essentials of a class interval
used in frequency distributions seem apparent although it is subtle.
For me, this appears to be an excellent question. Of course, I was
not an English major either :-)
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