Self-tests

Sites which offer interactive testing

These are the best self-test sites we have found on the Web.

• Dr. NAD's Prig Page. - Tests of grammar, usage, spelling, punctuation, and style.
• Grambo John Russial, associate professor of journalism, School of Journalism and Communications, University of Oregon This is a test of the Emergency Grammar System, and it's an amusing but helpful test of your knowledge.
• Grammar Bytes! Interactive Grammar Review Robin L. Simmons. Grammar explanations, handouts for teachers and students, and interactive exercises.
• Guide to Grammar and Writing Charles Darling, professor of English/humanities, Capital Community-Technical College, Hartford, Connecticut.  Handouts on grammar and English usage, more than 150 computer-graded quizzes, and recommendations on writing -- from basic problems in subject-verb agreement and the use of articles to exercises in parallel structures and help with argumentative essays. 
• Spelling Test
• Checkers Free English Language Services for Students will help you improve your proofreading skills, your grammar, and your knowledge of slang.
• List of Interactive Quizzes -- Grammar!
• Guide to Grammar and Writing A wonderful collection of advice and resources pertaining to its subject with very useful advice and illustrations on various grammar topics and writing skills. You can also find computer-graded quizzes or search for topics of interest.
• English Grammar 101 Marvin L. Van Horne of Learning by Design, author, instructional designer and former intermediate and high school teacher in Orange County, California Online English grammar tutorial with interactive exercises and tests covering word, phrase and clause patterns; verb tense and verbal patterns; and verb form and sentence patterns.
• English lessons and tests Elek Máthé, EnglishLearner.com, Budapest, Hungary Interactive English tests, exercises and puzzles for English learners from beginning to advanced in grammar, vocabulary and reading.

Categorizing Educational Questions — Bloom's Taxonomy

Taxonomy: ... the practice or principles of classification.

Benjamin Bloom created this taxonomy for categorizing level of abstraction of questions that commonly occur in educational settings. The taxonomy provides a useful structure in which to categorize test questions, since professors will characteristically ask questions within particular levels, and if you can determine the levels of questions that will appear on your exams, you will be able to study using appropriate strategies.

Competence	Skills Demonstrated
Knowledge	observation and recall of information knowledge of dates, events, places knowledge of major ideas mastery of subject matter Question Cues: list, define, tell, describe, identify, show, label, collect, examine, tabulate, quote, name, who, when, where, etc.
Comprehension	understanding information grasp meaning translate knowledge into new context interpret facts, compare, contrast order, group, infer causes predict consequences Question Cues: summarize, describe, interpret, contrast, predict, associate, distinguish, estimate, differentiate, discuss, extend
Application	use information use methods, concepts, theories in new situations solve problems using required skills or knowledge Questions Cues: apply, demonstrate, calculate, complete, illustrate, show, solve, examine, modify, relate, change, classify, experiment, discover
Analysis	seeing patterns organization of parts recognition of hidden meanings identification of components Question Cues: analyze, separate, order, explain, connect, classify, arrange, divide, compare, select, explain, infer
Synthesis	use old ideas to create new ones generalize from given facts relate knowledge from several areas predict, draw conclusions Question Cues: combine, integrate, modify, rearrange, substitute, plan, create, design, invent, what if?, compose, formulate, prepare, generalize, rewrite
Evaluation	compare and discriminate between ideas assess value of theories, presentations make choices based on reasoned argument verify value of evidence recognize subjectivity Question Cues assess, decide, rank, grade, test, measure, recommend, convince, select, judge, explain, discriminate, support, conclude, compare, summarize

* From Benjamin S. Bloom Taxonomy of educational objectives.
Published by Allyn and Bacon, Boston, MA. Copyright (c) 1984 by Pearson Education.
Adapted by permission of the publisher.

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