Section B
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
Do In-Class Exams Make Students study Harder?
Research suggests they may study more broadly for the unexpected rather than search for answers.
[A] I have always been a poor test-taker. So it may seem rather strange that I have returned to college to finish the degree I left undone some four decades ago. I am making my way through Columbia University, surrounded by students who quickly supply the verbal answer while I am still processing the question.
[B] Since there is no way for me to avoid exams, I am currently questioning what kind are the most taxing and ultimately beneficial. I have already sweated through numerous in-class midterms and finals, and now I have a professor who issues take-home ones. I was excited when I learned this, figuring I had a full week to do the research, read the texts, and write it all up. In fact, I was still rewriting my midterm the morning it was due. To say I had lost the thread is putting it mildly.
[C] As I was suffering through my week of anxiety, overthinking the material and guessing my grasp of it, I did some of my own polling among students and professors. David Eisenbach, who teaches a popular class on U.S. presidents at Columbia, prefers the in-class variety. He believes students ultimately learn more and encourages them to form study groups. “That way they socialize over history outside the class, which wouldn’t happen without the pressure of an in-class exam,” he explained, “Furthermore, in-class exams force students to learn how to perform under pressure, and essential work skill.”
[D] He also says there is less chance of cheating with the in-class variety. In 2012, 125 students at Harvard were caught up in a scandal when it was discovered they had cheated on a take-home exam for a class entitled “Introduction To Congress.” Some colleges have what they call an “honor code,” though if you are smart enough to get into these schools, you are either smart enough to get around any codes or hopefully, too ethical to consider doing so. As I sat blocked and clueless for two solid days, I momentarily wondered if I couldn’t just call an expert on the subject matter which I was tackling, or someone who took the class previously, to get me going.
[E] Following the Harvard scandal, Mary Miller, the former dean of students at Yale, made an impassioned appeal to her school’s professors to refrain from take-hone exams. “Students risk health and well being, as well as performance in other end-of-term work, when faculty offers take-home exams without clear, time-limited boundaries,” she told me. “Research now shows that regular quizzes, short essays, and other assignments over the course of a term better enhance learning and retention.”
[F] Most college professors agree the kind of exam they choose largely depends on the subject. A quantitative-based one, for example, is unlikely to be sent home, where one could ask their older brothers and sisters to help. Vocational-type classes, such as computer science or journalism, on the other hand, are often more research-oriented and lend themselves to take-home testing. Chris Koch, who teaches “History of Broadcast Journalism” at Montgomery community College in Rockville, Maryland, points out that reporting is about investigation rather than the memorization of minute details. “In my field, it’s not what you know—it’s what you know how to find out,” says Koch. “There is way too much information, and more coming all the time, for anyone to remember. I want my students to search out the answers to questions by using all the resources available to them.
[G] Students’ test-form preferences vary, too, often depending on the subject and course difficulty. “I prefer take-home essays because it is then really about the writing, so you have time to edit and do more research,” says Elizabeth Dresser, a junior at Barnard. Then there is the stress factor. Francesca Haass, a senior at Middlebury, says, “I find the in-class ones are more stressful in the short term, but there is immediate relief as you swallow information like mad, and then you get to forget it all. Take-homes require thoughtful engagement which can lead to longer term stress as there is never a moment when the time is up.” Meanwhile, Olivia Rubin, a sophomore at Emory, says she hardly even considers take-homes true exams. “If you understand the material and have the ability to articulate (说出) your thoughts, they should be a breeze.”
[H] How students ultimately handle stress may depend on their personal test-taking abilities. There are people who always wait until the last minute, and make it much harder than it needs to be. And then there those who, not knowing what questions are coming at them, and having no resources to refer to, can freeze. And then there are we rare folks who fit both those descriptions.
[I] Yes, my advanced age must factor into the equation (等式), in part because of my inability to access the information as quickly. As another returning student at Columbia, Kate Marber, told me, “We are learning not only all this information, but essentially how to learn again. Our fellow students have just come out of high school. A lot has changed since we were last in school.”
[J] If nothing else, the situation has given my college son and me something to share, When I asked his opinion on this matter, he responded, “I like in-class exams because the time is already reserved, as opposed to using my free time at home to work on a test,” he responded. It seems to me that a compromise would be receiving the exam questions a day or two in advance, and then doing the actual test in class the ticking clock overhead.
[K] Better yet, how about what one Hunter College professor reportedly did recently for her final exam: She encouraged the class not to stress or even study, promising that, “It is going to be apiece of cake.” When the students came in, sharpened pencils in hand, there was not a bluebook in sight. Rather, they saw a large chocolate cake and they each were given a slice.
36. Elderly students find it hard to keep up with the rapid changes in education.
37. Some believe take-home exams may affect students' performance in other courses.
38. Certain professors believe in-class exams are ultimately more helpful to students.
39. In-class exams are believed to discourage cheating in exams.
40. The author was happy to learn she could do some exams at home.
41. Students who put off their work until the last moment often find the exams more difficult than they actually are.
42. Different students may prefer different types of exams.
43. Most professors agree whether to give an in-class or a take-home exam depends on type of course being taught.
44. The author dropped out of college some forty years ago.
45. Some students think take-home exams will eat up their free time.
答案解析：
36. 根据“I am learning not only all this information, but essentially how to learn again. A lot has changed since we were last in school.”(我不只是在学习所有这些信息，本质上还在学习如何再次学习。自从我们上次上学以来，很多事情都发生了变化)，可知年长的学生发现很难跟上教育的快速变化，所以选I。
37. 根据“Students risk health and well being, as well as performance in other end-of-term work, when faculty offers take-home exams without clear, time-limited boundaries”(当教师提供的带回家考试没有明确的时间限制时，学生会有健康和幸福方面的风险，也会影响他们在其他期末作业中的表现)，可知有人认为带回家考试可能会影响学生在其他课程中的表现，所以选E。
38. 根据“David Eisenbach, who teaches a popular class on U.S. presidents at Columbia, prefers the in-class variety. He believes students ultimately learn more”(在哥伦比亚大学教授一门受欢迎的美国总统课程的大卫·艾森巴赫更喜欢课堂考试。他认为学生最终能学到更多)，可知一些教授认为课堂考试最终对学生更有帮助，所以选C。
39. 根据“He also says there is less chance of cheating with the in-class variety.”(他还说课堂考试作弊的可能性更小)，可知课堂考试被认为可以防止考试作弊，所以选D。
40. 根据“now I have a professor who issues take-home ones. I was excited when I learned this”(现在我有一个教授布置带回家的考试。当我得知这个消息时我很兴奋)，可知作者很高兴得知她可以在家做一些考试，所以选B。
41. 根据“There are people who always wait until the last minute, and make it much harder than it needs to be.”(有些人总是等到最后一分钟，这让考试比实际难度大得多)，可知把工作拖到最后一刻的学生常常发现考试比实际难度更大，所以选H。
42. 根据“Students’ test-form preferences vary, too, often depending on the subject and course difficulty.”(学生对考试形式的偏好也有所不同，这通常取决于科目和课程难度)，可知不同的学生可能更喜欢不同类型的考试，所以选G。
43. 根据“Most college professors agree the kind of exam they choose largely depends on the subject.”(大多数大学教授都认为，他们选择的考试类型在很大程度上取决于科目)，可知大多数教授都认为，进行课堂考试还是带回家考试取决于所教课程的类型，所以选F。
44. 根据“So it may seem rather strange that I have returned to college to finish the degree I left undone some four decades ago.”(所以我回到大学完成大约四十年前未完成的学位，这似乎很奇怪)，可知作者大约四十年前从大学辍学，所以选A。
45. 根据“I like in-class exams because the time is already reserved, as opposed to using my free time at home to work on a test”(我喜欢课堂考试，因为时间已经预留好了，而不是用我在家的空闲时间来准备考试)，可知一些学生认为带回家考试会占用他们的空闲时间，所以选J。
