Diagnostic Assessment

Developed by Amari Montin and Rebecca LaPlante

Your Name:

Section 1: Listening Comprehension

Note: You will need to open up the audio file labeled Listening
Comprehension in order to take this part of the test.


Directions: You are going to hear a presentation about bionic arms. Before
you listen to the clip, read over the transcription below. However, some
words are missing. As you listen, fill in the blanks with the correct missing
word by writing inside the brackets. You may replay the audio as much as
you need.

Example: I am a [very] happy person.

Your Response:
When you lose your arm, that nervous system still works. Those nerves can
[ ] out command signals. And if I tap the nerve ending on a
World War II vet, hell still feel [ ] missing hand. So, you might say, Lets
lets go to the brain and put put something [ ] the brain to
record signals or into the end of the peripheral nerve and record them
there. And these are very exciting [ ] areas, but its really, really
hard. You have to put in [ ] of microscopic wires to record from
little, tiny [ ] neurons or nerve fibers that put out tiny signals that
are that are microvolts. And it was just its just too [ ] to use now and
for my patients today. So [ ] developed a different approach. Were
using a biological amplifier to [ ] these nerve signals. Muscles.
Muscles will amplify the nerve signals about a thousand fold so [
] we can record them from on top of the skin.







Section 2: Speaking: Read-Aloud

Note: You will need to open up the program Audacity in order to record
your voice for this part of the test. Make sure to save your audio file by
labeling it with your name.


Directions: First, read the text below to become familiar with it. Then
record yourself reading the text aloud. As you read, pretend that you are
giving an announcement to people at a conference.

Text:
Tonight, I am pleased to introduce our next speaker, Dr. Gonzalez, from the
University of Mexico. He will be speaking about bionic arms, robotic
surgery, and computer technology in the medical field. Following his
speech, there will be a question and answer session in the reception hall.
This will be very informative and we welcome everyone to come.






















Section 3: Speaking: Independent Response

Note: You will need to open up the program Audacity in order to record
your voice for this part of the test. Make sure to save your audio file by
labeling it with your name.


Directions: The prompt below will ask you to record your opinion about a
topic. State your opinion and support your argument.

Prompt:
Some universities allow cell phones in the library and some universities do
not. Which do you support? Give specific reasons or examples to support
your opinion.

























Section 4: Listening + Writing: Summary

Note: You will need to open up the audio file labeled Listening + Writing
in order to take this part of the test.


Directions: You will watch a video about organ regeneration. Below, write a
summary of the speakers main point and the examples he gives. You may
replay the video as much as you need.

Your Response:




























Section 5: Multiple Choice: Transition Markers

Directions: You will answer 10 multiple choice questions from the
transcript of a presentation about cellular regeneration. You may read the
whole text before you begin. The questions are below the text. For each
question, please underline the answer that you think is best.

Example: a. without
b. within
c. sideways
d. under

Text:
With the discovery of bacterial infections and, most importantly, with
the discovery of penicillin, a sort of miracle occurred where it was then
possible to cure people who had bacterial infections. 1. ,
were now at the edge of a similar revolution in biology. Its a biology
based in stem cells and genetics, and it has to do with understanding
how our bodies are made, maintained, and replenished, and it will also
teach us something deeply important about disease. Most interestingly,
perhaps, it will 2. open the door to manipulating our bodies
in a way that we can change who we are and what our lives are like.
To put this in a little more perspective, let me remind you that, in
the last century, beginning with Mendels discovery of peas and genetic
inheritance, we learned about how the genes we inherited from our
mother and father affect who we are. That was reduced to
understanding that genes are made of DNA, and we now understand
quite a bit about how genes encode the proteins that are found in our
bodies. It, 3. , can be an exaggeration, often appearing in the
popular press, that all we are is our DNA. And were much more than
our DNA. Our DNA is merely a language or a code that tells our body or
our cells what kind of proteins can be made, 4. the DNA
doesnt define who we are.
So what has been lost in this discussion up until now is the idea
that the real unit of biology is not DNA, but is, 5. , a cell. Cells
are alive, cells make more cells, and cells are the units that allow us to
harness the future of our bodies. 6. to make sense of this,
we have to dig into a kind of biology called developmental biology.
Thats the biology that has to do with answering the question: How
does an egg become a human being?
There are two aspects to human development. 7. ,
thats obvious, is growth. Cells 8. have to divide, but they
also have to increase in size. But the second is a process called
differentiation, where cells become different from one another.
Different cells of the early embryo will give rise to different kinds of
cells in the adult.
The nucleus of the cells in your body many, if not all of the
differentiated cells in your body can be re-programmed by egg
cytoplasm so that they can become fully potent stem cells and make an
entire new animal. 9. , during development from a
fertilized egg to an adult human, there are no irreversible changes to the
genome during cell development. Many cells in your body have this
astounding potential. They have, locked in their nucleus, the capacity to
make any other part of your body.
If one is in an accident and loses some tissue or an organ, or is
suffering from a liver or heart disease, 10. one could and
should be able to use the bodys own inherent capacity for development
to replace and repair those lost tissues.

Your Response:
1.
a. Despite
b. In fact
c. Hence
d. Next

2.
a. also
b. besides
c. equally
d. since

3.
a. when
b. because
c. since
d. however

4.
a. also
b. until
c. but
d. again

5.
a. instead
b. still yet
c. besides
d. then again

6.
a. In order
b. Likewise
c. Rather
d. In view

7.
a. The addition
b. The first
c. The next
d. The preceding

8.
a. in addition
b. as well as
c. likely
d. not only

9.
a. Briefly
b. Therefore
c. Regardless
d. Whenever

10.
a. but
b. if
c. then
d. or