ORIENTATION COURSE FOR

VERSANT ENGLISH PLACEMENT

TEST

Session 4

1
 A- Read Aloud

Instructions: Read the passage aloud smoothly and naturally in a clear voice.
You will be stopped after 30 seconds. This is not a speed reading test. You may
not be able to finish reading the entire passage, but that is okay. When your
time is up, you will automatically move on to the next item.

The Mexican flag has three bands in green, white and red, with the Mexican

Coat of Arms in the center of the white band. The green band stands for

hope. White stands for purity. The red band stands for the blood of the

national heroes that gave Mexico its independence. The Mexican Coat of

Arms is taken from an Aztec legend which tells the way in which the Aztecs

chose the site where they built their capital city. The place where they started

their city was where they saw an eagle on a prickly pear tree eating a snake.

2
B- Repeat

Instructions: Please repeat each sentence that you hear. Example: You hear:
"Leave town on the next train." You say: "Leave town on the next train."

C - Sentence Builds

Instructions: Please rearrange the word groups into a sentence. Example: You
hear: "was reading" ... "my mother" ... "her favorite magazine" You say: "My
mother was reading her favorite magazine.

1. blow balloons - for the party - have to

2. makes you- dieting - lose weight

3. an old friend - at the mall - I met

4. names - the twins’ - I mixed up

5. look after - I have to - my sick grandmother

6. our work - can we - complete

7. the book - on the table - is

8. to work - I have - to go

9. was ringing - the phone - continuosly

10. with a fever - was sick - the child

3
D - Conversations

Instructions: You will hear a conversation between two people, followed by a

question. Give a short, simple answer to the question.
Example: You hear: Speaker 1: "Lucy, can you come to the office early tomorrow?"
Speaker 2: "Sure, what time?" Speaker 1: "7:30 would be great." Question: "What will
Lucy have to do tomorrow morning?" You say: "Go to the office early." or "She will go to
the office at 7:30."

E- Typing

Instructions: This section allows you to get used to the keyboard and also
measures your typing speed. You will have 60 seconds to type as much as you
can. Type quickly and accurately. Keep typing until your time finish. Your
work will be saved automatically.

4
F-Sentence Completion

Instructions: Please type one word that best fits the meaning of the sentence.
Type only one word. You will have 25 seconds for each sentence. Click "Next"
when you are finished.

1- I need to --------------- you an important question.

2- We were late so we ---------------- the movie.
3- She stayed home to --------------- of her mother.
4- It’s not -------------- to wear those clothes here. This is a very formal dinner
party.
5- Dogs are great ----------------- you should get one.

G - Dictation

Instructions: Please type each sentence exactly as you hear it. You will have 25
seconds for each sentence. Pay attention to spelling and punctuation. Click
"Next" when you are finished. After 25 seconds, your work will be saved
automatically.

5
 H - Passage Reconstruction

Instructions: You will have 30 seconds to read a paragraph. After 30 seconds,

the paragraph will disappear from the screen. Then, you will have 90 seconds
to reconstruct the paragraph. Show that you understood the passage by
rewriting it in your own words. Your answer will be scored for clear and
accurate content, not word-for-word memorization. After 90 seconds, your
work will be saved automatically.

Original Passage:

John went to eat dinner at an expensive restaurant. It was the seafood

restaurant he had gone to as a child with his family. John ordered the check
but when he put his hand in his jacket pocket he could not find his wallet. He
was sure he had gone into the restaurant with the wallet but it was now
missing. John and the waiter started to look for the wallet together. The waiter
bent down and found the wallet near John’s feet.

Original Passage:

A friend in need is a friend in deed. It means that a friend is someone who

helps you in your difficulties. It is not necessary that a friend should be a
person from your own class or who lives near you. But it is important that a
friend should be someone who listens to you and advises you.  Friends listen to
each other’s problems and try to find out the best solution together. A friend is
also someone who you can relax with and have fun with.

6
 I - Summary and Opinion

Instructions: Read the passage. Then, in the first box, write a short summary
of the author’s opinion in 25-50 words. In the second box, write your opinion
on the topic. Do you agree or disagree with the author? Why? Try to use your
own ideas. You must write at least 50 words. You will have 18 minutes to read
the passage and write both the summary and opinion. Write both the summary
and the opinion before clicking ‘Next’. Write in complete sentences. After 18
minutes, your work will be saved automatically.

Life in the city is exciting because of the different things you can do. Firstly,
job opportunities are better in the cities. So, if you live in a city, you don’t have
to leave your home in search of work opportunities. You’ll be able to earn
money and be by the side of your family at the same time.

Secondly, education in the city is completely different from anywhere else. In

the city, there are various schools and universities to choose from.
Furthermore, the best kind of education can be received in a city. Students can
even get scholarships if they have good grades.

Another reason that life in the city is great is because of all the entertainment
available. Cities have parks, restaurants, shopping malls and more. There are
also cinemas and operas where you can see your favorite performers.

City dwellers, people who live in the city, have many choices of schools, jobs
and entertainment.