ORIENTATION COURSE FOR

VERSANT ENGLISH PLACEMENT

TEST

Session 1

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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.

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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. has - he - a lovely dog.

2. loves - humor - everybody

3. do - you - how do - ?

4. too dark - it is - in here.

5. some lights - let’s turn - on.

6. I need - on time - you to be.

7. this time - don’t - let me down.

8. the bus driver – hit a cat - almost -

9. the newspaper - I took - - this ad from.

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10. alive - to be - he’s lucky.

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.

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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- Can I bring you something to …….. ? Perhaps tea or coffee

2- It's ……… tonight. Bring your sweater.
3- He doesn't have a job. He's ……………
4- I work hard but they pay me little money .That's ………….
5- The receptionist was very …………. and explained to us everything
carefully.

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.

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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:

Here is the perfect system for cleaning your room. First, move all of the items that
do not have a proper place to the center of the room. Get rid of at least five things
that you have not used within the last year. Take out all of the trash, and place all
of the dirty dishes in the kitchen sink. Now find a location for each of the items
you had placed in the center of the room. For any remaining items, see if you can
squeeze them in under your bed or stuff them into the back of your closet. See,
that was easy!

Original Passage:

My favorite place to go is to the beach. There's plenty of water, beautiful sand,

and lots of treasures to be found. To begin with, I relish spending time at the
beach because I get to play around in the cool refreshing water. It's exhilarating
to grab a surfing board and ride the rolling waves. It is also exciting to put on a
mask, snorkel, and fins and dive under the water. Sometimes you might see
strange sea animals, shells, or even lost treasures.

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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.

Television is the outcome of modern technology. Television has made the world
smaller. Television technology can be used for many purposes. Television plays a
vital role in education. Children learn quickly through objects that are visually
attractive. They learn quickly through pictures, live videos and images.

In this sense, Television can be of great use. Channels like Discovery and National
Geographic are excellent. Children can be encouraged to watch these channels
from an early age if it is made a habit. Many other broadcasts come up with very
interesting educational programs, especially made for children. They are
interesting even for the adults. Some of these programs present scientific
experiments and surgical operations.

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Television can be a great source of learning for children. Television teaches but
also entertains. Interestingly as well, television helps in creating national
awareness.