I wish to see how many words you can make in five minutes, using only the letters which I give you. The words must be real English words. You must use only the letters which I give you and must not use the same letter more than once in the same word. You do not, of course, have to use all the letters in the same word. A word may contain one or more letters up to six.
Material. The pupils need only sheets of blank paper.
Results. The score is the number of words that do not violate the rules of the test as given in the instructions. The norms are shown in Figure [XV].
The Completion Test
Object. This is, to some extent, a test of reasoning capacity. Of course, it is only one particular aspect of reasoning. The pupil is given a story that has certain words omitted. He must read the story, see what it is trying to say, and determine what words, put into the blanks, will make the correct sense. The meaning of the word written in a particular blank must not only make the sentence read sensibly but must fit into the story as a whole. Filling in the blanks in this way demands considerable thought.
Method. Distribute the test-sheets and turn them face down on the desks. Allow ten minutes in all the tests. Give the following instructions:
On the sheets which have been distributed is printed a story which has certain words omitted. You are to put in the blanks the words that are omitted. The words which you write in must give the proper meaning so that the story reads correctly. Each word filled in must not only give the proper meaning to the sentence but to the story as a whole.
Material. Use the completion test-sheets, “Joe and the Fourth of July,” for grades three, four, and five; “The Trout” for grades, six, seven, and eight; and “Dr. Goldsmith’s Medicine” for the high school.
Results. In scoring the papers, allow one credit for each blank correctly filled. The norms are shown in Figures [XVI], [XVII], and [XVIII]. It will be noticed that the boys excel in the “Trout” story. This is doubtless because the story is better suited to them on the ground of their experience and interest.