Written Communication Proficiency Test (WCPT): Information
The Written Communication Proficiency Test (WCPT) assesses your ability
to communicate in writing.
In this test, you will read 13 short passages, each of which contains
approximately 10 sentences or sentence fragments. Errors have been introduced
into some of the passages, and the order of some sentences or paragraphs
has been purposely modified. After each passage, you will be presented
with several questions related to the passage. The questions involve,
for example, identifying grammar errors, determining the best word to
insert in a blank, choosing the best title for a passage, ordering sentences,
and choosing the best summary of a text. In total, there are 50 questions.
For each of these, you will select the answer that seems best to you
from among the choices presented, and you will record it on an answer
sheet. You will be allowed 1 hour and 40 minutes to do the test.
You will be tested on your knowledge of the following features of writing:
grammar, punctuation, vocabulary richness and preciseness, appropriate
level of language use, avoiding wordiness and redundancies, knowledge
of main points vs. subordinate details, and paragraph and text development
- including order of sentences and paragraphs.
Sample Passage & Questions
The following examples show some of the question types used in the Written
Communication Proficiency Test. This list is not exhaustive, however.
Also, please note that these questions are not necessarily the same difficulty
as those in the test. In the explanations following each sample question,
some of the reasons for choosing the designated answer and not the other
choices are provided.
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.
NOTE: The order of the paragraphs in the following
text has been purposely modified.
- [1] In the women's relay in the 1928 Olympics, Rosenfeld
began and Myrtle Cook ran the final part as the Canadian team dramatically
demonstrated excellence. [2] They won the gold medal in the world record
time of 48.4 seconds.
- [3] Canadas' finest Olympic moments occurred in the 1920s.
[4] The first competition was in the Winter Olympics which took place
in 1924, at this competition, one of the athletes, Cecile Smith, finished
sixth in figure skating. [5] Moreover, Canadian female athletes were
to make a remarkable showing in the 1928 Summer Games in Amsterdam.
[6] In many ways those Games were a sporting watershed for Canada,
a high-water mark of achievement not __________ until the 1984 Summer
Games.
- [7] The Canadian women's 4 x 100-metre relay team in the
1928 Games was made up of a quartet of some of the finest athletes
ever to represent their country. [8] Fanny Rosenfeld was __________
competitor who later coached women's hockey and baseball teams, and
was named Canada's female athlete of the half-century. [9] She was
an accomplished journalist who did much to promote women's sports in
Canada's major daily newspapers. [10] Rosenfeld narrowly missed gold
in the 100-metres, edging out her relay teammate Ethel Smith. [11]
Another Canadian, Myrtle Cook, was disqualified in that race, but along
with Florence Bell made up the other members of the relay team.
1. Which of the following alternatives is the right
order of the three paragraphs of the text?
| * |
(1) |
B, C, A |
|
(2) |
B, A, C |
|
(3) |
A, C, B |
|
(4) |
C, A, B |
[Explanation: The first sentence of B is an introductory
sentence; Fanny Rosenfeld is only referred to by the last name in paragraph
A, but a full name is given in paragraph C where she is introduced.]
2. Which of the following is the most appropriate
title for the text?
|
(1) |
Sports, Health and Politics |
| * |
(2) |
Canadian Female Athletes |
|
(3) |
The History of the Canadian Female Relay Team |
|
(4) |
Glory of a Nation |
[Explanation: "(1)" is incorrect because
neither health nor politics is discussed in the text. "(3)" is
incorrect because other sports are discussed in the text, and "(4)" is
incorrect because it gives no indication of the topic of the text.]
3. Which of the following rephrases of Sentence 4
is best in terms of style and conciseness?
|
(1) |
When Canadian female athletes first participated in
competition in 1924, one of the athletes by the name of Cecile Smith
could get the sixth position in figure skating. |
|
(2) |
During their first appearance in international tournaments, namely
in the Winter Olympics, one of the Canadian athletes finished sixth
in figure skating. |
| * |
(3) |
Canadian women first competed in the 1924 Winter Olympics in which
Cecile Smith finished sixth in figure skating. |
|
(4) |
The first appearance of Canadian female athletes was in the Winter
Olympics, in the competition where Cecile Smith finished sixth in
figure skating. |
[Explanation: "(1)" does not mention the
Olympics; "(2)" is imprecise; "(4)" does not include
a year and Cecile Smith was not the only female athlete; "(3)" is
correct because it contains all the pertinent information without being
redundant.]
4. Which of the following words, if inserted in the
blank in Sentence 6, would best fit the style of the sentence and the
whole text?
| * |
(1) |
surpassed |
|
(2) |
beaten |
|
(3) |
transcended |
|
(4) |
surmounted |
[Explanation: "(2)" is too low (or too informal)
a level of language for the passage; "(3)" is too high (or
too formal) a level; "(4)" is an incorrect use of the word; "(1)" is
the most accurate use of the word and best fits the style used.]
5. Which of the following phrases, if added in the
blank in Sentence 8, would best fit the meaning of the paragraph?
|
(1) |
an awesome |
|
(2) |
a great |
|
(3) |
a fascinating |
| * |
(4) |
a multi-talented |
[Explanation: "(4)" is correct because it
is the only one which highlights that she was involved with several sports.]
6. Which of the following changes is needed in the
text?
|
(1) |
Sentence 1: place dramatically after demonstrated. |
| * |
(2) |
Sentence 3: change Canadas' to Canada's. |
|
(3) |
Sentence 5: change were to make to made. |
|
(4) |
Sentence 9: change women's to woman's. |
[Explanation: "(2)" is correct since Canada
is a single entity; thus the apostrophe must go before the s.]
7. Which of the following changes would improve the
text?
| * |
(1) |
Sentence 4: change the comma after 1924
to a semicolon |
|
(2) |
Sentence 6: change the comma after Canada to a colon. |
|
(3) |
Sentence 9: add a comma before who. |
|
(4) |
Sentence 11: add a dash between dis and qualified in the word
disqualified. |
[Explanation: "(1)" is correct because a
semicolon is used to join the two halves of a compound sentence.]
|
