[Year 12 IT Apps] Thoughts on the VCAA sample exam questions

[Mark Kelly]

http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/studies/infotech/it-applications/pastexams/2007ITapps-sample.pdf

Some thoughts...  Maybe we can head off trouble before it strikes.

1.  I'm getting a bit nervous that the database questions on the end of 
year exam smell and taste definitely of Access.  I would not like to see 
my Filemaker kids disadvantaged by the use of Access terminology.

Most of the sample database questions are accessible, but the 
multichoice Q5 talking about memo and object field types drift closely 
to 'Access-specific' terminology.

2.  In a similar vein, MC Q6 is *very* Windows-centric.  How will Mac 
users know the ins and outs of Windows operation?  They don't even HAVE 
a 'right-click'!  Are the examiners going to assume everyone uses Windows?

3.  Every year I have to throw tizzy fits about the ambiguity of exam 
questions.  I thought by now that the VCAA would have hired an exam 
writer who could write unambiguous English.  See Section B, Q1:

"James Herbert has a small business selling equipment for trout fishing 
which he started two years ago."

Anyone who has learnt about subjects and verbs knows this clearly means 
James started trout fishing two years ago, and he has a small business 
selling equipment for it.

"Which" refers to the last object mentioned, which was "trout fishing", 
not the lexically remote "small business."

It should have connected the pronoun properly with its referent noun:

"Two years ago James Herbert started a small business which sells 
equipment for trout fishing."

And if the VCAA wishes to use my amended version of their sentence, I 
waive my copyright.

-- 
Mark Kelly
Manager - Information Systems
McKinnon Secondary College
McKinnon Rd McKinnon 3204, Victoria, Australia
Direct line / Voicemail: 8520 9085
School Phone +613 8520 9000
School Fax +613 95789253

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