NS5e RW4 Ach Test U04
NS5e RW4 Ach Test U04
NS5e RW4 Ach Test U04
Date: _________________________________
Read the diary entries. Then use the information to complete the activities that follow.
1 June 14, 1966: The new baby chimpanzee has arrived at the laboratory. Her name is Washoe. The doctors
think that she can achieve success in learning American Sign Language. Washoe’s behavior has been very
positive so far, and she seems happy. The doctors have worked hard to set up the conditions necessary for
learning a language. They’ve arranged the space with a sensory approach to learning by using things to
touch and play with, including games, books, magazines, and tools.
2 July 26: Washoe’s caretakers speak to her constantly using sign language, and she shows cognition. She
can discern the differences between some signs and has acquired the knowledge of what they mean.
3 October 9: Today, Washoe used the sign for “toothbrush.” I didn’t see it, but I heard about it. Apparently,
she pointed to her toothbrush and made the sign for it. It is her 19th sign. We are hoping that her perception
of the differences between the signs continues to grow. It is a unique feeling to communicate in such a way
with her.
4 December 6: Washoe is making up some of her own signs now. It’s quite a thing to see! We cannot
understand them all. However, today she used “water” and “bird” when she saw a swan. She has learned
more than 200 obvious signs in different categories and uses them all regularly. It is almost as if it is an
unconscious act on her part now.
5 February 5: Newspaper reporters have been here all week, watching Washoe and the other chimps. Some
experts are unsure of Washoe’s success. For example, the famous linguist Noam Chomsky thinks that
chimpanzees do not have the traits to produce language. Rather, he argues that they simply do acts that will
earn them rewards. His words caused a controversy here and many people were upset. “Couldn’t he see that
Washoe not only uses our language but has created her own?” asked someone in the lab. Still, no one
confronted Dr. Chomsky directly about his comments.
6 March 7: Washoe signs regularly to her other chimp-friends, Tutu, Loulis, and Dar. They are learning
viable signs without any help from the researchers, but they don’t know nearly as many as Washoe does.
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Reading and Writing 4
Unit 4 Achievement Test
2. According to the diary entries, all of the following are necessary for learning a language
except ____.
A. learning materials
B. a lot of interaction
C. a primary caretaker
D. a positive environment
3. According to the diary entries, the experiment with Washoe was ____.
A. confusing
B. difficult
C. humorous
D. successful
4. Why was it interesting that Washoe taught her chimpanzee friends sign language?
A. Researchers were not involved.
B. Washoe only pretended to do it.
C. Her friends made up their own signs together.
D. Her friends could not learn what Washoe learned.
5. Which sentence does the quotation support in the February 5 diary entry?
“Couldn’t he see that Washoe not only uses our language but has created her own?”
A. Newspaper reporters have been here all week, watching Washoe and the other chimps.
B. Rather, he argues that they simply do acts that will earn them rewards.
C. His words caused a controversy here and many people were upset.
D. Still, no one confronted Dr. Chomsky directly about his comments.
October 9: Today, Washoe used the sign for “toothbrush.” I didn’t see it, but I heard about it.
Apparently, she pointed to her toothbrush and made the sign for it. It is her 19th sign. We are
hoping that her perception of the differences between the signs continues to grow. It is a unique
feeling to communicate in such a way with her.
7. The author uses this hedging language to show that he does not know ____.
A. the sign for “toothbrush”
B. if Washoe made the sign
C. when Washoe made the sign
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2
Reading and Writing 4
Unit 4 Achievement Test
PART 2: VOCABULARY
A. Complete each sentence with a word from the box. Not all of the words will be used.
8. People have different ideas about animal intelligence, so there is some ___________________
about findings in this area.
9. I did not believe it at first, but ___________________ crows are one of the most intelligent birds.
10. The ___________________ of learning, performing, imitating, and seeking reward are similar
but different in important ways.
11. Your unusual ___________________ to studying animal intelligence is quite different from mine.
12. The behavior of the two rats is so similar that it is impossible to ___________________ a difference.
13. Many animals have a great sense of direction and are able to navigate in a seemingly
___________________ way.
B. Two of the three words in each row have similar meanings to the boldfaced word. Choose the word that
does not belong.
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Reading and Writing 4
Unit 4 Achievement Test
PART 3: GRAMMAR
Read the article about a boy’s experiment in training a goldfish. Write six adjective clauses in the
order they appear in the article.
Guillermo bought two goldfish and kept them in separate bowls. He planned
to teach one goldfish to anticipate its feeding time, and he planned to use the other
goldfish as his “control.”
Every day before feeding the goldfish that he was trying to train, Guillermo placed
a music box next to the fish’s bowl. Then he played a loud song that the fish could hear
for one minute. After the minute, Guillermo fed the fish.
Guillermo put the control fish in a place where it couldn’t hear the music. “I fed
the control fish directly, without playing any music,” explained Guillermo.
To Guillermo’s surprise, the fish that got the music before his feedings almost
immediately learned that food would follow the music. Guillermo reported that within
a few days, “as soon as the music started, the fish swam quickly to the surface” to eat.
In fact, he swam to the surface just as fast as the fish that didn’t hear the music.
Later, Guillermo stopped feeding the fish after playing the music. Still, Guillermo
wrote in his diary, “Even if I played the music when it wasn’t feeding time, the fish
would rush to the surface.” Guillermo realized that he had conditioned the fish to
swim up whenever it heard the music.
19. ___________________________________________________________________________________
20. ___________________________________________________________________________________
21. ___________________________________________________________________________________
22. ___________________________________________________________________________________
23. ___________________________________________________________________________________
24. ___________________________________________________________________________________
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Reading and Writing 4
Unit 4 Achievement Test
PART 4: WRITING SKILLS
A. Use the diary entries from “Washoe’s ASL Development” to answer the questions below.
25. Which statement best describes the main idea of July 26 diary entry?
A. Washoe’s caretakers always use sign language with her.
B. Washoe is able to learn sign language from her caretakers.
C. Washoe already knows sign language when the caretakers try to teach her.
D. Washoe’s caretakers must use sign language to understand what she needs.
26. Which statement best describes the main idea of the December 6 diary entry?
A. Washoe has created two hundred signs for objects.
B. Washoe uses hundreds of signs and creates some of her own.
C. While she uses many signs, it is hard for Washoe to remember them.
D. Researches can only guess at the meaning of the word Washoe uses for a swan.
27. Guillermo said, “I want to set up a casual experiment to study the intelligence of the fish.”
A. Guillermo said that he wanted to set up a casual experiment to study the intelligence of the fish.
B. Guillermo explained that he wanted to do an informal experiment to test fish intelligence.
28. Guillermo thought that “one minute should be long enough for the fish to recognize the
sound of music.”
A. Guillermo anticipated that the fish would be able to recognize the music within one minute.
B. Guillermo thought that one period of 60 seconds should be long enough for the fish to recognize the
sound of music.
29. “I fed the control fish directly, without playing any music,” explained Guillermo.
A. Guillermo said that he did not play music before feeding the control fish.
B. Guillermo explained that playing music for the control fish would have confused his study.
30. Guillermo reported that within a few days, “as soon as the music started, the fish swam quickly to the
surface” to eat.
A. Guillermo reported that within a few days of the start of his experiment, the fish who heard the music
swam quickly to the surface of the water after the music had begun to play.
B. Guillermo reported that the fish who heard the music swam rapidly to the surface.
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