MOUNT WILGA HIGH LEVEL LANGUAGE TEST - BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS
TO BE COMPLETED BY CLIENT (all questions optional)
NAME:
ADDRESS:
DATE OF BIRTH / AGE:
SCHOOLING:
Level completed:
Average / Above average / Below average student
Further studies since school:
EMPLOYMENT:
Last job:
FAMILY:
Names:
Ages:
Who lives with you at home?
CAUSE OF ILLNESS:
How would you describe your style of communication before your
illness/accident? e.g. talkative, quiet, good listener, start conversations,
enjoy telling jokes…
Has this changed?
What gives you most trouble now?
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GEE2 2006 VERSION by FIONA SIMPSON
I NAMING SKILLS
A Naming From Description
“Give me one word to fit these descriptions.”
1. Name the object which protects you from the rain. (umbrella,
raincoat)
2. Name a sport which uses racquets. (tennis)
3. Name a spotted animal of the cat family. (leopard, cheetah)
4. A conversation in which there is a disagreement is a(n) .
(argument, quarrel)
5. A bed which is hung between two trees or posts is a .
(hammock)
6. A list of foods served in a restaurant is a . (menu)
I NAMING SKILLS
B Category Naming
Repeat instructions if necessary.
“The word ‘table’ belongs to the group of objects called furniture. What
groups do the following words belong to?”
1. Jupiter (planets, stars)
2. Mosquito (insects, bugs)
3. Copper (metals, elements)
4. Sadness (feelings, emotions)
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I NAMING SKILLS
C Association Naming
Responses are timed and can be divided into four periods of 15 seconds on test
form for own analysis.
1. In one minute, give me the names of as many animals as you can think of.
Two examples are ‘chicken’ and ‘lion’.
0-15 seconds 15-30 seconds 30-45 seconds 45-60 seconds
TOTAL:
2. In one minute, give as many words as you can that are related to ‘school’.
Two examples are ‘teacher’ and ‘geography’.
0-15 seconds 15-30 seconds 30-45 seconds 45-60 seconds
TOTAL:
3. In one minute, give as many words as you can starting with "T". Two
examples are ‘three’ and ‘terrible’.
0-15 seconds 15-30 seconds 30-45 seconds 45-60 seconds
TOTAL:
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I NAMING SKILLS
D Divergent Semantics
Repeat instruction on first item if client gives similar examples.
Ask client to explain if relevance of response is not immediately obvious
1. Give two different examples of things that fizz.
2. Give two different examples of things that are painful.
3. Give two different examples of things that change shape.
II VER BAL EXPL ANAT ION
E Definitions
“Explain what these words mean. What is a _____?”
1. clock (object + time)
2. handle (object + open/carry/hold)
3. staircase (way/structure + up/down)
4. lottery (way/game + chance ± prize/money)
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II VER BAL EXPL ANAT ION
F Differentiation
A cue should be given if client only considers one of the pair of words.
“What is the most important difference between these things?”
1. telephone - letter (speaking-writing/immediate-delayed)
2. dog - fox (domestic-wild)
3. open fire - radiator/heater (wood-electricity)
II VER BAL EXPL ANAT ION
G Absurdities
Repeat if necessary. If client does not explain the incongruity fully, non-
specific cues may be given.
“What is ridiculous about these stories?”
1. An old lady said, “I'm no longer able to take my walk around the
block everyday. I can just go half way around and back again.
That's all.”
continued….
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II VER BAL EXPL ANAT ION
G Absurdities continued …
2. When there is a train wreck/crash, frequently the last carriage
receives the most damage. Now, I think it would be a good idea for
the last carriage to be taken off before the train ever starts.
3. Betty and Janet lived several blocks from each other. It was getting
dark and they were afraid to walk home alone. “I have a good idea,”
said Betty, “First I'll walk home with you and then you can walk
home with me”.
II VER BAL EXPL ANAT ION
H Idioms
Give a non-specific cue if client gives another idiom or example in
response.
“Explain what these sayings mean.”
1. Butterflies in the stomach. (nervous/tense/scared)
2. Turn over a new leaf. (start over/change ways)
3. Fly off the handle. (get angry/lose control)
4. Hit the nail on the head. (exactly right)
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II VER BAL EXPL ANAT ION
I Verbal Reasoning
1. “Life is better in the country than in the city.”
Give me a reason to support this statement.
Now, give me an argument against it.
If the client does not understand the “against” argument, say, “life is
better in the city than in the country. Give me a reason to support
this.”
2. Give two reasons why people like to eat in restaurants.
Provide a non-specific cue if two similar reasons are given.
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I II PL AN NIN G
J Jumbled Sentences
The jumbled sentences are read aloud by the examiner. Provide client
with page of written words if showing any difficulty remembering the
spoken words. Examiner then says the words whilst the client reads
them.
“The words in these sentences are out of order. Can you rearrange them
to make a good sentence?”
1. I sisters two brother and one have.
(I have one brother and two sisters, or
I have two sisters and one brother.)
2. Sheila play McPherson Bill and tennis weekend every.
(Sheila and Bill McPherson play tennis every weekend, or
Bill and Sheila McPherson play tennis every weekend. etc)
I II PL AN NIN G
K Sentence Construction
Provide client with page of written words if showing any difficulty
remembering the spoken words. Examiner then says the words whilst
the client reads them.
If the client does not use the exact words given, repeat.
“Make a sentence using these words. Put them in any order.”
1. crop, although, drought
2. left, became, work
“Use these three words in a sentence in the order given.”
3. please, when, back
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I II PL AN NIN G
L Sequencing
The initial task is a practice item and is not scored. It is used to ascertain
the client’s familiarity with the subject. An alternative subject may be
chosen.
“Tell me how you make a cup of coffee.”
“Now break it down into 5 separate steps. Number each one.”
If necessary, remind the client to delineate steps.
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IV AUDITORY MEMORY
M Sentence Repetition
One repetition of the whole sentence is allowed. Note if repeated.
“Say these sentences after me.”
1. They went on a picnic.
2. The swimmer has broken the Olympic Record.
3. My brother sang in a talent contest but he only won second prize.
4. Before I go home I have to go to the bank and withdraw fifty
dollars/pounds to pay my gas bill.
5. I noticed that there is a three-bedroom unit/flat for rent in the block
on the highway/high street but it would be too noisy for me.
IV AUDITORY MEMORY
N Passage Recall
“I'm going to read a short story to you. When I've finished I want you to tell
me as much as you can remember.”
Examiner reads “From Australia to New Zealand” or “From Britain to
Ireland” passage.
To encourage the client to give his/her maximal response, the examiner
may give non-specific cues, e.g. “Tell me more”.
(record response overleaf)
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IV AUDITORY MEMORY
N Passage Recall continued …
V AUDITORY COMPREHENSION
O Paragraph Comprehension and Structured Recall
“Now I'm going to re-read the story and ask you to answer some questions
about it.”
Give the multiple-choice cue if the client cannot respond spontaneously.
QUESTIONS CUES
1. What was the name of the pilot? Thompson/Johnson/Jones
2. Where did he live? Brisbane/Sydney/Auckland
Birmingham/Cardiff/Dublin
3. Was he granted permission to fly to yes/no/didn’t say
New Zealand/Ireland?
4. In what year did he make these 1920/1926/1928
flights?
5. Where did he say he was flying to? Melbourne/Brisbane/Auckland
Cardiff/Birmingham/Dublin
6. How much money did he have? $10/$15/$20
£10/£15/£20
7. How long did it take? 8/10/12 hours
8. Where did he land? Auckland/Sydney/Brisbane
Dublin/Bristol/Birmingham
9. How did he feel when he arrived? surprised/glad/unhappy
10. Did he mean to fly to New Zealand/ yes/no/didn’t say
Ireland?
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V AUDITORY COMPREHENSION
P Logico-Semantic Relationships
Examiner should pause between the example and the question. Repetition
of the question may be given. The examiner may also use gesture to
demonstrate the part/whole relationship.
“In the next set of questions, I’ll give you an example first, then you answer
the second part.”
1. If we consider a car to be the whole then the wheels will be a part of
it. Tell me, if a hand is the whole, what are the parts? (fingers ±
palm)
2. If the part is a branch, then the tree is the whole. Tell me, if the part
is a nose, what is the whole? (face)
3. ‘Sleep is to bed as sit is to chair’.
Can you finish these?
Plumber is to pipes as carpenter is to … (wood).
4. Cold is to hot as cool is to … (warm/tepid).
V AUDITORY COMPREHENSION
Q Logico-Grammatical Relationships
“Answer the following questions.” Do not emphasize words in bold.
1. David is taller than Michael. Who is shorter?
2. Peter was hit by John. Who was the victim?
3. Is someone's sister their father's daughter or their daughter's
father?
4. I had breakfast after I spoke to Kate. What did I do first?
5. ‘I am not used to disobeying rules.’ Would a law-abiding citizen say
this? (yes)
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VI READING COMPRE HENSION
R Factual Paragraph
The client is allowed to refer to the written article when answering the
questions and may be prompted to do so. Verbal responses are accepted
if necessary.
The page with the article “Shelter May Beat Bushfires” is presented (large
print version available).
“Read the newspaper article to yourself, then write down your
answers to the following questions.”
1. What did Mr Toyne invent?
2. What memories inspired his invention?
3. What prompted Mr Toyne to build the shelter?
4. What materials were used to make the shelter?
5. What is the approximate cost of a shelter?
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VI READING COMPRE HENSION
S Inferential Paragraphs
“Read these paragraphs and circle the correct answer to complete the
sentence.” (large print version available)
1. Most men would be insulted if they were asked to earn
their wages by throwing stones over a wall and then
throwing them back again. Men like to work at jobs they
think are:
A - meaningful B - uncertain C - underpaid D - tiring
2. Physicians and nutrition specialists urge people to take the
time to eat a good breakfast. An inadequate breakfast
invites physical and mental fatigue. Many studies show
that when you do not eat a good breakfast, fatigue will
overtake you when the morning is still:
A - late B - cool C - fresh D - young
3. One of my plants is in gorgeous bloom at the moment.
Even though in the eight years of its life I have never
repotted it, contrary to all of the rules of the gardening
books, it continues to bloom year after year. I do fertilise it
heavily though. I am telling you this to show you that, even
though gardening books are extremely important:
A - one need not be a slave to their rules
B - a gardener really needs more than one such book
C - they should not be taken lightly
D - most gardeners achieve better results without them
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VII WRITT EN EXPRE SSION
T Dictation
“Write down these sentences.” Examiner reads out:
1. Take your toothbrush to hospital.
2. The iron is quite hot.
3. When are you going away?
4. The judge knows the law.
5. That was a wonderful surprise.
Client records on separate sheet.
VII WRITT EN EXPRE SSION
U Composition
“Write four points or a paragraph on this topic:
How would you set about organising a holiday?”
Client records on separate sheet.
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VIII NUMERACY
V Problem Solving – dollars and cents
This subtest should be omitted if the client’s reading is not at an adequate
level. Prompt the client to show their calculation on paper, or use a
calculator; this is permitted.
“Write down answers to these questions.”
A weekend in the Jones household.
1. There are five people in the Jones family. Each person
has three meals a day and eats two slices of bread at each
meal. Will one loaf of 24 slices be enough for the
weekend?
2. On Saturday afternoon, the three children go to a movie.
An adult ticket is $6.50, but they each pay half-price. How
much should Mrs Jones give them if they also need $1.00
each spending money?
3. Mr Jones buys a new jumper. The normal price is $25.00,
but it's on sale for 20% off. How much does he pay?
4. Mrs Jones goes shopping for fruit and vegetables. She
buys two kilograms of tomatoes at $1.30/kg. She gives the
cashier two $2.00 coins. How much change does she get?
5. The youngest boy, John requires two hayfever tablets
three times daily. He has eleven left. Will that be sufficient
for the weekend?
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