I might have simply missed it, but I was wondering also ... what kind of instruction did they give the tested students? Did the subjects *know* that they were expected to rephrase every sentence in as much detail as possible? Some of the examples made me think, "This kid probably knows exactly what this sentence is; she just doesn't think it's necessary or wanted for her to break it down all the way." I think even if they did tell students, "Use as much detail as possible," it's not likely the students understood HOW MUCH detail was needed unless an example was provided for them, maybe using a different text like Moby Dick and having the facilitator demonstrate the type of translation expected for a high mark.
I don't think giving such an example would have skewed test results. I got the impression there was a disconnect, in some cases, between what the professors considered a good reading and what the students considered a sufficient answer; the students are working with 12+ years of education where rambling at length in your answer is generally frowned upon, after all. They might assume that the facilitators want them to keep it brief, even when the facilitator says otherwise.
This next part isn't necessarily in response to you, just in general:
I do understand the professors' frustration, though. I was taking a class this past spring on Elizabethan Poetry, and there came a time, after a few assignments, where the prof had to stop and recalibrate. We spent a class period going over the parts of speech together -- what's a verb, what's a noun, how do clauses work -- and we analyzed a sonnet together as well. I was a little unnerved to see how little my classmates understood from a very simple poem.
no subject
I don't think giving such an example would have skewed test results. I got the impression there was a disconnect, in some cases, between what the professors considered a good reading and what the students considered a sufficient answer; the students are working with 12+ years of education where rambling at length in your answer is generally frowned upon, after all. They might assume that the facilitators want them to keep it brief, even when the facilitator says otherwise.
This next part isn't necessarily in response to you, just in general:
I do understand the professors' frustration, though. I was taking a class this past spring on Elizabethan Poetry, and there came a time, after a few assignments, where the prof had to stop and recalibrate. We spent a class period going over the parts of speech together -- what's a verb, what's a noun, how do clauses work -- and we analyzed a sonnet together as well. I was a little unnerved to see how little my classmates understood from a very simple poem.