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CBASE Test
The CBASE test was developed in the late 1980s at ARC (the Assessment Resource Center) at the University of Missouri. More than 135 colleges and universities in the United States use this exam to assess the qualifications of individuals wishing to enter teacher education programs and to test general academic skills and knowledge in campus-wide assessment programs. Students usually take the test after completing a college-level core curriculum.
The CBASE test was designed to fill the gap between generalized aptitude tests used for college entrance and specialized department exams. The test evaluates basic knowledge and abilities in higher order thinking skills (interpretive, strategic, and adaptive reasoning).
The content of the CBASE test is organized into four subject areas: English, mathematics, science, and social studies. All test forms are comprised of 180 multiple-choice items with the following distribution: 41 items in English, 56 items in mathematics, 41 items in science, and 42 items in social studies.
In addition to these multiple-choice items, the CBASE test includes a writing exercise. This exercise asks examinees to compose a writing sample in response to an argumentative prompt. The writing sample is then read and scored holistically by at least two college-level writing teachers, who use a six-point rubric. The score on this writing exercise is combined with responses to 16 multiple-choice items related to prewriting and editing skills, along with the knowledge of standard written English. These two scores are combined to yield an overall score for writing proficiency.
The subject content of the CBASE test is made up of clusters, as follows:
- Two English clusters: reading and literature, and writing
- Three mathematics clusters: general mathematics, algebra, and geometry
- Two science clusters: laboratory/field work and fundamental concepts
- Two social studies clusters: history and the social sciences (geography, economics, and political science)
The CBASE test is criterion-referenced, which means that it measures the examinee's knowledge and skills in relation to an established standard rather than in relation to the performances of other examinees.
CBASE Test Practice Test
Question 1 is based on the following text:
By Sara Teasdale
Line 1 There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,
And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;And frogs in the pools singing at night,
And wild plum trees in tremulous white;(5) Robins will wear their feathery fire
Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;And not one will know of the war, not one
Will care at last when it is done.Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree
(10) If mankind perished utterly;And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn,
Would scarcely know that we were gone
1. Which line uses personification?
a. Line 2
b. Line 4
c. Line 7
d. Line 11
2. Which step of the scientific method involves independent variables?
a. Make an observation
b. Ask a question
c. Formulate a hypothesis
d. Conduct an experiment
3. The following table shows the distance from a point to a moving car at various times.
| d | Distance | 50 | 70 | 110 |
| t | Time | 2 | 3 | 5 |
If the speed of the car is constant, which of the following equations describes the distance from the point to the car?
a. d = 25 t
b. d = 35 t
c. d = 55 t
d. d = 20 t +10
4. Marxism had a profound influence on the development of
a. the Bolshevik political movement.
b. Autumn Harvest Uprising.
c. the National Socialist German Workers' Party
d. the Greek Civil war
5. The Lincoln-Douglas debates resulted in
a. the declaration of Illinois as a slave state.
b. the split of the Democratic Party.
c. the election of Douglas as president in 1860.
d. the election of Lincoln to the senate in 1858.
CBASE Test Answer Key and Explanations
1. B: The words "mysterious" and "important" used in the sentence help the reader deduce that Jo looked secretive. Jo neither looked jubilant, or joyful; disheveled, or disarrayed; or angry.
2. D: The Scientific method is set of steps used to solve scientific problems. The steps are making an observation, asking a question, formulating a hypothesis, conducting an experiment, analyzing data, and drawing a conclusion. Independent variables are used in experiments to ensure that only a single variable is tested.
3. D: Inspection of the data shows that the distance traveled by the car during any 1-unit interval (velocity) is 20 units. However, the first data point shows that the car is 50 units from the point of origin at time 2, so it had a 10-unit head start before time measurement began. Answers A-C only fit the data at single points. They do not fit the whole set.
4. A: Marxism is a term applied to the political, economic, and social theories advanced by Marx and Engels. Marx's theories had a profound influence on the development of Socialist movements and were the basis for the Bolshevik political movement lead by Lenin.
5. B: The debates between Lincoln, a Republican, and Douglas, a Democrat, resulted in Douglas making statements about slavery that the South would not accept. This resulted in the split of the Democratic Party and the defeat of Douglas in the presidential election in 1860.
