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bassexpander
Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.
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 Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:25 pm Post subject: SNU uses Playboy excerpt for TEPS testing |
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http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2008/12/09/200812090053.asp
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SNU exposed for Playboy excerpt
An excerpt from American men's magazine "Playboy" was found to have been used in a practice quiz set for Seoul National University's English proficiency test.
Lee Sang-mook, who runs an English hagwon, or a private institute, in Daegu said SNU used an article titled "Bar of the Month" from Playboy magazine in its TEPS practice questions.
"It is up to SNU to choose whatever source it wants to use for the test questions, but using a men's magazine article indicates a lack of effort for developing good questions over the past 10 years," said Lee, who is writing a critical book about TEPS.
The Playboy story about a bar near Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, was just one example that undermines the credibility of TEPS, according to Lee.
He said he found about 10 misspelled words on the website of the Test of English Proficiency developed by Seoul National University at www.teps.or.kr, such as "grastp" (grasp), "respocses" (responses) and "uncerstanding" (understanding).
Lee also pointed to several cases of misused words in dozens of TEPS questions.
Up to 450,000 people are expected to take the TEPS this year.
By Kim So-hyun
([email protected]) |
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Xuanzang
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Location: Sadang
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| Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:32 pm Post subject: |
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Someone at SNU clearly likes Playboy for the articles  |
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pkang0202
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:33 pm Post subject: |
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Based on my experiences being here in Korea, I'm pretty sure this is what happened:
Lowly grunt Yoo: "Yes, its 6:30pm. I can almost go home."
Supervisor of TEPS: "Hey Yoo! Make this TEPS exam before you go home."
Lowly grunt Yoo: "The whole thing? Now? When is it due by?"
Supervisor: "The University needs to by tomorrow. You'd better get started....Yoo."
And so you get the mispelled words and the playboy magazine articles. YOu know that's what happened. Someone was told to make the exam at the last minute. Its Korea. |
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bassexpander
Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.
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| Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:44 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm impressed somebody read the articles! |
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Xuanzang
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Location: Sadang
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| Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:49 pm Post subject: |
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| bassexpander wrote: |
| I'm impressed somebody read the articles! |
They`re actually very interesting and informative. I wouldnt call them Pulizter prize winners but better than the National Enquirer. I dont know why wonjangnim says it devalues the test. Would he like some Tolstoy in there for his high schoolers to tackle? |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 9:20 pm Post subject: |
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| IIRC, that particular magazine's publisher also sells the articles in anthology format, absent the "naughty" pictures and the anthologies usually get good reviews. |
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Scotticus
Joined: 18 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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| CentralCali wrote: |
| IIRC, that particular magazine's publisher also sells the articles in anthology format, absent the "naughty" pictures and the anthologies usually get good reviews. |
Supposedly, back in the day, Playboy had a lot of A-List authors who would contribute to the magazine. I've also heard that the quality has gone down in the last twenty years. And, let's be serious, the pictures look like shit. |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 10:44 pm Post subject: |
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Mordicai Richler's written for Playboy - is he lacking in literary ability?
I do wonder, though, all these paragraphs they steal from other sources - if it's not to analyse the content of the material in its context, is it not plagairism? |
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samcheokguy
Joined: 02 Nov 2008
Location: Samcheok G-do
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| Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 11:30 pm Post subject: |
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| I know some early early Stephen King was in PLayboy. It had a top notch reputation for humor publishing. |
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Jandar
Joined: 11 Jun 2008
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9Phase
Joined: 02 Dec 2008
Location: gangseo avalon
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| Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 3:16 am Post subject: |
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...
Lowly grunt Yoo: "But I don't even have any material!"
Supervisor of TEPS: "Here, use my Playboy magazine." |
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hogwonguy1979
Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: the racoon den
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| Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 4:23 am Post subject: |
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actually now I would read Playboy for the articles (tbph the pictures now stink and thats maybe because of changes in technology etc you had to be a guy from say the 60s to 80's to apperciate that), they still get some of the best writers out there. I remember in April 2001 reading an article by Gary Hart about how vunerable the US was to a terrorist attack possibly using airplanes. I even used an interview with the Sandinista's as a source in a grad school paper on Latin American Politics in 1987, prof said it was fine
Alex Haley got his start there doing interviews. Most A list writers have had stuff published there in the past. Also the Playboy Advisor and Forum provide good information
For serious reading you could do far worse. Now tell my wife that |
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NoExplode
Joined: 15 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 8:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Norman Mailer, and some of the best writers of our time have contributed articles to Playboy over the years. |
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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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| Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 2:33 am Post subject: |
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Englishee is difficult. Let's copy Playboy! We love Playboy!
Typical maleness. If more women were professors at SNU, the article would have been from Playgirl or at least the Korean equivalent to Goodhouskeeping or along the lines of how to be a good mother. But then all the male students would take the exam, and SNU would lose credibility. Oh no!
Yes, I have had male students ask me to show them porn. No way! Why try to learn when you will be handed a degree for sleeping through class. Similarly, why actually build credibility when a little pornography will make TEPS extremely popular. It's Koreans taking the easy way once again. |
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gypsyfish
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 2:48 am Post subject: |
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| If they don't infringe on copywrite, what's the matter? I use real English articles all the time with my students. |
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