Example Test Items

CEFR Levels Tested

A1 A2 B1 B2 C1

Beginner Advanced
The Michigan English Placement Test (M-EPT) will help you quickly and reliably place ELL
students into homogeneous ability levels. The M-EPT provides an accurate assessment of
a test taker’s general receptive language proficiency by reliably measuring performance
in the key skill areas of listening comprehension, grammatical knowledge, vocabulary
range, and reading comprehension.

Examples of Michigan English Placement Test Items

Listening Comprehension Grammar
In each form of the M-EPT, the first 25 items assess Following listening comprehension, there are 20
listening comprehension. There are two types of grammar items. Each grammar item represents a short
listening comprehension items. conversational exchange between two speakers. Part
of the exchange has been omitted, and test takers must
Part 1: In the first section, test takers hear a question
select, from the four answer choices provided, the word
or a statement requiring a response. Test takers
or phrase that correctly completes the exchange.
select the most appropriate response from the three
options provided.

Grammar sample
Listening, Part 1 sample 3. “What’s on the agenda for next week?”
[Audio only: Can we talk about the group “The new designs will _______ by then, so we
project tomorrow?] should discuss those.”
a. finalize
1. a. No, it isn’t. b. be finalizing
b. Yes, today is fine. c. have finalized
c. Sure, anytime. d. have been finalized

Part 2: In the second section, test takers hear a

short conversation between two speakers. After the
Vocabulary
conversation, test takers answer a question about the Next are 20 vocabulary items. In each item, test takers
conversation, selecting the correct answer from the must select the word, from the four answer choices
three options provided. provided, that correctly completes a sentence that has
had one word removed.

Listening, Part 2 sample

Vocabulary sample
[Audio Only:
M: Excuse me, I’ve been walking around the mall 4. As part of the company’s safety policy,
for twenty minutes, looking for a place to eat. employees practiced _______ the building.
W: There’s a Chinese restaurant up on the third a. evacuating
floor, right next to the movie theater. b. discharging
c. terminating
M: No way! I just came from there. Maybe I should
d. inhibiting
just skip lunch . . .]

2. What are the speakers talking about?

a. the size of the mall
b. the location of a restaurant
c. the lunch menu
Reading Comprehension chemicals that kill the plants—may need to be
Finally, there are 15 reading comprehension items. sprayed, either by ground crews or from aircraft.
Often the most successful approach is to use a
The first five reading comprehension items assess combination of these techniques.
sentence-level reading comprehension. Each item
consists of one sentence followed by a question 6. What is the main idea of the text?
concerning its meaning. Test takers must select the
a. Weeds grow more slowly than other plants.
correct answer from four options.
b. Weeds can be easily controlled.
c. Most weeds are native species.
Reading Comprehension, Sentence-Level sample d. Some weeds are bad for the environment.

7. In the second sentence of the passage, what

5. It was only when Stephen went abroad to
does the term refer to?
college that he learned how valuable it was to
have his family living nearby. a. settings
b. plant
What did Stephen realize when he went c. weed
to college? d. nuisance
a. He enjoyed living overseas.
8. According to the information in paragraph 2, what
b. His family wanted him to live at home.
is one characteristic of invasive weeds?
c. His family missed him.
a. They are harmful to humans.
d. His family was important to him.
b. They grow very quickly.
c. They need special soil conditions.
Following the sentence-level items, test takers are d. They are generally native to the area.
presented with two reading passages of different lengths
and a total of ten reading comprehension questions. The 9. In paragraph 2, why does the author mention
questions tap a range of reading skills. Test takers must soil erosion?
select the correct answer from four options. a. to give an example of how weeds affect
the environment
b. to introduce a problem caused by
Reading Comprehension, Reading Passage sample some animals
c. to compare the effects of two
Invasive Weeds types of weeds
A weed can be defined as any plant considered d. to explain that some native plants
undesirable or a nuisance. Often the term is applied are harmful
to unwanted plants found in settings such as 10. What does the author conclude about fighting
gardens, lawns, agricultural fields, and parks. It can invasive weeds?
also be applied to unwelcome plants in forests,
a. Using several methods together is best.
wooded areas, and other natural habitats.
b. Containment is the most practical option.
Weeds that grow and reproduce rapidly, crowding c. Chemicals are not a safe option.
out other plants, are known as invasive weeds. d. Herbicides are most effective on small
Invasive weeds are generally nonnative species, infestations.
often introduced by humans, whether intentionally
or accidentally. They harm the environment by
outcompeting native plants, altering animal
habitats, and increasing soil erosion.
Controlling invasive weeds can be difficult
and expensive. For small- or medium-sized
infestations, introducing insects or diseases that
attack the weeds can be effective. Machines or
people working by hand can also dig up invasive
weeds, taking care not to scatter the seeds in the Sample Key
process. Often, when an invasive weed infestation 1. C 3. D 5. D 7. C 9. A
is discovered, it has become so large that 2. B 4. A 6. D 8. B 10. A
containment may not be practical. Herbicides—
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02/25/19