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From: Dennis.Mcclain-Furmanski.@f42.n275.z1.fidonet.org (Dennis Mcclain-Furmanski )
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: Mensa
Message-ID: <15838@handicap.news>
Date: 30 May 91 03:59:23 GMT
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Index Number: 15838

[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

_The Mensa Genius Quiz_ is a book that contains very similar material to the
Mensa tests. The instructions in it are very clear, simple english, by design.
Although I've not checked the readability against any of the "standard" scales,
it looks to me to be roughly equivalent to newspaper level, i.e. 7th grade
english. I don't think any native signer who's acheived a working literacy in
written english would have any problems at all with the instructions. I *am*
assuming the book's instructions are close to the test's. The vocabulary
portion of the test would be a different matter.

The 4 Sigma test is altogether different. The instructions are a puzzle in
themselves.

In either case, how is one to know if the instructions are understood, even if
by a hearing person? Can't be just from correct answers, because that would
indicate that everyone who didn't do well didn't understand, and nobody would
just not be able to process the questions.

Mensans are more aware than most concerning test bias and cross cultural
problems.

One of the most often quoted stories I heard from those folks was about scoring
interperation. Albert Einstein is said to have flunked math in grade school.
This isn't true. He got top grades in math, and did poorly in everything else.
He went to elementary school in Switzerland where grades are given as 1 through
5, 1 being the best. When his family moved back to Germany, the scores were
interperated according to German convention, 1 through 5, with 1 being failing.

I'm pretty certain Mensa would be interested in developing a native ASL
equivalent test. All it would take is asking them.

I don't belong myself. I joined 4 Sigma once, but it was primarily a social
thing (which is as it should be, I think) and I'm not a social animal.

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