Download and Read online, DOWNLOAD EBOOK, [PDF EBOOK EPUB ], Ebooks

download, Read Ebook EPUB/KINDE, Download Book Format PDF

A Study on the Washback Effects of the Test for

English Majors TEM Implications for Testing and
Teaching Reforms Qian Xu

OR CLICK LINK
https://textbookfull.com/product/a-study-on-the-
washback-effects-of-the-test-for-english-majors-
tem-implications-for-testing-and-teaching-reforms-
qian-xu/

Read with Our Free App Audiobook Free Format PFD EBook, Ebooks dowload PDF
with Andible trial, Real book, online, KINDLE , Download[PDF] and Read and Read
Read book Format PDF Ebook, Dowload online, Read book Format PDF Ebook,
[PDF] and Real ONLINE Dowload [PDF] and Real ONLINE
More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant
download maybe you interests ...

A Study on Antimicrobial Effects of Nanosilver for

Drinking Water Disinfection 1st Edition Xu Yang (Auth.)

https://textbookfull.com/product/a-study-on-antimicrobial-
effects-of-nanosilver-for-drinking-water-disinfection-1st-
edition-xu-yang-auth/

Internationalizing Teaching, Localizing Learning: An

Examination of English Language Teaching Reforms and
English Use in China 1st Edition Paul Mcpherron (Auth.)

https://textbookfull.com/product/internationalizing-teaching-
localizing-learning-an-examination-of-english-language-teaching-
reforms-and-english-use-in-china-1st-edition-paul-mcpherron-auth/

Study and Teaching Guide for The History of the

Renaissance World Julia Kaziewicz

https://textbookfull.com/product/study-and-teaching-guide-for-
the-history-of-the-renaissance-world-julia-kaziewicz/

English Quasi Numeral Classifiers A Corpus Based

Cognitive Typological Study Xu Zhang

https://textbookfull.com/product/english-quasi-numeral-
classifiers-a-corpus-based-cognitive-typological-study-xu-zhang/
Discussing New Materialism Methodological Implications
for the Study of Materialities Ulrike Tikvah Kissmann

https://textbookfull.com/product/discussing-new-materialism-
methodological-implications-for-the-study-of-materialities-
ulrike-tikvah-kissmann/

The Wiley handbook of psychometric testing : a

multidisciplinary reference on survey, scale, and test
development First Edition Irwing

https://textbookfull.com/product/the-wiley-handbook-of-
psychometric-testing-a-multidisciplinary-reference-on-survey-
scale-and-test-development-first-edition-irwing/

A Course for Teaching English Learners, 3rd Edition

Diaz-Rico

https://textbookfull.com/product/a-course-for-teaching-english-
learners-3rd-edition-diaz-rico/

Teacher Performance Assessment and Accountability

Reforms: The Impacts of edTPA on Teaching and Schools
1st Edition Julie H. Carter

https://textbookfull.com/product/teacher-performance-assessment-
and-accountability-reforms-the-impacts-of-edtpa-on-teaching-and-
schools-1st-edition-julie-h-carter/

Research Driven Pedagogy Implications of L2A Theory and

Research for the Teaching of Language Skills 1st
Edition Nihat Polat (Editor)

https://textbookfull.com/product/research-driven-pedagogy-
implications-of-l2a-theory-and-research-for-the-teaching-of-
language-skills-1st-edition-nihat-polat-editor/
Qian Xu · Jun Liu

A Study on the
Washback Effects of
the Test for English
Majors (TEM)
Implications for Testing and Teaching
Reforms
A Study on the Washback Effects of the Test
for English Majors (TEM)
Qian Xu • Jun Liu

A Study on the Washback

Effects of the Test for
English Majors (TEM)
Implications for Testing and Teaching
Reforms
Qian Xu Jun Liu
Shanghai International Studies University Shanghai University of Electric Power
Shanghai, China Shanghai, China

ISBN 978-981-13-1962-4    ISBN 978-981-13-1963-1 (eBook)

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1963-1

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018951416

© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2018

This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of
the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation,
broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information
storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology
now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication
does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant
protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book
are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the
editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors
or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims
in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721,
Singapore
Acknowledgements

This book is funded by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
in China (Research Grant No. KY01X0222017082).

v
Contents

1 TEM: A High-Stakes Standardized Test in the Chinese Context��������    1

1.1 The Educational System in China����������������������������������������������������    1
1.2 The History of TEM��������������������������������������������������������������������������    3
1.2.1 The Launch of TEM�������������������������������������������������������������    3
1.2.2 The Development of TEM����������������������������������������������������    4
1.2.3 The Soaring Test Population ������������������������������������������������    6
1.2.4 Research on TEM ����������������������������������������������������������������    6
1.3 TEM Test Characteristics������������������������������������������������������������������    9
1.3.1 TEM Test Purpose����������������������������������������������������������������    9
1.3.2 TEM Test Content and Format����������������������������������������������    9
1.3.3 TEM Administration and Marking���������������������������������������   11
1.3.4 TEM Test Score Report and Interpretation ��������������������������   12
1.4 TEM Test Characteristics vs. the Teaching Syllabus������������������������   13
1.4.1 The Teaching Syllabus����������������������������������������������������������   13
1.4.2 A Comparison Between the Teaching Syllabus
and TEM Characteristics������������������������������������������������������   14
1.5 Summary ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   16
2 Washback: Definitions and Dimentions������������������������������������������������   17
2.1 Definitions of Washback ������������������������������������������������������������������   17
2.1.1 Washback or Backwash��������������������������������������������������������   17
2.1.2 Various Terminology������������������������������������������������������������   18
2.1.3 Washback and Validity����������������������������������������������������������   18
2.2 Dimensions of Washback������������������������������������������������������������������   19
2.2.1 Direction ������������������������������������������������������������������������������   19
2.2.2 Extent������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   20
2.2.3 Intensity��������������������������������������������������������������������������������   20
2.2.4 Intentionality ������������������������������������������������������������������������   21
2.2.5 Length ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������   21
2.2.6 Specificity ����������������������������������������������������������������������������   21
2.3 Summary ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   22

vii
viii Contents

3 Theoretical Frameworks for Washback Studies ����������������������������������   23

3.1 Frameworks for Washback Studies��������������������������������������������������   23
3.1.1 Alderson and Wall’s Washback Hypotheses ������������������������   23
3.1.2 Hughes’ Washback Trichotomy��������������������������������������������   24
3.1.3 Bailey’s Basic Model of Washback��������������������������������������   25
3.1.4 Green’s Washback Model ����������������������������������������������������   25
3.2 Empirical Studies on Washback��������������������������������������������������������   26
3.2.1 Summary of Empirical Studies ��������������������������������������������   27
3.2.2 A Critique of Approaches in Washback Studies������������������   31
3.3 Summary ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   33
4 Research Framework for TEM Washback Study��������������������������������   35
4.1 Framework for TEM Washback Study����������������������������������������������   35
4.1.1 Contributing Factors to TEM Washback������������������������������   35
4.1.2 TEM Washback Mechanism ������������������������������������������������   36
4.1.3 Several Terms Redefined������������������������������������������������������   37
4.1.4 Research Design�������������������������������������������������������������������   39
4.2 Participants����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   40
4.3 Instruments����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   41
4.3.1 Research Design for the Questionnaire Surveys������������������   41
4.3.2 Classroom Observations ������������������������������������������������������   94
4.3.3 Interviews������������������������������������������������������������������������������   98
4.4 Considerations for Validity and Reliability��������������������������������������   98
4.4.1 The Development of Research Instruments��������������������������   99
4.4.2 Data Collection and Analysis����������������������������������������������� 101
4.4.3 Triangulation������������������������������������������������������������������������ 104
4.5 Summary ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 105
5 Stakeholders’ Perceptions of TEM and Its Washback ������������������������ 107
5.1 Experts’ Perceptions ������������������������������������������������������������������������ 107
5.1.1 Demographic Information���������������������������������������������������� 108
5.1.2 Experts’ Evaluation of TEM ������������������������������������������������ 108
5.1.3 Experts’ Perception of TEM Washback�������������������������������� 109
5.1.4 Factors Influencing Teaching������������������������������������������������ 110
5.2 Program Administrators’ Perceptions ���������������������������������������������� 110
5.2.1 Demographic Information���������������������������������������������������� 110
5.2.2 Program Administrators’ Evaluation of TEM���������������������� 110
5.2.3 Program Administrators’ Perception
of TEM Washback���������������������������������������������������������������� 116
5.2.4 Washback on Course Design������������������������������������������������ 118
5.2.5 Individual Differences���������������������������������������������������������� 120
5.2.6 Factors Influencing Teaching������������������������������������������������ 123
Contents ix

5.3 Teachers’ Perceptions ���������������������������������������������������������������������� 123

5.3.1 Demographic Information���������������������������������������������������� 123
5.3.2 Teachers’ Evaluation of TEM ���������������������������������������������� 124
5.3.3 Teachers’ Perception of TEM Washback������������������������������ 128
5.3.4 Washback on Classroom Teaching��������������������������������������� 129
5.3.5 Individual Differences���������������������������������������������������������� 132
5.3.6 Factors Influencing Teaching������������������������������������������������ 133
5.4 Students’ Perceptions������������������������������������������������������������������������ 134
5.4.1 Demographic Information���������������������������������������������������� 134
5.4.2 Students’ Evaluation of TEM ���������������������������������������������� 135
5.4.3 Students’ Perception of TEM Washback������������������������������ 139
5.4.4 TEM Preparation������������������������������������������������������������������ 140
5.4.5 Learning Effects�������������������������������������������������������������������� 145
5.4.6 Individual Differences���������������������������������������������������������� 146
5.4.7 Factors Influencing Learning������������������������������������������������ 147
5.5 Triangulation������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 148
5.5.1 Data Triangulation���������������������������������������������������������������� 148
5.5.2 Methodological Triangulation���������������������������������������������� 152
5.6 Summary ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 154
6 Classroom Practice and the Washback of TEM ���������������������������������� 157
6.1 The Teachers Observed �������������������������������������������������������������������� 157
6.2 The English Classes Observed���������������������������������������������������������� 158
6.3 Characteristics of English Classroom Practice �������������������������������� 159
6.3.1 Teaching Content������������������������������������������������������������������ 160
6.3.2 Teaching Methods���������������������������������������������������������������� 162
6.4 TEM Preparation Classes vs. Non-preparation Classes�������������������� 165
6.4.1 Teaching Content������������������������������������������������������������������ 166
6.4.2 Teaching Methods���������������������������������������������������������������� 166
6.5 Classroom Practice Affected by Other Factors �������������������������������� 170
6.5.1 English Used in Class ���������������������������������������������������������� 170
6.5.2 Features of Teacher-Student Interaction ������������������������������ 171
6.5.3 Classroom Atmosphere �������������������������������������������������������� 174
6.6 Triangulation������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 175
6.6.1 Classroom Observation Findings vs. Questionnaire
Findings�������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 175
6.6.2 Classroom Observation Findings vs. Interview
Findings�������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 176
6.6.3 Classroom Observation Findings vs. Document
Analysis�������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 177
6.7 Summary ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 177
x Contents

7 Conclusions and Implications ���������������������������������������������������������������� 179

7.1 Summary of the Major Findings ������������������������������������������������������ 179
7.1.1 Washback Effects Perceived by Experts ������������������������������ 179
7.1.2 Washback Effects Perceived by Program
Administrators���������������������������������������������������������������������� 179
7.1.3 Washback Effects Perceived by Teachers ���������������������������� 180
7.1.4 Washback Effects Perceived by Students������������������������������ 180
7.1.5 Washback Effects on English Classrooms���������������������������� 181
7.2 Implications for the Reform�������������������������������������������������������������� 181
7.2.1 Implications for TEM Reform���������������������������������������������� 181
7.2.2 Implications for the Reform of Teaching
and Learning ������������������������������������������������������������������������ 185

Appendices�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 187
Appendix I Survey Questionnaires�������������������������������������������������������������������� 187
Questionnaire for Experts (EQ) ���������������������������������������������������������������� 187
Appendix II Classroom Observations���������������������������������������������������������������� 215

Bibliography ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 245

List of Acronyms

A Advanced stage
AQ-4 Questionnaire for TEM4 related administrators
AQ-8 Questionnaire for TEM8 related administrators
C-E Chinese to English
CET College English Test
E-C English to Chinese
EQ Questionnaire for experts
ESOL English for speakers of other languages
F Foundation stage
Gra Grammar
HKCEE Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination in
English
HKEA Hong Kong Examinations Authority
IELTS International English Language Testing System
KMO Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin
MCQ Multiple choice question
MET Matriculation English Test
NACFLT National Advisory Committee for Foreign Language
Teaching
NMET National Matriculation English Test
PhD Doctor of philosophy
PL2000 Progetto Lingue 2000
SPSS 17.0 Statistical Product and Service Solutions 17.0
SQ-4 Questionnaire for TEM4 related students
SQ-8 Questionnaire for TEM8 related students
TEM Test for English Majors
TEM4 Test for English Majors Grade 4
TEM4-Oral Test for English Majors Grade 4 Oral Test
TEM8 Test for English Majors Grade 8
TEM8-Oral Test for English Majors Grade 8 Oral Test
The Teaching Syllabus The National Teaching Syllabus for English Majors

xi
xii List of Acronyms

TOEFL Test of English as a Foreign Language

TQ-4 Questionnaire for TEM4 related teachers
TQ-8 Questionnaire for TEM8 related teachers
Voc Vocabulary
Wpm Words per minute
List of Figures

Fig. 1.1 Educational hierarchy of English teaching for English majors........... 2

Fig. 4.1 TEM washback model......................................................................... 39

xiii
List of Tables

Table 1.1 A comparison between the previous TEM and new TEM............. 5
Table 1.2 TEM studies published over the years........................................... 7
Table 1.3 Research focus of the journal articles and PhD dissertations........ 8
Table 1.4 Test content and format of TEM.................................................... 10
Table 1.5 A comparison between the teaching syllabus
and TEM characteristics................................................................. 15
Table 3.1 Overview of the empirical studies on washback............................ 28
Table 4.1 A multi-phase, multi-method research design
for TEM washback study............................................................... 40
Table 4.2 The seven questionnaires............................................................... 43
Table 4.3 The number of questionnaires distributed,
returned and valid........................................................................... 45
Table 4.4 Reliability test for AQ-4, TQ-4, SQ-4, AQ-8, TQ-8
and SQ-8........................................................................................ 47
Table 4.5 KMO and Bartlett’s tests................................................................ 48
Table 4.6 Rotated component matrix for the questionnaires......................... 49
Table 4.7 Inter-coder reliability (first round)................................................. 103
Table 4.8 Inter-coder reliability (second round)............................................ 103
Table 4.9 Intra-coder reliability..................................................................... 104
Table 5.1 Demographic information of program administrators................... 111
Table 5.2 Familiarity with TEM.................................................................... 112
Table 5.3 Evaluation of TEM......................................................................... 113
Table 5.4 Information to be provided in the test report................................. 114
Table 5.5 Use and interpretation of TEM scores........................................... 115
Table 5.6 Influence of TEM scores................................................................ 115
Table 5.7 Unintended use of TEM scores...................................................... 116
Table 5.8 Attitudes towards unintended uses of TEM scores........................ 116
Table 5.9 Views on TEM washback............................................................... 117
Table 5.10 Washback exerted by different aspects of TEM............................. 117

xv
xvi List of Tables

Table 5.11 Courses introduced by TEM participating universities.................. 119

Table 5.12 Washback from TEM revisions...................................................... 120
Table 5.13 TEM preparation courses............................................................... 121
Table 5.14 TEM washback perceived by different program
administrators................................................................................. 121
Table 5.15 Factors affecting English language teaching.................................. 122
Table 5.16 Demographic information of teachers............................................ 124
Table 5.17 Familiarity with TEM.................................................................... 125
Table 5.18 Evaluation of TEM......................................................................... 126
Table 5.19 Information to be provided in the test report................................. 126
Table 5.20 Use and interpretation of TEM scores........................................... 127
Table 5.21 Influence of TEM scores................................................................ 127
Table 5.22 Unintended uses of TEM scores.................................................... 127
Table 5.23 Attitudes towards unintended uses of TEM scores........................ 128
Table 5.24 Views on TEM washback............................................................... 128
Table 5.25 Washback exerted by different aspects of TEM............................. 129
Table 5.26 TEM preparation experience.......................................................... 130
Table 5.27 TEM preparation classes................................................................ 131
Table 5.28 Difference between TEM preparation
and non-preparation classes........................................................... 131
Table 5.29 Washback from TEM revisions...................................................... 132
Table 5.30 TEM washback on teaching perceived by different teachers......... 133
Table 5.31 Factors affecting English teaching................................................. 134
Table 5.32 Sources of pressure for teachers..................................................... 134
Table 5.33 Demographic information of students............................................ 135
Table 5.34 Students’ familiarity with TEM..................................................... 136
Table 5.35 Students’ evaluation of TEM......................................................... 137
Table 5.36 Information to be provided in TEM test report.............................. 138
Table 5.37 Use and interpretation of TEM results........................................... 139
Table 5.38 Views on TEM washback............................................................... 139
Table 5.39 Positive and negative washback of TEM....................................... 140
Table 5.40 TEM preparation courses............................................................... 141
Table 5.41 Activities conducted in TEM preparation classes.......................... 141
Table 5.42 Difference between TEM preparation
and non-preparation classes........................................................... 142
Table 5.43 Students’ preference for classroom activities................................ 143
Table 5.44 After-class preparation efforts........................................................ 143
Table 5.45 Learning activities conducted for TEM preparation
after class........................................................................................ 144
Table 5.46 Difference between TEM preparation and non-preparation
stages.............................................................................................. 145
Table 5.47 Washback of TEM on learning effects........................................... 146
Table 5.48 Progress in fundamental/advanced stage....................................... 146
Table 5.49 TEM washback on students with different characteristics............. 147
Table 5.50 Factors affecting English learning.................................................. 148
Table 5.51 Major aims for learning.................................................................. 148
List of Tables xvii

Table 6.1 Background information of the teachers observed......................... 158

Table 6.2 No. of classes taught by each teacher............................................ 159
Table 6.3 No. of classes observed from different schools.............................. 159
Table 6.4 No. of TEM preparation and non-preparation
classes observed............................................................................. 159
Table 6.5 Teaching content of all the classes observed.................................. 160
Table 6.6 Teaching materials used in class.................................................... 162
Table 6.7 Classroom activities organized in all the classes observed............ 163
Table 6.8 English used in classrooms observed............................................. 164
Table 6.9 Features of teacher-student interaction.......................................... 164
Table 6.10 Frequency of students’ laughter..................................................... 165
Table 6.11 No. of skills (knowledge) covered in each class............................ 166
Table 6.12 Mean time devoted to each activity (percentage of time).............. 167
Table 6.13 English used by teachers in TEM preparation
and non-preparation classes........................................................... 168
Table 6.14 English used by students in TEM preparation
and non-preparation classes........................................................... 169
Table 6.15 English used by teachers in classes of different grades................. 170
Table 6.16 English used by different teachers in class ................................... 171
Table 6.17 English used by teachers in classes from different schools........... 171
Table 6.18 Communicative features of classes delivered
by different teachers....................................................................... 172
Table 6.19 Communicative features of classes from different schools............ 173
Table 6.20 Laughter in classes of different grades........................................... 174
Chapter 1
TEM: A High-Stakes Standardized Test
in the Chinese Context

1.1 The Educational System in China

In China, quite a few universities offer a four-year program for undergraduate

English majors, who will be conferred a bachelor’s degree in English Language and
Literature if they have met all the requirements set by their universities, such as
credits, degree thesis and TEM certificates. The following figure demonstrates the
educational hierarchy of college English teaching for English majors.
As illustrated in Fig. 1.1, teaching for English majors is under the influence of
many factors, which can be mainly divided into three levels.
The top level is the national level, which is composed of policy-makers, the
Teaching Syllabus designers and the TEM test developers. Policy makers are the
officials in the Ministry of Education who supervise and evaluate the overall quality
of college education, particularly those in the National Advisory Committee for
Foreign Language Teaching (NACFLT), who are responsible for establishing poli-
cies in English education. The policies they have formulated will be implemented
by the Teaching Syllabus designers and the TEM test developers, who, although
from two separate sections, are in close relation, and will jointly decide how the
policies should be managed and how the teaching and testing syllabuses should
incorporate the basic principles of the policy.
The second level is the school level—the administrators. Based on the Teaching
Syllabus, the administrators will set the teaching aims and design the curriculum
accordingly, such as the courses to be introduced, the textbooks to be used, and so
on. However, different curricula will be developed in each school due to the follow-
ing reasons. First is regional difference. China is a vast country, and the east coastal
regions far surpass west inland areas in educational level, so the language require-
ments set for English majors differ from region to region. Second is the school level.
In China, universities are divided into key universities, ordinary universities and
colleges, and the admission standard differs a lot among them, with key universities
recruiting the top students. Therefore, English teaching aims and curricula differ

© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2018 1

Q. Xu, J. Liu, A Study on the Washback Effects of the Test for English Majors (TEM),
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1963-1_1
2 1 TEM: A High-Stakes Standardized Test in the Chinese Context

Ministry of Education

Department of Higher Education

National Advisory Committee for Foreign Language Teaching

Teaching Syllabus Designers TEM Testing Committee

Teaching Syllabus TEM

School Administrators

Teachers

Students

Fig. 1.1 Educational hierarchy of English teaching for English majors

markedly among schools of different levels. Third, schools of different type may
vary in their English curriculum. For instance, foreign language universities may
focus more on language and literature while technology institute may introduce
more science-related English courses.
Last, the bottom level is the classroom level, including teachers and students who
are responsible for the implementation of the school curriculum and the Teaching
Syllabus. Based on the school curriculum, teachers may design their respective
course syllabus, and their previous knowledge and available resources will affect
their teaching practice. Moreover, university students are from different regions and
background, who may perform differently in the same classroom.
All the people involved in this hierarchy are TEM stakeholders, and the higher
the level, the fewer the stakeholders, but the greater the power they have. Besides,
stakeholders from each level may overlap: some members in the NACFLT have
participated in the development of the Teaching Syllabus, some experts in the TEM
testing committee are also school administrators, and some school administrators
are English teachers at the same time. Therefore, in the current study, although the
research focus is the washback of TEM on English teaching and learning, opinions
of stakeholders from each level will be sought, with teachers and students as the
major participants.
In this view, a top down approach will be adopted when investigating the wash-
back effects of TEM, which will be carried out in three phases. First, opinions of
1.2 The History of TEM 3

stakeholders from the national level will be investigated, through the analysis of
related documents and a semi-open questionnaire survey among the experts, who
are either members of the NACFLT or syllabus designers, or both. Then, a question-
naire survey will be conducted among school administrators, to find out different
practices in all the TEM participating schools. Last, teachers and students will be
investigated, through large-scale questionnaires and case study classroom observa-
tions. As a supplementary instrument, interviews will be conducted in all the three
phases, to obtain follow-up data.

1.2 The History of TEM

The history of TEM can be traced back to the early 1990s, and in its two-decade
development, TEM has undergone several revisions. The following part will intro-
duce the launch and development of TEM, its soaring test population, as well as the
related research on TEM.

1.2.1 The Launch of TEM

Before reviewing the history of TEM, we will first introduce the formulation and
publication of the Teaching Syllabus. After the Cultural Revolution, foreign lan-
guage education in China has entered a new era. The early 1980s witnessed a rapid
increase in the demand for English majors in every field, because of our government
adoption of the policy of reform and opening up to the outside world. As a result,
many universities set up English departments and offered English programs.
However, due to various reasons, huge gap existed among different universities in
curriculum design, teaching material selection and course evaluation, which led to
an urgent demand for a national teaching syllabus. Hence, the first two national
teaching syllabuses for college English majors, foundation stage and advanced
stage, were published in 1989 and 1990 respectively. The two teaching syllabuses
serve as guidelines for the development of curriculum and teaching materials for
English majors in various universities throughout China. They have established spe-
cific teaching requirements and English proficiency standards for undergraduate
English majors, and thus, it is possible and necessary to develop a nation-wide test
to check the implementation of the Teaching Syllabus.
In line with this demand, two groups of specialists started working on TEM,
based in two different universities. Shanghai International Studies University was
responsible for TEM4, a test for English sophomores to measure their proficiency in
the foundation stage; while Guangdong University of Foreign Studies was respon-
sible for TEM8, a test for English majors in their fourth year to measure their profi-
ciency in the advanced stage. The first TEM4 and TEM8 were launched in 1990 and
1991 respectively. Commissioned by NACFLT, Shanghai International Studies
4 1 TEM: A High-Stakes Standardized Test in the Chinese Context

University has assumed responsibility for both tests since October, 1992. To stan-
dardize the test, the first TEM Syllabuses were drafted in 1993 and published in
1994, which marked the official beginning of TEM.
Following the introduction of TEM4 and TEM8 written tests, Nanjing University
was given responsibility to conduct studies on the feasibility of TEM4-Oral and
TEM8-Oral in 1994 and 1998 respectively. After several years’ of trialing, TEM4-­
Oral and TEM8-Oral were officially launched in 1999 and 2003, and the Oral Test
Syllabuses were published in 2005.

1.2.2 The Development of TEM

It has been more than 20 years since TEM was first implemented, and in the course
of its development, TEM has undergone several revisions.
After its publication in 1994, the TEM Syllabuses (TEM4 and TEM8) has under-
gone two major revisions, one in 1997 and the other in 2004. A comprehensive vali-
dation study of TEM was conducted from 1993 to 1996, and based on its findings,
a revised edition of TEM Syllabuses were published in 1997. The second major
revision took place in 2004 as a response to the revision of the Teaching Syllabus in
2000. The revisions of TEM Syllabuses aim at improving test quality, standardizing
test development and administration, and achieving fairness of test result interpreta-
tion. (Jin and Fan 2011; Zou 2010).
In 2005, the new versions of TEM4 and TEM8 were introduced, employing more
integrative tasks and using lengthier and more authentic materials for listening and
reading. The test content and format of the previous TEM and new TEM are listed
in Table 1.1.
From the above table, three major changes can be identified. First and foremost,
the new versions of TEM set a higher requirement on the test takers. The listening
and reading speed has been increased, with faster listening materials and longer
reading passages; short listening materials like statements have been replaced by
longer ones like passages; a lengthier composition is required for the writing part;
and the passages for cloze and proofreading also lengthened. Second, speed reading
has been dropped from both TEM4 and TEM8. Last, a new section of general
knowledge has been included in TEM8.
As for the oral tests, a major reform was adopted in 2008, supplementing the
tape-mediated format with computer-based spoken English tests (Jin and Fan 2011).
Further discussions on these revisions will be provided in Sect. 1.4.
1.2 The History of TEM 5

Table 1.1 A comparison between the previous TEM and new TEM
Task Input Format % Time
TEM4 (previous
version)
Writing 1) A topic, chart or graph A text of about 150 15 35
composition words
2) note-writing Written prompts A note of 50–60 words 5 10
Dictation A text of about 150 words, listen Word-for-word dictation 15 15
4 times, 120 wpm
Listening Statements, conversations and 25 MCQs 15 20
news broadcasts, 120 wpm
Cloze A text of about 250 words 15 MCQs 10 15
Grammar & 25 sentences 25 MCQs 15 15
vocabulary
Reading 1) careful 4–5 texts of about 1500 words 15 MCQs 15 25
altogether
2) speed 4–5 texts of about 900 words 10 MCQs 10 5
altogether
TEM4 (new version)
Writing 1) A topic, chart or graph A text of about 200 15 35
composition words
2) note-writing Written prompts A note of 50–60 words 10 10
Dictation A text of about 150 words, listen Word-for-word dictation 15 15
4 times, 120 wpm
Listening Conversations, passages and news 30 MCQs 15 20
broadcasts, 120 wpm
Cloze A text of about 250 words 20 MCQs 10 15
Grammar & 30 sentences 25 MCQs 15 15
vocabulary
Reading 4–5 texts of about 1800 words 15 MCQs 20 25
altogether
TEM8 (previous
version)
Listening Talks, conversations and news 15 MCQs 15 15–
broadcasts, 140–170 wpm 20
Mini-lecture, 700 words, 140 Note-taking and 10 20
wpm gap-filling (10 blanks)
Proofreading and A text of about 200 words Error identification and 10 15
error correction correction
Reading 1) careful 4–5 texts of about 2500 words 15 MCQs 15 30
2) speed 6–7 texts of about 3000 words 10 MCQs 10 10
Translation 1) C-E A text of about 150 Chinese Translation 10 30
characters, 250 wpm
2) E-C A text of about 150 words, 250 Translation 10 30
wpm
(continued)
6 1 TEM: A High-Stakes Standardized Test in the Chinese Context

Table 1.1 (continued)

Task Input Format % Time
Writing A topic and prompts A text of 300 words 20 60
TEM8 (new version)
Listening Mini-lecture, 900 words, 150 Note-taking and 10 10
wpm gap-filling (10 blanks)
Conversations and news 10 MCQs 10 25
broadcasts, 150 wpm
Reading 4–5 texts of about 3000 words 20 MCQs 20 30
General knowledge 10 sentences 10 MCQs 10 10
Proofreading A text of about 250 words Error identification and 10 15
correction
Translation 1) C-E A text of about 150 Chinese Translation 10 30
characters, 250–300 wpm
2) E-C A text of about 150 words, Translation 10 30
250–300 wpm
Writing A topic and prompts A text of 400 words 20 45
Note: %: weighting, with the overall percentage being 100; Time is given in minutes; Wpm = words
per minute; MCQ = multiple choice question; C-E: Chinese to English; E-C: English to Chinese

1.2.3 The Soaring Test Population

After more than two decades of development, TEM has grown into one of the pre-
dominant English tests in China, winning extensive recognition from test takers,
relevant institutions and society at large (Jin and Fan 2011). The number of test
takers and participating universities has increased rapidly and significantly.
As for the written tests of TEM4 and TEM8, from 1992 to 2015, the number of
participants increased respectively from around 10,000 to 270,000 and from 5000 to
210,000. The number of participating schools also increased from around 100 to
more than 800 for both TEM4 and TEM8. As for TEM oral tests, the number of test
takers and participating schools has also increased significantly, but its test taking
population is no more than one-tenth of its written counterpart, around 18,000 and
10,000 for TEM4 and TEM8 respectively in 2015. (data released by TEM test
office).
With its substantial improvement and increasing test population, TEM is playing
a more and more important role in English teaching and learning at the tertiary
level, exerting profound washback effects on the students and teachers, the educa-
tional system and even the society as a whole.

1.2.4 Research on TEM

Ever since the implementation of TEM in the early 1990s, quite a few studies have
been conducted to investigate its feasibility, validation, reform, implication for teach-
ing, and so on. The research findings have contributed to the reform of TEM and
1.2 The History of TEM 7

Table 1.2 TEM studies published over the years

1991–1995 1996–2000 2001–2005 2006–2010 2011–2015
CSSCI journal article 11 7 33 35 13
PhD dissertation 0 0 4 9 5

English teaching and learning, which can also be considered an aspect of washback,
according to Bailey (1996). Therefore, in this part, research findings on TEM will be
introduced and analyzed, to summarize their impact on English teaching and learning.
Due to the limited space and time, as well as the vast number of studies on TEM, only
influential studies are selected here. The studies selected are: (1) articles published in
CSSCI journals in linguistics, since CSSCI journals are well established in the aca-
demic field which are widely received and which may exert influence on future
research; (2) PhD dissertations, because they are often based on in-depth research in
the field, and should be of high quality and will give us original insight into this issue.
A search in the CSSCI journals1 and CNKI2 Corpus of PhD and Master
Dissertations, using the key word “TEM”, shows that up till the end of 2015, 99
articles and 18 PhD dissertations have been published. Table 1.2 briefly summarizes
the number of research published over the years.
The first journal article on TEM was published in 1991 on the feasibility of using
dictation in TEM4 (Lian 1991), and the first PhD dissertation was completed in
2004 on the authenticity of listening comprehension questions in TEM (Dang 2004).
From the above table, we can find an apparent increase in the number of studies
conducted on TEM since 2001.
In terms of the research focus, the 99 journal articles and 18 PhD dissertations
cover almost every skill assessed in TEM (Table 1.3).
From Table 1.3, it can be noted that more journal articles focus on TEM in gen-
eral, such as the test report of TEM in a certain year, or comment on the revision of
TEM Syllabus, while PhD dissertations are more focused, usually concentrating on
one skill in TEM. Moreover, writing and translation seem to be studied more than
the rest of the language skilled measured in TEM, which is probably because of the
subjective nature of these two parts—test development, marking criteria and pro-
duced texts are all subjects for research.
These researches on TEM may contribute to English teaching and learning in the
following ways:
1. Test reports on TEM analyzed the test items and students’ performance in each
item, which would provide useful feedback information on the strengths and
weaknesses of students;

1
Eleven journals on linguistics (foreign language) included in CSSCI (2013–2014) are searched,
which are Foreign Language Teaching and Research, Foreign Language World, Journal of Foreign
Languages, Modern Foreign Languages, Chinese Translators Journal, Foreign Languages in
China, Foreign Language Research, Foreign Language Education, Foreign Languages and Their
Teaching, Computer-Assisted Foreign Language Education, and Foreign Language Learning
Theory and Practice.
2
CNKI: China National Knowledge Infrastructure, an online resource sharing platform which has
a collection of published articles.
 8
1

Table 1.3 Research focus of the journal articles and PhD dissertations
General Listening Reading Writing Speaking Translation Culture Gra& voc Cloze Dictation
CSSCI 28 11 5 16 11 22 2 2 1 1
PhD 1 3 3 6 1 2 1 1 0 0
TEM: A High-Stakes Standardized Test in the Chinese Context
1.3 TEM Test Characteristics 9

2. Validation of a certain item in TEM investigated the construct of that section,

which would assist teaching and learning. For instance, validation of the reading
part in TEM may analyze the strategies needed to accomplish the reading tasks;
while the training of these strategies may also help students improve their read-
ing ability;
3. Some researches focused on development and use of the TEM-based corpus,
both of written and oral English. Analysis of these corpora may help us better
understand the language proficiency of the students so that proper teaching can
be offered.

1.3 TEM Test Characteristics

TEM is a set of criterion-referenced English tests administered by NACFLT on

behalf of the Higher Education Department, Ministry of Education, People’s
Republic of China (Jin and Fan 2011). The following part will introduce TEM test
purpose, TEM test content and format, TEM test administration, and TEM test score
report and interpretation.

1.3.1 TEM Test Purpose

As stated in the Test Syllabus, the purpose of TEM is twofold: (1) to measure the
English proficiency of undergraduate English majors, to check whether they have
met the required levels specified in the Teaching Syllabus; (2) to check the imple-
mentation of the Teaching Syllabus and to bring about reform on language
teaching.

1.3.2 TEM Test Content and Format

In the Teaching Syllabus, the four-year undergraduate program for English majors
is divided into the foundation stage (freshman and sophomore year) and the
advanced stage (junior and senior year). Accordingly, TEM4 and TEM4-Oral are
administered at the end of the second year to assess candidates’ English proficiency
in the foundation stage and TEM8 and TEM8-Oral are administered at the end of
the fourth year to assess candidates’ English proficiency in the advanced stage.
The test content of TEM4 includes listening, reading and writing, and two more
skills of translation and general knowledge (linguistics, culture and literature) are
assessed in TEM8. Basic language knowledge of grammar and vocabulary are mea-
sured in both tests, but in different formats, multiple-choice questions in TEM4 and
error correction in TEM8. As for oral tests, TEM4-Oral focuses on speaking, while
10 1 TEM: A High-Stakes Standardized Test in the Chinese Context

TEM8-Oral assesses not only speaking but also interpretation. Test content and for-
mat of the four tests are listed in Table 1.4.
Table 1.4 shows that various item types are employed in TEM, both objective
ones and subjective ones, both discrete-point items and integrative tasks. In TEM4
and TEM8, objective items of multiple-choice questions account for 60% and 40%
of the test, and the rest are all subjective items, such as writing and translation.
Discrete-point items are used, such as multiple-choice questions of grammar and
vocabulary in TEM4 and general knowledge in TEM8, and integrative tasks include
dictation and cloze in TEM4 and mini-lecture and proofreading in TEM8.

Table 1.4 Test content and format of TEM

Task Input Format % Time
TEM4
Writing 1) A topic, chart or graph A text of about 200 words 15 35
composition
2) note-writing Written prompts A note of 50–60 words 10 10
Dictation A text of about 150 words, Word-for-word dictation 15 15
listen 4 times, 120 wpm
Listening Conversations, passages and 30 MCQs 15 20
news broadcasts, 120 wpm
Cloze A text of about 250 words 20 MCQs 10 15
Grammar & 30 sentences 25 MCQs 15 15
vocabulary
Reading 4–5 texts of about 1800 15 MCQs 20 25
words altogether
TEM8
Listening Mini-lecture, 900 words, 150 Note-taking and gap-filling (10 10 10
wpm blanks)
Conversations and news 10 MCQs 10 25
broadcasts, 150 wpm
Reading 4–5 texts of about 3000 20 MCQs 20 30
words
General 10 sentences 10 MCQs 10 10
knowledge
Proofreading A text of about 250 words Error identification and correction 10 15
Translation 1) A text of about 150 Chinese Translation 10 30
C-E characters, 250–300 wpm
2) E-C A text of about 150 words, Translation 10 30
250–300 wpm
Writing A topic and prompts A text of 400 words 20 45
TEM4-oral
Retelling A story of about 300 words, Retelling for 3 min, no time for 20 9
listen twice preparation
(continued)
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Book of
Detective Stories
 This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United
States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License
included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you
are not located in the United States, you will have to check the
laws of the country where you are located before using this
eBook.

Title: Book of Detective Stories

Editor: Frank Pemmon

Release date: May 11, 2022 [eBook #68049]

Language: English

Original publication: United States: A. B. Courtney, 1894

Credits: Demian Katz, Craig Kirkwood, and the Online

Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
(Images courtesy of the Digital Library@Villanova
University.)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOOK OF

DETECTIVE STORIES ***
 Multum in Parvo
Library.

Vol. I. November, 1894. No. 11.

Published Monthly.
 Book of Detective
Stories
Smallest Magazine in the World. Subscription
price, 50 cts. per year. Single copies, 5 cents
each.

PUBLISHED BY
A. B. COURTNEY,
671 Tremont Street, Boston.
 DETECTIVE STORIES.
From the Diary of a New York Detective.
EDITED BY FRANK PEMMON.

Betrayed by a Dog.
Animals, especially dogs, have played an important part in the affairs
of men. There is now in Chicago a dog that has become the
companion and assistant of a policeman, and really does help his
friend to detect and ferret out thieves and other evil doers. I was
once concerned in a case in which a dog played a most important
part, and led finally, through no fault of his own, however, to the
detection of his master.
The store of John Camden had been broken into and the safe blown
open and robbed of a large sum of money. The cash had been
received that day too late to be deposited in the bank. Next morning
it was gone, and no trace of the thief was to be found. At least, Mr.
Camden and his clerks and the police officials found no trace of him.
Not so with me. I was sent to look up the affair. I found the office in a
state of confusion. The door of the safe had been blown off and the
contents lay scattered over the floor. I asked Mr. Camden if he had
disturbed anything. He said he had not, except to satisfy himself that
the money was gone.
Near by was a cat, dead, her throat cut evidently by a hatchet that
lay close at hand. This seemed to me to be the basis of a clue. Why
had the cat been killed? It is not necessary to kill cats in order to
prevent them from telling tales. I examined the unfortunate feline
more carefully. In addition to the ugly cut on the throat there were
other and more significant marks upon the back. A saucer, evidently
having recently contained milk, stood near by. Also an overturned
can from which pussy’s supply of milk had evidently been obtained.
The contents of this had been consumed. Mr. Camden informed me
that this can had been filled with milk only the previous evening.
Among the papers scattered upon the floor was one that attracted
my attention. It was a portion of a note written in French. I was aware
that Mr. Camden did not write or speak French. I questioned him
about it. He could give me no information. He had never seen it
before.
“Did any one know you had a large sum of money in the safe?” I
asked.
“Yes, a number of people knew of the fact. I had been expecting to
receive the money for the past two weeks.”
“Who are those who know you had it?”
“My wife, brother, the man I sold the property to (that is how I came
to have such a large sum at one time) and the real estate dealers
through whom I sold it.”
“Any one else?”
“Oh, yes, a friend, my daughter’s music teacher. He it was who found
me a purchaser for the property.”
“He is a Frenchman, is he not, and is invariably accompanied by his
pretty little dog?”
“Why, yes; do you know him?”
“No—never saw him. He knew you had a large sum of money in the
safe?”
“Yes; he saw me deposit it there.”
“When did he give your daughter her last music lesson?”
“Last evening, but he complained of being ill and went away earlier
than usual.”
“Did he have his dog with him?”
“Yes; he claims the dog is his only friend.”
“Have you a specimen of his handwriting at hand?”
“Yes; I have several acknowledgments of money received.”
He produced them. I compared the writing with that of the note I had
found near the safe. They were, as far as I could determine,
identically the work of the same person.
Satisfied that I was on the right track, I caused a watch to be put
upon the music teacher with the result that he was arrested as he
was about to leave the city. He made a full confession.
“How did you guess it was a Frenchman who robbed my safe, and
that he was accompanied by a pretty little dog?” inquired Mr.
Camden.
“I found the cat had been killed by a dog, and his master afterward
cut her throat with the hatchet to ward off suspicion from the dog; the
dog drank the milk which had been provided for the cat. I found a
note written in French and evidently dropped by the thief near the
safe, and his dog was a pretty little animal because his master’s
patrons, like yourself, would not tolerate the presence of any other
kind, and you told me the dog always accompanied his master.”
 The Key to the Mystery.
The most puzzling case upon which I ever worked was that of the
murder of John Long. The facts are briefly these: Mr. Long, a
wealthy, retired merchant, living at the home of his nephew, failed to
answer the dinner-bell one day. He was a man who always prided
himself upon his punctuality, and his failure to appear at dinner at the
usual hour caused no little surprise. A messenger was sent to his
room to call him. No response came to repeated knocks upon his
chamber door. The door was locked. Fearful that something had
happened to him, Mr. Brant—the old gentleman’s nephew—set
about breaking down the door. This was no easy task, as the door
was made of oak and fastened by a ponderous lock and large brass
hinges. After considerable effort the door yielded to their blows and
fell in. A horrible sight met the gaze of the anxious family. Mr. Long
lay across the bed, cold and still in death, with his throat cut from ear
to ear.
Had the old man been murdered? If so, how had the murderer
entered the room? The old man was known always to keep his door
locked. Besides, there did not appear to be anything missing. If it
was a case of suicide, what had become of the implement with which
the deed had been done? It was nowhere to be found. The old man
always seemed in the best of spirits, and had every thing to live for.
If not suicide, then it was, of course, murder. Who, then, was the
murderer?
It was my good fortune to be assigned to work up the case. I say
good fortune because I like a difficult job, the more difficult the better,
and this was one of the most difficult of all I had ever undertaken.
I examined the premises, and questioned the family and the servants
in order to learn all I could about the murdered man, his habits, his
financial affairs, etc. In particular I examined the room in which the
foul murder had been committed. One of the windows was partially
opened. This suggested the theory that the murderer might have
gained access to the room by means of the window, but it was
impossible for him to have done this in broad daylight, and the
window was over 20 feet from the ground.
One of those who seemed most eager to believe that Mr. Long had
committed suicide was Thomas Brant, a scapegrace nephew of the
old man.
“If he committed suicide,” said I, “where is the implement with which
he did the deed?”
“Perhaps he used his razor and then threw it out of the window,”
suggested Thomas.
“Impossible. The jugular vein was cut and death must have been
almost instantaneous.”
Nevertheless, I examined the grass under the window (which
opened over the orchard) and found the old man’s razor. There was,
however, no blood upon it.
The most peculiar thing in the room was the lock on the door and the
key belonging to it. It was a large lock, much larger than those made
at the present time, and the key was a large, heavy, brass one
weighing several pounds. I was informed that this lock had done duty
in the door of the store in which Mr. Long started in business, and
when the building was demolished, Mr. Long preserved the lock and
key (which, by the way, he had designed himself). Furthermore, as
soon as he entered his room it was his custom to lock his door,
remove the key from the lock and hang it upon a nail on the wall.
Here it had been found on the day of the murder. There was believed
to be but one such key in existence. I believed otherwise, and made
a tour of all the lock-smith’s shops in the city in order to verify my
suspicions. At last my search was rewarded. I found one who
admitted, although at first unwilling to do so, that he had made a key
similar to the one I carried. He had made it for a young man who
answered to the description of Thomas Brant. This much gained, the
next step was to connect Brant with the murder of his uncle. This
was soon done. Brant was sent to prison for life, as it was not proved
that he had entered his uncle’s room for the purpose of murder, but
simply of robbery.
 The Missing Finger.
Red Joe was an industrious young man. He worked early and late at
his profession. While others slept he toiled upward in the night; in
fact, night was his favorite time for toiling. He didn’t exactly make hay
while the sun shone because he didn’t do any work while the sun
was shining on his side of the earth. He was willing to put his hand to
almost anything that did not belong to him, and which he could
dispose of without fear of detection. Red Joe was a burglar, and a
most successful one. That is to say, he succeeded so well at the
burglary business that he spent the greater part of his time behind
prison walls. He was concerned, either alone, or in company with
others of his ilk, in some of the most important “breaks” that the
police have any record of. Whenever a big burglary was committed,
the police invariably tried to connect Red Joe with it, providing that
gentleman didn’t happen to be “otherwise engaged” at the time. This
was the case in the burglary of which I have to tell. The facts are as
follows:
The home of Mr. Reed, the rich banker, had been broken into and a
quantity of silver plate, valued at $5,000, stolen. It had occurred
during the absence of the family. The affair was reported to the
police, and a large reward offered for the detection and conviction of
the guilty parties. The police at once set about unearthing and
following up clues. But all their labor was in vain. The burglar had
carefully covered up his tracks, and left no clue as to his identity.
Nobody had seen him enter or leave the house. There was no one in
the house at the time of the robbery. The family had gone off for the
night, and the butler who had been left in charge took advantage of
their absence to visit some of his friends. During his absence—which
he averred did not extend over two hours—the burglar had come,
seen and conquered. He entered a poor man and went away
comparatively rich. At first the butler was suspected and arrested,
but he established a satisfactory alibi and was soon released from
custody.
The police did all in their power to bring the guilty ones to justice, but
failed. The affair was then placed in my hands. The solution of the
mystery seemed hopeless. The thief had left no clue as to his
identity, and none of the booty had been disposed of at any of the
pawn shops in the city or surrounding cities. I did not despair,
however. I went to the scene of the robbery and made a most
thorough examination of the premises. I found nothing. I was about
to give up when I came upon something that promised to be a clue. I
inquired from the master of the house whether there had been any
repairs made in the house recently. There had. The whole interior of
the house had been repainted and repapered just previous to the
robbery. In fact the finishing touches had been given the very day the
burglary had been committed. Good. Then getting the address of the
painter and other workmen, I went to them and made certain
inquiries which were answered to my satisfaction. Then I reported at
headquarters. Two days later, Red Joe was arrested and charged
with the robbery. His premises were searched and most of the stolen
plate recovered. The clue I had discovered was this. On the door
frame near the safe, was the imprint of fingers in the then fresh
varnish. The imprint of only the thumb and three fingers appeared.
One finger was missing—the one next to the little finger. This was a
peculiarity of Red Joe’s right hand. This discovery might mean a
good deal for me, possibly nothing. You know the result. Red Joe
was watched, and his suspicious actions furnished sufficient grounds
for the issuing of a warrant for his arrest. He is now “doing time.”
 A Grave Robbery.
One of the most peculiar cases with which I have ever had to deal
was that of a grave robbery. The grave—or rather the vault, in which
the remains of Mr. L——, a wealthy Russian (I do not give his name
for reasons which will presently appear), had been deposited was
found disturbed two days after the burial. Examination proved that
the lid of the casket had been removed with the apparent intention of
robbery. But, strange to say, no robbery had been committed. The
gold rings on the fingers of the dead man had not been touched, and
these were the only valuables the body contained. Why had the
grave been opened? Nobody could offer an explanation, least of all I
who had been detailed at the desire of the family of the dead man to
sift this strange affair to the bottom, and discover, if possible, who
had dared to desecrate the grave of their relative. Nothing had been
taken from the body as far as the family of the dead man knew; yet
the thief or thieves had plenty of time in which to rob the body if they
so desired. They had not been frightened off. They had carefully
covered up the grave and gone away evidently unmolested.
It was impossible to arrive at a conclusion as to why the grave had
been opened. It now lay with me to find out who had done it. It had
rained during or previous to the time of the grave robbery, and the
footprints of those concerned in it—three different persons it
appeared, were plainly discernible in the soft ground. The signs of
carriage wheels were also present. This was my only clue upon
which I had to work. I questioned the superintendent, whose office
and residence was at the entrance to the cemetery. He had been
away on the evening of the robbery, and could give me no
information. He was confident no carriage had entered the cemetery
after 10 o’clock, at which hour he had returned and locked the
cemetery gates. There was only one carriage entrance to the
cemetery. I had an impression at the time that the man was
unnecessarily nervous in answering my questions, and seemed
relieved when I got through.
A month passed and an event occurred which threw considerable
light upon the mystery. The will of the late Mr. L—— had been
opened and read. Among the many bequests was the following most
peculiar one: “I bequeath to John Johnson, the dentist (with
address), a certain gold-capped tooth in my lower jaw, and request
that he extract this and preserve it according to the terms of an
agreement made between us many years ago.” This not only threw
light upon, but complicated the mystery. Perhaps the grave had been
opened to allow the dentist to claim his strange legacy. Once more
the body was disinterred by the friends of the dead man. The gold-
capped tooth was missing from the lower jaw.
I next called upon John Johnson, the dentist. Despite his American
name I could see that he was a foreigner—a Russian, I was certain.
I mentioned the occasion of my visit. “Did you open the grave of Mr.
L—— and remove a certain gold-capped tooth from the mouth of the
dead man?” I asked, point blank.
Mr. Johnson seemed at a loss how to reply. At last, he said “No.”
“Then the cemetery superintendent was wrong. You did not drive in
with two companions in a carriage, and this is not your card which I
picked up near the grave of Mr. L——?” said I, showing him one of
his business cards which I had surreptitiously obtained. “You might
as well confess. You were only getting your rights, after all, but why
did you go about it in such an underhanded way?”
“I don’t understand you.”
“Are you not acquainted with the contents of Mr. L——’s will, the
gold-capped tooth and all?”
“Did he put that in the will?” inquired the dentist in a surprised tone.
“Then you do know something about it?”
“Yes; it is a strange story, and if you will promise—nay, swear—never
to reveal it, I will tell it to you. Do you swear?”
Something in the manner and bearing of the man told me that he
was no thief, and I readily promised what he asked, and he told me
the following strange story:
 A Strange Story.
Mr. Johnson conducted me into an inner room, closed and locked
the door and bade me be seated.
“My name,” he began, “is not John Johnson. I am living under an
assumed name for reasons of a political nature. I am a Russian by
birth, and a Nihilist by thought and training. I deplore the condition of
my unhappy country. I have done my part and am still willing to do it,
to help bring about her freedom from the terrible despotism under
which she suffers. I am acquainted with the horrors of Siberian
prison-mines. I was sentenced to Siberia for life, for complicity in a
Nihilistic plot. My brother was sent there soon afterward. Together
we planned escape. I succeeded. He fell. Shot down by an officer of
his Despotic Majesty. I managed to reach England, where I found
many friends. In London I became acquainted with the late Mr. L
——. He was also a Nihilist, and a victim of Alexander’s wrath. He,
too, was an exile from his country. For either of us to return meant
instant capture at the hands of the Czar’s well-trained police—or
worse than that, Siberia. I lived in London five years. There I learned
the trade of a dentist. Upon my banishment to Siberia, my property
had been confiscated to the government.
“At the end of five years I came to the United States, where I have
lived ever since. Mr. L—— came here soon after I did. He was a rich
man. Just previous to his arrest, he had managed to convert most of
his property into money which he deposited in a London bank. This
had been used to effect his escape from Siberia. He had relatives in
this country with whom he lived up to the time of his death. Soon
after coming to this country, he imparted to me a secret which had
been in his keeping for thirty years, it having been transmitted to him
by his father. He was then a man of sixty. One day, ten years ago, he
came into my office—this very room—and said he wished to speak
with me upon a most important matter, one concerning our beloved
country.
“‘Do you see this tooth,’ he inquired, pointing to a large, gold-capped
molar in his lower jaw.
“‘Yes,’ I replied.
“‘That tooth,’ he continued, after having made sure that we were
alone, ‘that tooth holds, has held for thirty years, a secret of the
utmost importance to you and me, and to all liberty loving Russians. I
tell you this because I know you will guard the secret as you would
your life. In the cavity of that tooth, under the gold cap (here he
lowered his voice) is a piece of parchment which contains the plans
of a secret underground entrance to the Czar’s palace at St.
Petersburg, an entrance which, as you will readily understand, will
prove of the utmost importance to our friends when the time is ripe to
use it. This plan has been in the possession of our family for
hundreds of years, having been drawn originally by an ancestor of
mine, one of the designers of the palace. I am the last male member
of my family, and now bequeath this secret to you. Upon my death, I
desire that you extract the tooth, and preserve or dispose of the plan
in whatever way seems best to you. You know its importance. I can
rely upon your judgment. The dentist who inserted it in my tooth,
thirty years ago in Russia, is now dead. You and I alone now hold
the secret. Do you accept the trust?’
“‘I do,’ I answered.
“That was Mr. L——’s story.
“When he died I happened to be out of the city. On my return I
hastened to obtain possession of the tooth in the manner that
seemed best to me. I was not aware that the matter was mentioned
in Mr. L——’s will, which it would appear he had intended to make
public before his death, but was unable to do so. The plan which I
found in the cavity of the tooth is now in safe hands in Russia, and
the world may yet learn whether the well-guarded secret is destined
to be utilized.
“I tell you this because I know you are an American, a lover of liberty,
and will not divulge the secret I have told you.”
Mr. Johnson died many years ago, and now I give this story to the
world, confident that even its perusal by the Russian officials cannot
in any way endanger the secret of the gold-capped tooth.
 Transcriber’s Note:
Punctuation has been made consistent.