Here are suggested answers to the Definitions items in this chapter of the Online Learning Center website.

1. The washback effect of a test is how tests affect instructor and learner behaviors in class. Tests should reflect major aspects of class, because students inevitably examine tests to decide what class content is important, and instructors use tests to model classroom time.
2. The principle of economy as it relates to sampling and testing is extracting as much information concerning students’ understanding of class content in as little time as possible. It is important to sample without exhausting everything to be tested.
3. Within testing, comparability means all groups of learners in the same course should perform similarly. Additionally, two different test types focused on the same content should yield similar results for the same test-taker.