[originaltext]W: Have you passed your exam?M: Yes,(12)I passed it just this Ja

W: Have you passed your exam?
M: Yes,(12)I passed it just this January. What about you?
W: I have no idea. I took it last Saturday. Do you think exams are the best way to test or find out students’ real learning ability?
M: No, I don’t think so.(13)I attended an English debate by the graduate students of our college just last weekend. Their topic was whether examinations are good or bad.
W: Really? I’m sorry I missed it. What are their opinions about it? Tell me quickly and briefly their viewpoints please.
M: OK, let me say something about the negative side. The first contestant of this side said that a student’s learning ability cannot be shown merely from test papers. What the paper shows is too partial about his learning, not the whole situation.
W: That’s exactly true.(14)For example, a student might be good at doing a closed test, but we cannot deny that he possesses good testing techniques as well. Students of that kind can very often generate the right answers by guessing, imaging or even by taking a risk! No wonder quite a few students whose mastery of the knowledge is far from good passed the test unexpectedly!
M: Yes, that’s what the first contestant said.(15)The second contestant of the negative side said that exams are in fact anxiety-makers. With too much tension and worry, students are leading an irregular life.
W: Yes, I quite understand that. I often see some students with poor learning ability struggle first bravely and then desperately until they lose heart completely.
12. When did the man pass the exam?
13. What can we know about the English debate?
14. According to the woman, why did students who do not master the knowledge pass the exam?
15. What negative side of exams did the second contestant mention?