Recent Books Elementary Inorganic Chemistry. J. W. Instructional Tests in Chemistry for High Schools and Colleges. Consists of three MELLOR,D.Sc., F.R.S. Longmans. pamphlets: (1) Student's Booklet, (2) Green & Co.. New York City. 1930. Teacher's Manual, and (3) Key. EARL x 229 pp. 7 tables. 129 figures, R. GLENN,New Jersey State Teachers' 13 X 19 including 5 photographs. College, Moutclair, New Jersey; LOUIS em. $1.50. E. WELTON,John Hay High School. This book is a study of same of the Cleveland, Ohio. World Book Comcommon non-metallic elements from a pany, Yonkers-ou-Hudson, New York, non-formula and non-mathematical view1930. iv 76 pp. 36 illustrations. point. A few equations are included but 16 X 25 a n : Price: (1) Student's these are balanced and seem to have no Booklet, $0.36. (2) Teacher's Manual, special purpose except to show the student $0.16, (3) Key. $0.16. that such things are used. The book is divided into 17 chapters in The authors state, in the Teacher's which the following subjects are covered: Manual which accompanies the Student's Air, Ha, 0. N. Mixtures and Com- Booklet, that the tests are to be used in pounds. Atomic Hypothesis, H9O; Chlo- improvement of learning in chemistry by rides and CI2; Acids, Bases, and Salts; identifying the students' learning difficqlCarbonates, CO2,Combustion and Flame, ties; by revealing the student's errors in Sulfur and Its Compounds, Nitrates, explanations, problems, uses of technical Nitric Add, Ammonia, Phosphorus. vocabulary, etc.; by frequent and rapid From this list it can be seen that the survey of students' progress; by giving field covered is very limited. The ma- 'the teacher information for devising necesterial is taken up in Mellor's charader- sary remedial drill work; by showing the istic manner. Sufficient history is in- nature of the students' achievement; and cluded to give a personal touch to the by investigations of the above data, "make subject matter. a beginning in the formulation of the It seems unfortunate that Dalton's psychology of learning chemistry." Atomic Hypothesis is given as the last The book contains 36 tests which word in the structure of matter even in may he used in any desired order and are this elementary discussion. The ma- short enough to be given and corrected terial usually covered under the metals in class, in a schwl period. In general, and under organic chemistry is not con- each test consists of multiple choice. sidered at all. Equivalent weights are matching, modified trne-false, completion, discussed but valence is not mentioned. brief answers, and vocabulary questions. The author apparently intends to give The instructions far giving the tests just an insight into the beginning of the are definite. Two pages in the back of study of chemistry, and he does this each book give the student a place to admirably. The topics are well presented record the time he has used in taking the and the book is written so that it may be test, his separate scores, and his rate of understood without theaidof an instructor. progress. Suggestions are offered to aid This is an excellent book for a short the teacher in interpreting the tests. course where descriptive material is de- A table of tentative norms, given in sired, or i t may be used as an introduction percentile ranks, and reliabilities is found to a more difficult presentation. in the teacher's manual. C. E. WHITE Each test covers a unit of work. The UNIYBBSITY 0s MARYLAND range of questions shows a thorough COLLBOB PI*, MD. 1:116
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