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Study Guide

Field 172: Bilingual Education Assessment—Mandarin
Interpretive Listening

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Directions for Interpretive Listening: English and Interpretive Listening: Mandarin

For the Interpretive Listening section of the test, you will listen to audio recordings containing spoken messages and answer selected-response (multiple-choice) questions based on each message.

There may be one question or multiple questions based on a spoken message. There will be a preview period of 20 seconds of silence per question at the beginning of each audio recording before you hear the spoken message. During this silent preview period, you should familiarize yourself with the selected-response question(s) presented on the screen. Each spoken message will play twice. The question(s) will remain on the screen while the spoken message plays.

The audio recordings will begin playing automatically. Once the audio recording begins, you will not be able to pause, stop, or replay it. Therefore, listen carefully.

If there are multiple questions associated with a single audio recording, you may need to scroll down to preview all the questions, and you will not be able to select your answer choices during the preview. After the spoken message has played twice, you must advance to the next screen to begin answering the questions.

Each question has four answer choices. Read each question and answer choice carefully and select the ONE best answer. You should answer all questions. Even if you are unsure of an answer, it is better to guess than not to answer a question at all.

Note that in this section of the test, you can go back to previous screens to review or change your responses to questions. However, you will NOT be able to replay the audio recordings.

Please be aware that the visual enhancements Example of the Color Scheme visual enhancement control and Example of the Font Size visual enhancement control cannot be adjusted during this section of the test. You must make any desired adjustments now before you select "Next" to begin the Interpretive Listening section. You will not be able to adjust these features again until you have completed this section of the test.

Click the Next button when you have finished reading these directions and are ready to begin the Interpretive Listening section of the test. Once you advance to the next screen, the first audio recording will start automatically with a silent preview period for you to familiarize yourself with the question(s) presented on the screen before you hear the spoken message.

Be sure you have your headset on before proceeding.

Select the Next button to continue.

Interpretive Listening: English
Sample Selected-Response Questions

Competency 0003 
Interpretive Listening: English

[The examinee will see on screen ONLY the following directions:]

Speaker Control

The 60 seconds of silence has begun. Use this period of silence to familiarize yourself with the questions before the spoken message begins.

[Preview versions of the 3 questions appear on the actual test.]

Listen to the discussion taking place during a faculty meeting between a middle school principal and a faculty member; then answer the three questions. You will hear the discussion twice.

[After 60 seconds of silence, the examinee will hear the audio recording below, which includes a 60-second pause at the beginning:]

Having trouble with the audio player? Right-click and download the .mp3.

[The passage shown below is the transcript used to make the audio recording on the actual test. It is shown here for study purposes only. The examinee will not see transcripts that accompany audio recordings on the actual test.]

Principal: Good morning, everyone. Let me share the good news right away. As you know, last year we worked toward providing laptops for all students in our school. We have made excellent progress, and I am pleased to announce that, at the beginning of this school year, each student in our school will receive a laptop computer. These laptops will be used during class time and at home.

Teacher: That sounds good, but what are the goals that we should set for students as they begin using their laptops?

Principal: Teachers will assign instructional materials for students to preview at home on their laptops prior to coming to class.

Teacher: So, class time will be used to answer students' questions and clarify learning? Will students work on class activities and assignments during class?

Principal: Exactly. We want to encourage more cooperative group work during class time. We are thinking that students will be better prepared for collaborative discussion in class and asking relevant questions.

Teacher: How do we know that this is a good approach?

Principal: Some of your colleagues have already tried this approach with their classes last year. The results were very good, and we saw significant improvement in students' performance.

Teacher: Last year you mentioned that we were going to get technological support as this project begins. Is this still the plan?

Now you will hear the discussion again.

[The examinee will hear the discussion again.]

Now answer the questions.

[The examinee will see on screen ONLY.]

1. Which response from the school principal would logically continue this discussion?

  1. "Yes, I am about to explain our next steps for this project."
  2. "Yes, you can volunteer to provide training for the students."
  3. "Yes, we will have a whole year before we start this project."
  4. "Yes, your colleagues are continuing with their approach."
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A. This item requires candidates to choose an appropriate response to a question or comment likely to be encountered in a social, educational, or professional context or situation. The teacher's last question references the principal's previous statement regarding support for implementing a new policy. The teacher requests confirmation that the statement is still accurate: "Last year you mentioned that we were going to get technological support as this project begins. Is this still the plan?" The appropriate response from the principal is to confirm that the statement is accurate and introduce the kinds of supports that will be available.

2. According to the discussion, once the plan is implemented, class time will be used primarily for:

  1. accessing instructional materials on the laptop.
  2. engaging in collaborative activities and discussion.
  3. preparing materials to work on at home and setting goals.
  4. obtaining technical support and optimizing use of the laptop.
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B. This item requires candidates to make inferences or draw conclusions based on the context, situation, and information given in a spoken message. The principal outlines the plan for the coming year to provide students with laptops. In an exchange between the teacher and the principal, the principal explains that the goal of the laptop program is to ask students to engage with lesson content independently in preparation for in-class cooperative work. The listener can conclude that class time will be used for collaborative activities and discussion.

3. Based on the discussion, which statement best supports the validity of the project?

  1. Goals for measuring progress would be set collaboratively by students.
  2. Students would be able to achieve individualized learning objectives.
  3. Last year's results showed significant improvement in students' performance.
  4. There was a plan for providing all students at the school with laptop computers.
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C. This item requires candidates to demonstrate the ability to discern and summarize a speaker's key ideas in a spoken message and evaluate the speaker's use of reasoning and evidence in presenting these ideas. The discussion about providing laptops to all students includes a question from the teacher about evidence supporting the program and instructional plan. The principal's response to the question states that there is evidence from the prior year that the program and instructional plan promoted students' academic progress: "Some of your colleagues have already tried this approach with their classes last year. The results were very good, and we saw significant improvement in students' performance."

[The examinee answers the question on this screen and then clicks "Next" to advance to the next screen.]

In the next part of the Interpretive Listening section, the spoken messages and the selected-response questions are in Mandarin.

Once you advance to the next screen, the first audio recording will start automatically with a silent preview period for you to familiarize yourself with the question(s) presented on the screen before you hear the spoken message.

Be sure you have your headset on before proceeding.

Select the Next button to continue.

Interpretive Listening: Mandarin
Sample Selected-Response Questions

Competency 0004 
Interpretive Listening: Mandarin

[The examinee will see on screen ONLY the following directions:]

Speaker Control

The 20 seconds of silence has begun. Use this period of silence to familiarize yourself with the question before the spoken message begins.

[Preview version of the question appears on the actual test.]

Listen to the conversation between a caregiver and a student; then answer the question. You will hear the conversation twice.

[After 20 seconds of silence, the examinee will hear the audio recording below, which includes a 20-second pause at the beginning:]

Having trouble with the audio player? Right-click and download the .mp3.

[After 20 seconds of silence, the examinee will hear but not see the text below. The passage shown below is the transcript used to make the audio recording on the actual test. It is shown here for study purposes only. The examinee will not see transcripts that accompany audio recordings on the actual test.]

[Simplified]

监护人: 昨天我遇到在公共图书馆工作的邻居莉莎，她告诉我图书馆推出了一个新的家庭作业辅导项目。这个项目是为了辅导小学生完成家庭作业，他们正在寻找志愿者。

学生: 哦，你还记得我有兴趣做这样的事，我很乐意辅导数学作业。你觉得他们会接受高中生做志愿者吗？

监护人: 我不知道。如果你有兴趣，我可以帮忙问一下。

学生: 好啊，非常感谢你！

[Traditional]

監護人: 昨天我遇到在公共圖書館工作的鄰居莉莎，她告訴我圖書館推出了一個新的家庭作業輔導項目。這個項目是為了輔導小學生完成家庭作業，他們正在尋找志願者。

學生: 哦，你還記得我有興趣做這樣的事，我很樂意輔導數學作業。你覺得他們會接受高中生做志願者嗎？

監護人: 我不知道。如果你有興趣，我可以幫忙問一下。

學生: 好啊，非常感謝你！

Now you will hear the conversation again.

[The examinee will hear the conversation again.]

Now answer the question.

1. 监护人提到碰见邻居莉莎主要是因为：
監護人提到碰見鄰居莉莎主要是因為：

  1. 对学生的家庭作业提出疑问。
    對學生的家庭作業提出疑問。
  2. 强调支持图书馆员的重要性。
    強調支援圖書館員的重要性。
  3. 介绍一个成为志愿者的机会。
    介紹一個成為志願者的機會。
  4. 解释辅导小学生作业的好处。
    解釋輔導小學生作業的好處。
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C. This item requires candidates to determine an assumption, an intent, a perspective, or a point of view by analyzing the communicative strategies and social and cultural contexts of a spoken message. In the opening statement, the caregiver links meeting their neighbor to learning about a program seeking volunteers to help elementary school students. The student's reference to their caregiver remembering about their interest in volunteer opportunities ("哦，你还记得我有兴趣做这样的事" / "哦，你還記得我有興趣做這樣的事") further signals that this is the intent of the caregiver's statement.

[The examinee will see on screen ONLY the following directions:]

Speaker Control

The 40 seconds of silence has begun. Below is a preview of the questions related to the recording. Use this period of silence to familiarize yourself with the questions before the spoken message begins.

[Preview versions of the 2 questions appear on the actual test.]

Listen to the phone conversation between a school counselor and a high school student; then answer the two questions. You will hear the conversation twice.

[After 40 seconds of silence, the examinee will hear the audio recording below, which includes a 40-second pause at the beginning:]

Having trouble with the audio player? Right-click and download the .mp3.

[The passage shown below is the transcript used to make the audio recording on the actual test. It is shown here for study purposes only. The examinee will not see transcripts that accompany audio recordings on the actual test.]

[Simplified]

葛先生: 马丽娜，我是葛先生，给你打电话是想告诉你我在检查你的课程表时发现了一个问题。

马丽娜: 哦，什么问题？

葛先生: 你这个学期选的四门课都是高级课程，没有时间安排体育课了，而你需要一门体育课才能毕业。

马丽娜: 但是我申请大学需要上高级课程。

葛先生: 我知道，可是你选的写作课是一门选修课，并不是毕业所要求的，我们可以把写作课换成体育课，你觉得怎么样？

马丽娜: 那可不行！我就想上李老师的写作课，她是我最喜欢的老师。

葛先生: 我明白，让我们一起重新看看你的课程安排，你明天能来我的办公室一起研究解决方案吗？

[Traditional]

葛先生: 馬麗娜，我是葛先生，給你打電話是想告訴你我在檢查你的課程表時發現了一個問題。

馬麗娜: 哦，什麼問題？

葛先生: 你這個學期選的四門課都是高級課程，沒有時間安排體育課了，而你需要一門體育課才能畢業。

馬麗娜: 但是我申請大學需要上高級課程。

葛先生: 我知道，可是你選的寫作課是一門選修課，並不是畢業所要求的，我們可以把寫作課換成體育課，你覺得怎麼樣？

馬麗娜: 那可不行！我就想上李老師的寫作課，她是我最喜歡的老師。

葛先生: 我明白，讓我們一起重新看看你的課程安排，你明天能來我的辦公室一起研究解決方案嗎？

Now you will hear the phone conversation again.

[The examinee will hear the conversation again.]

Now answer the questions.

2. 葛先生给马丽娜打电话是因为她：
葛先生給馬麗娜打電話是因為她：

  1. 一直没有来上体育课。
    一直沒有來上體育課。
  2. 选修了太多的写作课。
    選修了太多的寫作課。
  3. 必须注册一门必修课。
    必須註冊一門必修課。
  4. 需要上不同的选修课。
    需要上不同的選修課。
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C. This item requires candidates to identify explicit and relevant information in a spoken message. In the phone conversation, Mr. Ge explicitly states that Marina is required to participate in a mandatory physical education class: "You need a physical education class in your schedule to graduate" ("而你需要一门体育课才能毕业。" / "而你需要一門體育課才能畢業。").

3. 在这段对话之后，接下来最有可能发生的是什么？
在這段對話之後，接下來最有可能發生的是什麼？

  1. 葛先生会与写作课李老师联系。
    葛先生會與寫作課李老師聯繫。
  2. 马丽娜会馬上去上体育课。
    馬麗娜會馬上去上體育課。
  3. 李老师会重新安排写作课的时间。
    李老師會重新安排寫作課的時間。
  4. 马丽娜会与葛先生见面讨论选课问题。
    馬麗娜會與葛先生見面討論選課問題。
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D. This item requires candidates to make inferences or draw conclusions based on the context, situation, and information given in a spoken message. Throughout the conversation, Mr. Ge communicates the need for Marina to fulfill the physical education requirement and responds to Marina's concerns by suggesting other options. Mr. Ge's last statement implies that the two of them should meet to discuss how Marina can fulfill requirements while accommodating other plans: "让我们一起重新看看你的课程安排，你明天能来我的办公室一起研究解决方案吗？" " / "讓我們一起重新看看你的課程安排，你明天能來我的辦公室一起研究解決方案嗎？"