Preparation Manual: Section 4: Sample Interpretive Listening and Cultural Knowledge Questions
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Section 4: Sample Interpretive Listening and Cultural Knowledge Questions
Languages Other Than English (LOTE) Spanish (613)

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This section presents some sample exam questions for you to review as part of your preparation for the exam. To demonstrate how each competency may be assessed, sample questions are accompanied by the competency that they measure. While studying, you may wish to read the competency before and after you consider each sample question. Please note that the competency statements do not appear on the actual exam.

For each sample exam question, there is a correct answer and a rationale for each answer option. The sample questions are included to illustrate the formats and types of questions you will see on the exam; however, your performance on the sample questions should not be viewed as a predictor of your performance on the actual exam.

Directions for the Interpretive Listening and Cultural Knowledge Questions

This section is designed to measure how well you understand spoken language in the target language and the cultures of target-language-speaking cultures.

For this section of the exam, you will listen to several selections in the target language and then respond to selected-response questions related to selections.  The last two questions may test your knowledge of culture and linguistics. Each selection will be played twice.  You will hear the selection once and then you will have time to preview the six questions before you listen to the selection a second time.  You may take notes in the erasable notebooklet provided; however, only the answers selected on-screen will be scored.

The audio for each selection will begin automatically and you will not be able to pause, stop, or replay it.  Therefore, listen carefully.

For each selection, you will hear the audio and then automatically advance to the next screen. You will then have 60 seconds to preview the six questions associated with the selection. When the preview time is complete, the exam will advance and the audio selection will be played a second time.  You will be prompted when it is time to answer the questions. You will then see the six questions presented one at a time.

For each question, choose the response that is best, relative to the selection.  You will have 20 seconds to select your answer choice before the exam advances to the next question. The clock in the upper right corner of the screen will indicate how much time is remaining to answer the question. You will not be able to go back and review your answers to questions in this section of the exam, so be sure to select your answers carefully.

The entire listening section lasts approximately 50 minutes.  

Listening Set 1

Escuche el siguiente informe sobre "El camino de las ardillas".

Competency 005—The LOTE teacher demonstrates the ability to understand the literal content of oral communications in the target language.

1. Según el informe, ¿qué es "El camino de las ardillas"?

  1. Una ruta migratoria
  2. Una campaña para salvar a las ardillas
  3. Una iniciativa de recuperación forestal
  4. Una leyenda mitológica
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option C is correct because the selection states that "El camino de las ardillas" is a project to restore the extinct forests in Spain. Option A is incorrect because there is no indication in the selection that "El camino de las ardillas" is a migratory route, even though it is mentioned that squirrels used to be able to travel from coast to coast in the past by jumping from one tree to the next one. Option B is incorrect because the squirrels are mentioned only to show the abundance of wooded areas in Spain in the past. Option D is incorrect because the selection states that there was a myth about squirrels being able to travel from coast to coast by jumping from one tree to the next one but it is not called "El camino de las ardillas."

2. Según el informe, ¿cuál es el primer paso de este proyecto?

  1. La plantación de árboles y plantas
  2. El estudio del suelo de los bosques
  3. La creación de una base de datos
  4. La colocación de señales en el camino
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct because the audio selection states that the first step in the project is to post signs in a big network of roads. Option A is incorrect because, even though the project involves planting trees and plants, that is not the first step. Option B is incorrect because the study of the soil in the forests is not a step mentioned as part of the project. Option C is incorrect because the database that is going to be created for this project is not the first step.

3. Según el informe, ¿quién estará a cargo de la plantación de los árboles?

  1. Los vecinos de la zona
  2. Empresas de la región
  3. Estudiantes de agronomía
  4. La Unión Europea
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option B is correct because the audio selection states that several corporations in the area will take care of planting the trees. Option A is incorrect because there is no indication that the planting of the trees will be carried out by the locals even though the local employment will benefit from the project. Option C is incorrect because the agricultural science students is not one of the groups who will take care of planting the trees. Option D is incorrect because the European Union is not mentioned in the audio selection.

4. Según el informe, ¿qué beneficio adicional podrá generar este proyecto?

  1. Brindará más puestos de empleo a la región.
  2. Aumentará el turismo en la península.
  3. Fomentará la industria maderera.
  4. Creará más fundaciones dedicadas al medio ambiente.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option A is correct because the audio selection states that besides promoting rural development, the project will also create jobs. Option B is incorrect because the growth of tourism is not mentioned in relation to this project. Option C is incorrect because the development of the timber industry is not one of the benefits this project will be promoting. The main purpose of the project is to restore the forests in the area. Option D is incorrect because the creation of environmental foundations is not one of the benefits mentioned as a result of the project. Only environmental technologies are mentioned.

Competency 004—The LOTE teacher understands the connections between language and culture, including the interactions among cultural products, practices and perspectives within the target language cultures.

5. ¿Qué perspectiva cultural se destaca en este informe?

  1. El valor de las comunidades aborígenes
  2. La gran importancia del turismo para la zona
  3. El valor de trabajo interdisciplinario y colaborativo
  4. La importancia del desarrollo urbano
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option C is correct because the audio selection states that for the project to meet its goals it will employ volunteers and professionals from different fields to work together. Option A is incorrect because there are no indigenous communities mentioned in the audio selection. Option B is incorrect because the relevance of tourism is not mentioned in the audio selection. Option D is incorrect because the emphasis of the audio selection is rural development, not urban development.

Competency 005—The LOTE teacher demonstrates the ability to understand the literal content of oral communications in the target language.

6. ¿Qué palabra podría reemplazar "claro" en el contexto de la frase "Claro que no está solo porque"?

  1. Sin embargo
  2. Por el contrario
  3. Asimismo
  4. Por supuesto
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct because "por supuesto" is a synonym of "claro" in the context of the sentence. Option A is incorrect because "sin embargo" is not a synonym of "claro" in the context of the sentence. Option B is incorrect because "por el contrario" is not a synonym of "claro" in the context of the sentence. Option C is incorrect because "asimismo" is not a synonym of "claro" in the context of the sentence.

Listening Set 2

"Escuche el siguiente informe sobre una ciudad".

Competency 005—The LOTE teacher demonstrates the ability to understand the literal content of oral communications in the target language.

7. Según el informe, ¿qué tipo de ciudad era Bilbao antes de que se construyera el Museo Guggenheim?

  1. De servicios
  2. Turística
  3. Industrial
  4. De valor histórico
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option C is correct because the narrator states that before the Guggenheim Museum the city of Bilbao was an industrial city. Option A is incorrect because the narrator states that the city of Bilbao has become a service-industries city after the museum was built. Option B is incorrect because the narrator states that until the museum was opened in 1997, the city of Bilbao was not even on the map as far as tourism was concerned. It was an unknown city. Option D is incorrect because the narrator does not describe the city as a historical city before the museum was built.

8. ¿A qué se refiere el efecto Guggenheim en el informe?

  1. A que una atracción turística transforme una ciudad
  2. A que un museo consiga exposiciones de grandes artistas
  3. A que un museo promueva la creación de otros museos
  4. A que una atracción turística fomente la creación artística
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option A is correct because the narrator explains that the Guggenheim effect means that a tourist attraction makes an unknown city become a popular city for tourists. Option B is incorrect because the narrator gives the exhibits by world-renowned artists as an example of the changes that the Guggenheim effect has had on the city of Bilbao. Option C is incorrect because the narrator states that the Guggenheim effect led to the opening of other institutions, such as the opening of a new conference center (Euskalduna Palacio de Congresos), not necessarily other museums. Option D is incorrect because the narrator does not imply that the opening of the Guggenheim Museum promotes artistic creation.

9. Según el informe, ¿cuál ha sido el resultado del efecto Guggenheim en otras ciudades?

  1. Ha servido para copiar diversos tipos de museos.
  2. Ha aumentado el número de turistas que las visitan.
  3. Ha tenido diferentes resultados, no todos ellos positivos.
  4. Ha fomentado las actividades culturales.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option C is correct because when the narrator discusses the Guggenheim effect on other cities, she says that it has had different results, some rather negative. Option A is incorrect because the narrator does not state that one of the results of the Guggenheim effect has been copying different kinds of museums. Option B is incorrect because the narrator states that one of the results of the Guggenheim effect is the increased number of visitors in Bilbao but not in other cities. Option D is incorrect because the narrator states that one of the results of the Guggenheim effect is the promotion of cultural activities in Bilbao but not in other cities.

10. ¿Qué característica de la ciudad de Bilbao destaca la narradora?

  1. La buena gastronomía
  2. La afición al fútbol
  3. La cantidad de jardines
  4. La abundancia de fábricas
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option A is correct because when describing the attractions of the city, the narrator says that in Bilbao you can eat very well. Option B is incorrect because the love for soccer is not mentioned by the narrator when she describes the city, even though the city is known for that. Option C is incorrect because the number of gardens is not one of the points of interest mentioned by the narrator when she describes the city. Option D is incorrect because the abundance of industrial plants is not mentioned by the narrator when she describes the city as it is now. This was perhaps the way the city was in its industrial past.

Competency 004—The LOTE teacher understands the connections between language and culture, including the interactions among cultural products, practices and perspectives within the target language cultures.

11. Según sus conocimientos culturales, ¿en qué país se encuentra el Museo Guggenheim del informe?

  1. En Cuba
  2. En Argentina
  3. En España
  4. En Nicaragua
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option C is correct because the Guggenheim Museum is located in Bilbao, which is in Spain. Option A is incorrect because the Guggenheim Museum is located in Bilbao, which is not in Cuba. Option B is incorrect because the Guggenheim Museum is located in Bilbao, which is not in Argentina. Option D is incorrect because the Guggenheim Museum is located in Bilbao, which is not in Nicaragua.

Competency 005—The LOTE teacher demonstrates the ability to understand the literal content of oral communications in the target language.

12. ¿Con qué frase se puede sustituir "Hace veinte años" sin cambiar su significado en el contexto del informe?

  1. Dentro de veinte años
  2. Veinte años atrás
  3. Durante veinte años
  4. Veinte años pasados
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option B is correct because both phrases refer to a period of time twenty years ago. Option A is incorrect because the phrase "Dentro de veinte años" refers to a period of time in the future. Option C is incorrect because the phrase "Durante veinte años" refers to something that happened for twenty years, not twenty years ago. Option D is incorrect because the phrase "Veinte años pasados" by itself is not a synonym of "Hace veinte años."