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Study Guide

Field 129: Spanish CST
Interpretive Listening

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Directions for Interpretive Listening Selected-Response Questions

For the Interpretive Listening section of the test, you will listen to audio recordings containing spoken messages in the target language and answer selected-response questions written in the target language based on each message.

For each audio recording, a preview of the test questions associated with the spoken message will be presented on the screen. The audio recording will begin playing automatically. Once the audio recording begins, you will not be able to pause, stop, or replay it.

There will be 90 seconds of silence at the beginning of each audio recording. During these 90 seconds, you should familiarize yourself with the test questions. You may need to scroll down to preview all the questions. You will not be able to select your response choices during this preview.

After the 90 seconds of silence, you will hear a spoken message. Listen carefully. Each spoken message will be played twice. After the spoken message has played twice, move to the next screen to begin answering the questions.

start bold 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  start uppercase NOT end uppercase  be able to replay the audio recordings. end bold

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 the Interpretive Listening 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 start bold Next end bold 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 90 seconds of silence.

start bold Be sure you have your headset on before proceeding. end bold

Select the start boldNext end bold button to continue.

Sample Interpretive Listening Selected-Response Questions

Competency 0001 
Interpretive Listening

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

start bold The 90 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. end bold

start italics [Preview versions of the 5 questions appear on the actual test.] end italics

start bold Listen carefully to the radio announcement about the inauguration of a new school; then answer the questions. You will hear the announcement twice. end bold

start italics [The examinee will hear the audio recording below, which includes a 90-second pause at the beginning:] end italics

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

start italics [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.] end italics

Nos encontramos a las puertas del nuevo centro de enseñanza secundaria de Portillo, Pío del Río Hortega, que está siendo inaugurado en estos momentos por las autoridades locales. Han acudido a esta ceremonia de apertura numerosas personalidades y vecinos de la municipalidad, y se respira un ambiente festivo, a pesar del frío que tenemos esta mañana. Y no es de extrañar, ya que el consejo escolar no ha reparado en gastos a la hora de hacer de esta escuela un modelo de excelencia y eficacia. Uno de los objetivos más notorios es el de eliminar el uso del papel como material indispensable, en favor de nuevas tecnologías virtuales, que se van a poner a disposición no solo del alumnado, sino de la comunidad, totalmente gratis. La misma concepción del edificio, una maravilla arquitectónica de tres pisos donde la luz entra a raudales y los espacios abiertos abundan, es testimonio de que una nueva era, en que el progreso se integra con el medio ambiente, ha llegado a Portillo.

Lo mismo se puede decir del plan de estudios, que ha sido revisado de arriba a abajo para incluir más experiencias prácticas gracias a la asociación con empresas locales, y un programa de inmersión en lenguas extranjeras que incluye intercambios culturales con escuelas de todo el mundo. El desempleo ha sido siempre uno de los problemas más acuciantes de esta pequeña ciudad, y el motivo por el que la juventud decide marcharse incluso antes de terminar sus estudios. Con estas reformas, el consejo escolar espera cambiar la alta incidencia de emigración al conectar a los estudiantes con el mundo laboral y con las posibilidades que existen dentro de sus fronteras. La instalación de tecnologías punta en las aulas pretende al mismo tiempo que enseñar, preparar a estos chicos y chicas para los trabajos del futuro.

start bold Now you will hear the announcement again. end bold

start italics [The examinee will hear the announcement again.] end italics

start bold Now answer the questions. end bold

start italics[The examinee will see on screen ONLY:]start italics
start bold Click "Next" when the recording ends to answer the questions. end bold

start italics [Each of the following 5 screens on the actual test will present a single item for the examinee to answer.] end italics

1. Según el reportaje, ¿en qué se basa la eficacia de la nueva institución?

  1. Incluye numerosos espacios abiertos.
  2. Cuenta con un alto nivel de sostenibilidad.
  3. Ha limitado el rol de la escuela en la comunidad.
  4. Ha irrumpido en el campo de la educación a distancia.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B. This question requires examinees to identify explicit and relevant information in a spoken message. According to the announcement, the school plans to eliminate the use of paper, and the school's architectural design takes advantage of natural light. Both of these factors will support the school's sustainability.

2. En el reportaje, la expresión "no ha reparado en gastos" quiere decir que:

  1. se han fijado cuotas para su conclusión.
  2. se han arreglado los desperfectos del sistema.
  3. se ha utilizado todo el presupuesto.
  4. se ha invertido todo lo necesario.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D. This question requires examinees to determine the meaning and nuance of a phrase as it is used in a spoken message. The Spanish expression "no ha reparado en gastos" means "has spared no expense." In the context of the announcement, the expression indicates that a significant amount of money was spent to make the school a model of excellence and efficiency.

3. Según el reportaje, ¿cuál es un símbolo de la nueva era que este centro de enseñanza traerá a Portillo?

  1. la arquitectura del edificio
  2. la eliminación del uso del papel
  3. el ambiente festivo de la inauguración
  4. el vínculo con el mundo laboral
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A. This question requires examinees to determine a perspective or point of view by analyzing the cultural context of a spoken message. According to the announcement, the new school building is an architectural marvel whose use of natural light and open space symbolizes a new way of blending progress with respect for the environment.

4. Según el reportaje, ¿cuál es una de las dificultades más preocupantes a las que se enfrenta la ciudad de Portillo?

  1. la falta de recursos naturales
  2. la severidad climática
  3. la escasez de trabajo
  4. la explosión demográfica
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C. This question requires examinees to determine the way in which a speaker's point of view or perspective is influenced by the economic and social contexts of the target language and culture. According to the announcement, unemployment has always been one of the city's most pressing ("más acuciantes") problems.

5. Se puede deducir que uno de los objetivos fundamentales del nuevo plan de estudios es:

  1. incentivar a los jóvenes a permanecer en el pueblo.
  2. crear más puestos de trabajo a corto plazo.
  3. abrir el pueblo a los fondos extranjeros.
  4. expandir las fronteras municipales.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A. This question requires examinees to make an inference based on the context, situation, and information given in a spoken message. According to the announcement, unemployment has caused students to leave the city to look for work. The new curriculum provides job training that may help students obtain jobs in their own city.