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Study Guide

Field 102: Arabic (Modern Standard)
Listening Comprehension

Sample Test Directions

This test consists of six sections: (1) a listening comprehension section, (2) a reading section, (3) a section on language structures, (4) a section on language comparisons, (5) a section on cultural knowledge and language acquisition, and (6) a written expression section. The directions for each section appear before the section.

Sample Directions for Listening Comprehension

This section of the test contains two listening comprehension exercises that involve listening to recorded excerpts and then responding in writing to the assignments presented. The passages will be read twice. Your response may be written in either English or the target language.

If you choose to respond in English, type your response in the response box presented on-screen. If you choose to respond in the target language, your final responses must be written on the response sheets provided. Please label each response sheet with the appropriate exercise (e.g., "Listening Comprehension Assignment 1"). Your response sheets must be scanned using the scanner provided at your workstation.

Instructions for scanning your Response Sheets are available by clicking the "Scanning Help" button at the top of the screen.

You may use the erasable notebooklet to make notes, write an outline, or otherwise prepare your response. However, your final responses to the exercises must be typed into the on-screen response box OR written on the response sheet and scanned using the scanner provided.

Your responses will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria.

Be sure to write about the assigned topics. You may not use any reference materials during the test. Remember to review your work and make any changes you think will improve your responses.

Any time spent responding to the exercises, including scanning the response sheet(s), is part of your testing time. Monitor your time carefully. When your testing time expires, a pop-up message will appear on-screen indicating the conclusion of your test session. Only response sheets that are scanned before you end your test or before time has expired will be scored. Any response sheet that is not scanned before testing ends will NOT be scored.

Please be aware that the visual enhancements Example of the Color Scheme visual enhancement control and Example of the Font Size visual enhancement control are NOT available during this section of the test. Please DO NOT use these features until you have completed all listening items and proceeded to the remaining sections of the test.

Click the Next button when when you have finished reading these directions and are ready to begin the first listening comprehension exercise. Once the recording has begun, it cannot be stopped, nor can any part of it be replayed. Therefore, listen carefully.

Be sure you have your headset on before proceeding.

Select the Next button to continue.

Sample Listening Comprehension Exercise

This is a listening comprehension exercise. You will hear a dialogue. After you have heard the dialogue twice, you will respond in writing to the assignment given below. Your response may be written in either Arabic or English. Before you hear the dialogue, you will be given 30 seconds to study the assignment. Begin studying the assignment now.

*(PAUSE 30 seconds)*

Write a response several sentences in length in which you:

Listen carefully to the following dialogue. After you have heard it twice, respond in writing to the assignment.

*(one male speaker and one female speaker—postal employee and customer)

الموظّف: مرحباً يا سيدتي. كيف يمكن أن أساعدك؟

السيدة: مرحباً. أود أن أرسل هذا الصندوق إلى ولدي الذي يدرس في الولايات المتحدة الأمركية.

الموظّف: آه. حسناً. لا توجد مشكلة. ولكن أود أن أسألك يا سيدتي، هل يحتوي الصندوق على مواد قابلة للكسر؟

السيدة: لا. فقط مجموعة من المراجع والكتب في اللغة العربية.

الموظّف: فهمت. هذا عظيم. دعيني أزن الصندوق ومحتوياته كي نستطيع أن نحدد ثمن تكلفة الشحن الجوي.

السيدة: حسناً. لكن أرجو أن يصل الصندوق قبل نهاية هذا الأسبوع.

الموظّف: في الحقيقة يحتاج هذا الطرد كي يصل إلى جهته لثمانية أيام على الأقل في حال اختيارك لخدمة الشحن الجوي العادي. أما إذا اخترت الشحن الجوي السريع فإنه سيحتاج إلى أربعة أيام على الأكثر.

السيدة: وكم الفرق في التكلفة بين الخدمتين؟

الموظّف: يكلف الشحن السريع عبر الجو عشرين دولاراً كحد أدنى وخمسة دولارات إضافية لكل كيلوغرام. أما الشحن العادي عبر الجو فإنه يكلف عشرة دولارات كحد أدنى وثلاثة دولارات إضافية لكل كيلوغرام.

السيدة: يعني يمكن القول بأن كلفة الشحن السريع عبر الجو هي ضعف تكلفة الشحن العادي تقريباً.

الموظّف: نعم سيدتي. يمكنك قول ذلك. والآن، ماذا قررّت يا سيدتي؟

السيدة: الشحن بالبريد السريع من فضلك، فأنا مضطرة لذلك.

الموظّف: حسناً يا سيدتي. أرجو أن تكتبي عنوان المرسل وعنوان المستقبل على هذا الطابع كي أقوم بلصقه على الصندوق. أما التكلفة فهي سبعون دولاراً.

السيدة: لحظة من فضلك. تفضل هذه هي العناوين التي طلبت وهذه هي النقود.

الموظّف: شكراً يا سيدتي. هل تريدين أيّ خدمةٍ أخرى

السيدة: لا شكراً جزيلاً لك.

الموظّف: شكراً سيدتي. رافقتك السلامة.

(PAUSE 3 seconds)

Now it will be repeated.

(passage is repeated)

(PAUSE 3 seconds)

Now write your response to the assignment.*

Sample Response for the Listening Comprehension Exercise

This conversation takes place in a post office. The woman wants to ship books to her son who studies in the U.S. but she is concerned about whether her son can receive the books by the end of the week. The post office employee tells her that she can choose one of the two options: send the books by regular U.S. mail which costs only ten dollars plus three dollars for each Kg but it takes at least eight days till her son gets the package, or she can send them by express air mail which is more expensive—costs twenty dollars plus five dollars for each Kg—but it takes only four days. The woman chooses the express air mail because the time factor is very important to her. She wants her son to receive the books before the end of the week.

Performance Characteristics for the Listening Comprehension Assignments

Listening Comprehension accuracy and completeness in comprehending spoken language
Listening Inference demonstrated ability to infer information accurately from spoken language, including subtleties such as tone

Score Scale for the Listening Comprehension Assignments

Score Point Score Point Description
4 The "4" response gives evidence of strong listening comprehension skills.
  • The candidate demonstrates thorough comprehension of literal content and understands main ideas and details.
  • The candidate accurately infers implied information and demonstrates awareness of sociocultural references, including the ability to characterize tone.
3 The "3" response gives evidence of satisfactory listening comprehension skills.
  • The candidate demonstrates adequate comprehension of literal content, although some details and sequencing may be misunderstood or missed.
  • The candidate adequately infers implied information, although some subtleties such as tone and sociocultural references may be misinterpreted or missed.
2 The "2" response gives evidence of limited listening comprehension skills.
  • The candidate demonstrates limited comprehension, discerning some ideas but not understanding main ideas and details.
  • The candidate demonstrates limited ability to infer implied information or discern subtleties such as tone and sociocultural inferences.
1 The "1" response gives evidence of weak listening comprehension skills.
  • The candidate fails to demonstrate comprehension of ideas and details, showing understanding only of isolated words and phrases.
  • The candidate fails to infer information or discern subtleties such as tone and sociocultural references.
U The response is "unscorable" because it is not on the given topic, illegible, not in the appropriate language, or too short to score.
B There is no response to the assignment.