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Study Guide

Field 102: Arabic (Modern Standard)
Language Structures

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Sample Directions for Language Structures

This section of the test consists of one exercise with three parts (Parts A, B, and C), each of which requires you to demonstrate your command of the structures and usage of the target language. Directions are provided before each part. Write your response to each part on one of the response sheets provided to you. Before you continue, please label your response sheets with the appropriate part labels as follows.

  1. "Language Structures: Part A"
  2. "Language Structures: Part B"
  3. "Language Structures: Part C"

You may use the erasable notebooklet to make notes, write an outline, or otherwise prepare your responses to the exercises. However, your final responses to the exercises must be written on the response sheets provided.

Your final responses 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.

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

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.

Select the Next button to continue.

Sample Language Structures Exercise

Follow the directions for each of the three parts (Parts A, B, and C) below.

Part A (1–16)

Complete the passage by providing for each of the numbered spaces in the passage the Modern Standard Arabic words or word segments that are grammatically correct and appropriate in the context.

ُلد أبوالحسن علي نافع الشهير باسم زرياب ٢٣٨ للهجرة. سميَّ زرياب بهذا تشبيهاً بالطائر الأسود الغريد لسواد لونه وفصاحته وجمال صوته. نشأ زرياب في بغداد، و بارعاً في الموسيقى. وقد عُرف أنه كان يصنع عوده بنفسه، كما وأنه قد جعل أوتار العود خمسة مع العلم كانت أربعة أوتار. ولقد كانت لشهرته الكبيرة مجال الموسيقى سبباً في تقريب هارون الرشيد له قدمه إسحاق الموصلي. درس زرياب الموسيقى يد ابراهيم الموصلي ثمَّ على يد ابنه اسحاق الموصلي. بلغت شهرة زرياب الأندلس فاستدعاه عبد الرحمن بن الحكم الأموي وقربه وجعل له راتباً كبيراً أغناه عن ، وكان لزرياب أثر كبير في رفعة شأن الموسيقيين عامة في الأندلس حيث أنشأ زرياب معهداً للموسيقى في قرطبة درّس عدداً كبيراً من الموسيقيين. وتعتبر أول مدرسة أُسست لتعليم علم الموسيقى والغناء. كما وقد أدخل زرياب على فن الموسيقى في الأندلس تحسينات كثيرة وأهم هذه التحسينات إدخاله لمقامات موسيقية كثيرة تكن معروفة من .

Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Note: This represents a sample correct response. Other variations may also be correct.
  1. إبن
  2. عام
  3. الاسم
  4. له
  5. كان
  6. عنه
  7. أنها
  8. في
  9. الخليفة
  10. ثم / و
  11. على
  12. العمل
  13. فيه
  14. هي
  15. لم
  16. قبل

Part B (17–20)

Rewrite each sentence below, transforming it according to the directions.

(17) Rewrite the sentence below using the past tense.

يرسمُ الفنانُ لوحةً جميلةً.

Enter to expand or collapse sample response.Sample response expanded
Note: This represents a sample correct response. Other variations may also be correct.

رَسَمَ الفَنَّانُ لَوْحَةً جَميلةً

(18) Rewrite the sentence below using a dual subject.

عمل الطبيب كل ما بوسعه كي ينقذ حياة المريض.

Enter to expand or collapse sample response.Sample response expanded
Note: This represents a sample correct response. Other variations may also be correct.

عَمِلَ الطبيبانِ كل ما بوسعهما كي ينقذا حياة المريض

(19) Rewrite the sentence below using indirect discourse.

اعترف اللص قائلاً: "نعم، لقد سرقت نقوده".

Enter to expand or collapse sample response.Sample response expanded
Note: This represents a sample correct response. Other variations may also be correct.

اعترف اللص بسرقة النقود

(20) Combine the following two sentences into one sentence beginning with انهار.

واجه المحقق المتهم بكافة الأدلة. انهار المتهم واعترف بجريمته.

Enter to expand or collapse sample response.Sample response expanded
Note: This represents a sample correct response. Other variations may also be correct.

انهار المتهم واعترف بجريمته عندما واجهه المحقق بكافة الادلة

Part C (21–24)

Rewrite the sentences that follow, correcting all errors but retaining the original meaning.

(21) قطفتُ بعضُ الأزهارَ منَ الحديقةِ.

(22) كتبت الطالبةَ الرسالةَ بخطٍ واضحٌ وجميل.

(23) أقامَ السائحُ بالمدينةِ ثلاثةَ ليالي.

(23) منَ الخُضرواتِ الغنيةُ بالبروتين الفول والعدس وسائر البقوليات.

Enter to expand or collapse sample response.Sample response expanded
Note: This represents a sample correct response. Other variations may also be correct.

(21) قَطفتُ بعضَ الازهار من الحديقةِ

(22) كتبت الطالبةُ الرسالةَ بخطٍ واضحٍ وجميلٍ

(23) أقام السائحُ بالمدينةِ ثَلاثَ ليالٍ

(24) من الخُضرواتِ الغنيةِ بالبروتينِ الفولُ والعدسُ وسائر البقولياتِ

Performance Characteristics for the Language Structures Assignment

Grammar Part A (1–16)—supplying the grammatically correct term
Transformation Part B (17–20)—making a specified transformation
Correction Part C (21–24)—correcting errors

Note: Examinees will be scored on the number of grammatical items they handle successfully, out of a total of 24.

Scoring Scale for the Language Structures Assignments

The examinee's response for the item is correct if, and only if, it is described by the following:

Part Description of Correct Response
Part A
(Items 1–16)
Correct—the examinee's response is grammatically correct and appropriate within the context of the presented statement (i.e., the response satisfies all of the target language's rules of grammar demanded by the instructions and intended by the context of the statement).
Part B
(Items 17–20)
Correct—the examinee's response correctly transforms the sentence or passage as instructed (i.e., the response follows all applicable grammatical rules of the target language and accurately supplies a transformed word, phrase, or clause construction as directed).
Part C
(Items 21–24)
Correct—the examinee's response acceptably corrects the syntactic or linguistic errors found in the passage (i.e., the response has located and corrected the errors of language structure found within the passage and has retained the original meaning).

The examinee's response for the item is not correct if it is described by the following:

Part Description of Incorrect Response
Parts A, B, C
(Items 1–24)
Not correct—the examinee's response does not accurately follow the target language's rules of grammar or the response is incomplete.
Score Point Score Point Description
4 20 to 24 tasks handled correctly
3 15 to 19 tasks handled correctly
2 10 to 14 tasks handled correctly
1 0 to 9 tasks handled correctly
U Unscorable—the candidate's response is illegible.
B Blank—there is no response to the assignment.