Study Guide

Field 059: World Languages—Spanish
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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Objective 0001
Language Structures (Standard 2)

Which of the following sentences is the best response to the question below?

¿Cuál de las dos blusas quieres que te traiga?

  1. Tráete dos.
  2. Tráeme a las dos.
  3. Tráete a dos.
  4. Tráeme las dos.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate understanding of the morphological structures and features and of the syntactic patterns and features of Spanish. The sentence "Tráeme las dos" correctly expresses, using the correct word order, to whom the dresses should be brought—"me" (indirect object pronoun), and that both of the dresses should be brought (las dos).
Objective 0001
Language Structures (Standard 2)

Which of the following pairs of verbs correctly completes the sentence below?

________ dos horas para salir pero nos ________ muchas cosas que discutir.

  1. Tenemos / hacemos
  2. Faltan / quedan
  3. Hace / falta
  4. Quedan / tenemos
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the morphological structures and features and of the semantic features of Spanish. The verbs "faltar" and "quedar" are the only ones that correctly complete the sentence. The subject of "faltar" is "dos horas" and the subject of "quedar" is "muchas cosas." The subjects are in the third person plural so the conjugated verb forms in the indicative present are "faltan" and "quedan."
Objective 0003
Interpretive Communication Skills (Standard 3)

Lea el siguiente correo electrónico; luego conteste la pregunta.

De: clarivalero@correo.es
A: jorgramo@correo.cl

Asunto: ¡Mira esto!

Hola, Jorge,

Espero que todo esté bien allá en Chile. Quería enviarte la dirección de un sitio interesante que conseguí mientras navegaba por Internet ayer por la tarde. La dirección es http: //www.nombredesitio.com/. ¡Te va a encantar! Por casualidad, ¿tienes la dirección de Pedro? Quería enviarle esto y ahora no puedo encontrarla. A lo mejor se borró cuando llevé a arreglar el ordenador el mes pasado. Bueno, envíamela si la tienes, y dile hola a la familia. Que todo te vaya bien.

Un beso,
Clarisa

Según este correo electrónico, Clarisa necesita la dirección de Pedro para:

  1. saludar a su familia.
  2. venderle su computadora.
  3. mandarle una página Web.
  4. chatear con él.
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate the ability to apply literal and inferential comprehension skills to identify or infer essential information from written messages. In the e-mail, Clarisa asks Jorge if he has Pedro's e-mail address because she wants to send him a link to the Web site she is showing Jorge: " Por casualidad, ¿tienes la dirección de Pedro? Quería enviarle esto y ahora no puedo encontrarla."
Objective 0003
Interpretive Communication Skills (Standard 3)

Lea el siguiente pasaje; luego conteste las tres preguntas.

Cuando pensamos en los pingüinos (familia Spheniscidae), es común pensar en aves graciosas deslizándose por el hielo en tierras lejanas. Sin embargo, varias especies del ave viven casi exclusivamente en lugares tropicales alrededor de las costas de América del Sur. Aunque comúnmente se les relaciona con el hábitat antártico, estas aves demuestran una gran variedad biológica, gracias a las características geográficas del continente sudamericano.

La primera referencia a los pingüinos es del explorador portugués Vasco da Gama, quien los llamó "pájaros bobos" o "pájaros niño" debido a su forma torpe de caminar, pero no fue hasta el viaje de Charles Darwin a las islas Galápagos cuando se comenzó a reconocer la riqueza de variedad entre las diferentes especies y subespecies que habitaban el área, incluyendo el pingüino. Darwin notó las diferencias tanto físicas como de comportamiento entre los animales que encontró en su viaje, caracterizándolos minuciosamente. Desde entonces, gracias a las grandes excursiones exploratorias de los siglos XIX y XX, se han descubierto docenas de variedades de pingüinos por todo el hemisferio sur, tanto en la Antártida como en el Caribe.

¿Cuál de las siguientes opciones describe mejor la idea central de este pasaje?

  1. Los pingüinos tienen varios nombres.
  2. Se conoce poco sobre los pingüinos.
  3. Existe una gran variedad de pingüinos.
  4. Se asocia a los pingüinos con la Antártida.
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate the ability to apply literal and inferential comprehension skills to identify or infer essential information from written messages. The thesis statement is given in the first paragraph where the author states, "Aunque comúnmente se les relaciona con el hábitat antártico, estas aves demuestran una gran variedad biológica, gracias a las características geográficas del continente sudamericano." This statement is supported in the next paragraph when the author states, "no fue hasta el viaje de Charles Darwin a las islas Galápagos cuando se comenzó a reconocer la riqueza de variedad entre las diferentes especies y subespecies que habitaban el área, incluyendo el pingüino."

Según este pasaje, ¿cuál de las siguientes afirmaciones es cierta sobre los pingüinos?

  1. Su nombre moderno viene de su manera de caminar.
  2. Migran desde la Antártida hasta el trópico.
  3. La mayoría vive en el ártico y en áreas templadas.
  4. Varias especies pueden vivir en el trópico.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate the ability to apply literal and inferential comprehension skills to identify or infer essential information from written messages. It is mentioned in the passage that "varias especies del ave viven casi exclusivamente en lugares tropicales alrededor de las costas de América del Sur."

Según este pasaje, ¿cuál fue la mayor contribución de Darwin al estudio de los pingüinos?

  1. Reconoció varias especies del ave.
  2. Los denominó "pajaros bobos".
  3. Catalogó sus movimientos migratorios.
  4. Los introdujo en las Islas Galápagos.
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate the ability to apply literal and inferential comprehension skills to identify or infer essential information from written messages. The passage states that "Darwin notó las diferencias tanto físicas como de comportamiento entre los animales que encontró en su viaje, caracterizándolos minuciosamente."
Objective 0004
Cultural Understanding (Standard 5)

Fray Bartolomé de las Casas's treatise Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias (1552) was written in response to:

  1. the pervasive corruption of the colonial administration of the East Indies.
  2. widespread oppression of the indigenous populations by Spanish colonists.
  3. frequent attacks by English corsairs and indigenous resistance groups.
  4. an armed insurrection planned by colonial officers in the West Indies.
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate understanding of significant individuals related to the Spanish-speaking cultures and their influence on the development of the Spanish-speaking cultures. Fray Bartolomé de las Casas was a Dominican friar and bishop who spent the greater part of his life actively resisting slavery and colonial abuse by the Spanish towards the native populations of the New World colonies. He wrote his most well-known work, Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias, in response to the oppressive treatment he witnessed during his time in the colonies.
Objective 0004
Cultural Understanding (Standard 5)

The emergence of the nuyorican culture in the U.S. Northeast during the 1960s and 1970s best illustrates the:

  1. struggle of Puerto Rican youth to create a cultural identity within U.S. society.
  2. nonacceptance of North American cultural values and practices among youth in Puerto Rican migrant communities.
  3. importance of religion in the formation of Puerto Rican social identity among young people.
  4. decline in attachment to family often experienced by young Puerto Rican migrants to North America.
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate understanding of similarities and differences between the Spanish-speaking cultures and cultures of the United States, including ways in which Spanish-speaking cultures have influenced cultures of the United States. The name nuyorican is a combination of the words New York and Puerto Rican, referring to the population of Puerto Rican migrants that settled or were born in New York. The nuyorican literary and artistic movement arose as an attempt by this group to create a cultural identity within U.S. society.
Objective 0005
Language Acquisition (Standard 1)

According to Stephen Krashen's Input Hypothesis, a world language teacher would best promote the development of students' vocabulary in the target language by:

  1. having students look up new words in a dictionary.
  2. posting lists of frequently used words in the classroom.
  3. emphasizing accurate pronunciation of new words.
  4. using new words along with words that students know.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate understanding of major theories of first- and second-language acquisition. Stephen Krashen's Input Hypothesis stresses the importance of having language input that is slightly more advanced than the level of the learner's current competence. When a teacher uses new words that students may not know in addition to words that they already know, students have the opportunity to learn new vocabulary through the process of determining meaning through context.
Objective 0006
Instruction and Assessment (Standard 6)

At the beginning of the semester, a high school world language teacher divides the class into small groups and has each group pick a different country or geographical area where the target language is spoken. Throughout the semester, the students present news of events that have happened in that area and research what regional linguistic differences exist. This approach improves students' understanding of the relationship between language and culture by:

  1. demonstrating to students the geographical and demographic expansion of the target culture along a period of time.
  2. providing opportunities for students to practice culturally appropriate interpersonal communication in the target language.
  3. allowing students to better understand and identify with the target language in a specific cultural context.
  4. encouraging students to do research on a relevant cultural topic for an academic presentation.
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of strategies for promoting students' understanding of the target cultures, ability to make comparisons between the target cultures and their own culture, ability to make connections between the target language and cultures and other disciplines, and participation in target-language communities within and beyond the school setting. Providing students with the opportunity to do their own research and present news and current events in a particular area would best help students to have a deeper, richer understanding of the culture within the unique regional contexts that languages exist.
Objective 0006
Instruction and Assessment (Standard 6)

In a beginning-level world language class, the teacher can best facilitate an immersion experience for the students by:

  1. providing dictionaries for use during class.
  2. having speakers of the target language visit during class.
  3. penalizing students for using their primary language.
  4. responding to all students' questions in the target language.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of major methods, approaches, and tools used in world language instruction and assessment. Language immersion is a method in which as much classroom instruction and interaction as possible takes place in the target language. The focus of a language immersion experience should be to emphasize the use of the target language in all possible contexts. The best way to provide that experience in a beginning-level world language class would be to use the target language whenever possible, such as by providing responses to students' questions in the target language.