Second Language Acquisition and Language Pedagogy TP. Hồ Chí Minh NEU University

Chapter 2: Goals and Assessment - Proficiency and Performance

50 questions

75 min

Answer key

Exam info

Subject: Second Language Acquisition and Language Pedagogy
Exam type: University
Questions: 50
Duration: 75 min
Answers: ✓ With explanations
School: Đại học Kinh tế Quốc dân (NEU)

Questions (50)

Q 1.
How many major proficiency levels does the ACTFL (2012a) Proficiency Guidelines outline, excluding the 'distinguished' level?
- A.
  Two
- B.
  Three
- C.
  Four
- D.
  Five
Q 2.
According to ACTFL, 'proficiency' refers to what a person can do with language in which type of context?
- A.
  Rehearsed, scripted classroom drills
- B.
  Spontaneous and non-rehearsed real-world situations
- C.
  Formal written exams only
- D.
  Online digital environments only
Q 3.
What is the basic distinction between proficiency and performance as defined in the chapter?
- A.
  Proficiency is for advanced learners; performance is for beginners
- B.
  Proficiency is spontaneous real-world use; performance is what a learner can do after practicing similar communicative tasks in class
- C.
  Proficiency is measured by tests; performance is measured by observation
- D.
  Proficiency applies to writing; performance applies to speaking
Q 4.
An 'intermediate-low' sublevel implies that the learner:
- A.
  Can sustain the level and frequently function at the next level
- B.
  Can sustain the level but barely, and never functions at the next level
- C.
  Has moved beyond intermediate
- D.
  Has only memorized vocabulary
Q 5.
An 'intermediate-high' sublevel implies that the learner:
- A.
  Never reaches the next level
- B.
  Can fully sustain the next level
- C.
  Exhibits characteristics of the next level most of the time, but cannot sustain it
- D.
  Has only basic vocabulary
Q 6.
What does the 'intermediate-mid' sublevel imply?
- A.
  The learner can barely sustain the level
- B.
  The learner can sustain the level fairly comfortably and shows occasional glimpses of the next level
- C.
  The learner has fully reached the next level
- D.
  The learner can only use memorized material
Q 7.
What are the three modes of communication described in the chapter?
- A.
  Reading, writing, and speaking
- B.
  Listening, speaking, and reading
- C.
  Interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational
- D.
  Receptive, productive, and interactive
Q 8.
How many interconnected tasks does an Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) consist of?
- A.
  One
- B.
  Two
- C.
  Three
- D.
  Four
Q 9.
What is 'backward design' as described in the chapter?
- A.
  Designing lessons from the easiest to the hardest
- B.
  Starting with your end goal in mind
- C.
  Reviewing material only at the end of units
- D.
  Designing tests before teaching any content
Q 10.
According to the chapter, novice-level learners are able to:
- A.
  Produce connected paragraphs on abstract topics
- B.
  Understand and produce words, lists, and sentence fragments
- C.
  Hypothesize about various perspectives
- D.
  Write research papers in the target language
Q 11.
At the intermediate level, learners can:
- A.
  Only produce memorized chunks
- B.
  Understand and produce sentences on topics of direct personal relevance
- C.
  Hypothesize about abstract concepts
- D.
  Write extended academic essays
Q 12.
The advanced level is characterized by the ability to:
- A.
  Use only single words or memorized phrases
- B.
  Understand and produce connected sentences (paragraphs) with increased accuracy and quantity
- C.
  Only use the present tense
- D.
  Memorize entire textbooks
Q 13.
Which of the following abilities is characteristic of the superior level?
- A.
  Memorizing vocabulary lists
- B.
  Supporting opinions, hypothesizing, and considering various perspectives
- C.
  Producing only sentence fragments
- D.
  Speaking exclusively in the present tense
Q 14.
According to the chapter, are monolingually raised native speakers always rated as 'superior' on the ACTFL scale?
- A.
  Yes, all native speakers are rated as superior
- B.
  No, many native speakers are rated as advanced-mid or advanced-high
- C.
  No, all native speakers are rated as novice
- D.
  Yes, but only if they are heritage speakers
Q 15.
Why does the chapter argue that understanding proficiency levels matters for teachers?
- A.
  To assign letter grades
- B.
  To help establish clear and realistic goals for lessons and curriculum
- C.
  To rank students competitively
- D.
  To determine which students should drop the course
Q 16.
According to the chapter, students should be placed in different courses when:
- A.
  They are one sublevel apart (e.g., novice-mid vs novice-high)
- B.
  They are one major proficiency level apart (e.g., novice-high vs intermediate-high)
- C.
  They have different attendance patterns
- D.
  They prefer different teachers
Q 17.
Why does the chapter argue that assessment should be discussed early in the course planning process?
- A.
  Because tests must be ordered in advance from publishers
- B.
  Because testing and instruction should be closely aligned
- C.
  Because students prefer to know about tests first
- D.
  Because administrators require it
Q 18.
Formative assessments are meant to:
- A.
  Replace final exams
- B.
  Inform both the instructor and the student about language development and progress toward communicative goals
- C.
  Assign final grades only
- D.
  Test memorization of vocabulary lists
Q 19.
According to the chapter, which of the following is one of the criteria for 'evidence' of student learning?
- A.
  It should be subjective and open to interpretation
- B.
  It should be measurable with no room for misinterpretation
- C.
  It should require skills beyond the targeted level
- D.
  It should be unrelated to the activity
Q 20.
What does 'interpretive communication' refer to?
- A.
  Speaking in front of an audience
- B.
  Understanding and interpreting written and spoken language
- C.
  Memorizing dialogues
- D.
  Writing formal essays
Q 21.
What does 'presentational communication' primarily involve?
- A.
  Two-way spontaneous conversation
- B.
  Producing language for an audience, such as writing or formal speaking
- C.
  Listening to audio recordings
- D.
  Filling in vocabulary blanks
Q 22.
According to the chapter, moving from one proficiency level to the next:
- A.
  Gets easier and faster as you go higher
- B.
  Gets harder and takes longer as you get closer to the top
- C.
  Always happens within one semester
- D.
  Depends only on memorization
Q 23.
Can a learner's proficiency level be determined by how they answer a single question?
- A.
  Yes, one well-chosen question is enough
- B.
  No, you need to look at the extent to which they can sustain the level across different topics
- C.
  Only with native speakers
- D.
  Only for the reading skill
Q 24.
According to the chapter, what is one potential concern about telling a heritage speaker they are 'advanced-low'?
- A.
  It might make them want to become a teacher
- B.
  It could contribute to exacerbating their linguistic insecurities
- C.
  It might cause them to lose their accent
- D.
  It might cause them to forget the language
Q 25.
According to the chapter, the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines are described as being:
- A.
  Confidential and available only to certified testers
- B.
  Publicly available and recommended for teachers to read
- C.
  Available only in English
- D.
  Designed exclusively for university-level instruction
Q 26.
In a typical classroom, teachers should expect:
- A.
  All students at the same proficiency sublevel
- B.
  A mix of proficiency sublevels among students
- C.
  Only advanced learners
- D.
  Only true beginners
Q 27.
A student who is intermediate-mid in interpretive reading but only novice-high in interpersonal speaking demonstrates that:
- A.
  Proficiency is a single, uniform score
- B.
  Proficiency can vary across communication modes
- C.
  Interpretive skills are unimportant
- D.
  Placement was done incorrectly
Q 28.
According to the chapter, 'performance' is NOT about:
- A.
  Communication
- B.
  Practiced classroom tasks
- C.
  How accurately learners can fill in the blanks with verb conjugations
- D.
  Engagement with similar communicative tasks
Q 29.
The chapter's example of asking an intermediate-low learner to tell a cohesive past-tense story illustrates:
- A.
  Good teaching practice
- B.
  Setting unrealistic expectations that leads to frustration
- C.
  The value of grammar drills
- D.
  Proper assessment design
Q 30.
When establishing evidence for learning goals, asking novice learners to write a summary paragraph in the target language would be:
- A.
  Appropriate for the level
- B.
  Inappropriate because it requires abilities they don't yet have
- C.
  The best way to motivate them
- D.
  Required by ACTFL
Q 31.
The 'evidence' of student learning should be:
- A.
  Subjective and open to interpretation
- B.
  Measurable, appropriate for the level, and reliable
- C.
  Determined by the highest-performing student
- D.
  Always based on a single test score
Q 32.
Why does the chapter acknowledge the relationship between goals, assessments, and grades?
- A.
  Because grades are the only purpose of education
- B.
  Because grades are often seen as a reflection of how well students met instructional goals
- C.
  Because grades are not important
- D.
  Because students don't care about learning
Q 33.
According to the chapter, eliminating all forms of evaluation is:
- A.
  The recommended approach for communicative classrooms
- B.
  Unrealistic for the majority of instructional contexts
- C.
  Required by ACTFL guidelines
- D.
  Easy to implement in practice
Q 34.
Which of the following is a benefit of assessment mentioned in the chapter?
- A.
  Punishing underperforming students
- B.
  Determining the extent to which program goals are being met
- C.
  Ranking students competitively
- D.
  Reducing the time needed for teaching
Q 35.
The chapter's position on the Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) is that:
- A.
  It is the only valid way to assess students
- B.
  It is one approach that embodies key assessment qualities, but not the only option
- C.
  It is a grammar-focused test
- D.
  It is only for advanced learners
Q 36.
The chapter states that 'differentiated instruction' is:
- A.
  Always possible with enough effort
- B.
  Almost impossible if proficiency differences among students are staggering
- C.
  Required by federal law
- D.
  Only for writing classes
Q 37.
According to the chapter, what should be the relationship between assessment and instruction?
- A.
  They should be completely independent
- B.
  They should inform each other
- C.
  Assessment should be designed only after instruction is finished
- D.
  Instruction should never change based on assessment results
Q 38.
In the chapter, 'performance' is described as:
- A.
  Memorization of scripts
- B.
  Practiced but communicative classroom tasks
- C.
  Theatrical performances in the target language
- D.
  Memorized answers to expected questions
Q 39.
A 'true beginner' in language learning is described in the chapter as being:
- A.
  At the novice-mid level
- B.
  Lower than novice-low
- C.
  At the intermediate-low level
- D.
  At the advanced-low level
Q 40.
According to the chapter, getting from intermediate-high to advanced-mid would likely require:
- A.
  One semester of study
- B.
  At least another year of instruction and many communicative opportunities
- C.
  A weekend workshop
- D.
  Only memorization of grammar rules
Q 41.
The chapter's intermediate-low sample response to 'What's your routine like?' is characterized by:
- A.
  Complex past-tense narration
- B.
  Short, fragmented sentences with limited detail
- C.
  Long, fully developed paragraphs
- D.
  Abstract academic vocabulary
Q 42.
The chapter's intermediate-high sample response to the same question is characterized by:
- A.
  Single words and lists only
- B.
  More connected sentences with greater complexity and detail than lower sublevels
- C.
  Memorized dialogues
- D.
  Hypothesizing about abstract concepts
Q 43.
According to the chapter, language acquisition is best described as:
- A.
  An explicit process of memorizing grammar rules
- B.
  A mostly implicit process of building a linguistic system by making form-meaning connections from input
- C.
  A process that happens only through grammar drills
- D.
  A process that doesn't require any input
Q 44.
When planning daily lessons, they should be built around:
- A.
  Random topics chosen for variety
- B.
  Specific communicative goals that are measurable and aligned with unit and course goals
- C.
  Only grammar structures to be 'covered'
- D.
  Only vocabulary lists
Q 45.
The chapter criticizes traditional assessment of isolated vocabulary and verb conjugation because:
- A.
  It is too easy for students
- B.
  Such assessment does not measure the ability to engage in communication
- C.
  Students enjoy these tasks too much
- D.
  It is too time-consuming to grade
Q 46.
According to the chapter, 'Is superior the same as native speaker?' The answer is:
- A.
  Yes, they are identical categories
- B.
  No, ACTFL was not written to compare native and non-native speakers
- C.
  Only for heritage speakers
- D.
  Only in writing
Q 47.
The example of a thematic unit on 'Travel' in the chapter includes which type of activities?
- A.
  Only grammar drills
- B.
  Identifying information in authentic texts, listening to travel preferences, and making inferences from videos
- C.
  Only translation exercises
- D.
  Only vocabulary memorization
Q 48.
The chapter emphasizes that proficiency is:
- A.
  Static and unchanging once established
- B.
  Not static; it can vary across communication modes and change over time
- C.
  Always improving
- D.
  Only related to grammar
Q 49.
What does 'interpersonal communication' involve?
- A.
  One-way speaking to an audience
- B.
  Two-way spontaneous interaction and negotiation of meaning
- C.
  Listening to and reading authentic texts
- D.
  Filling in the blanks in grammar exercises
Q 50.
According to the chapter, simply assigning grades:
- A.
  Has a major positive impact on language development
- B.
  Won't have much of an impact on language development without supportive feedback and adjusted instruction
- C.
  Is the only assessment that matters
- D.
  Is the most effective way to help students learn

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Chapter 2: Goals and Assessment - Proficiency and Performance

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Questions (50)

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