Study Guide

Field 058: Target Language Proficiency—Cantonese 
Reading Comprehension

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Directions for Reading Comprehension Assignment

In this section of the test, you will read two passages in the target language and respond in writing to multiple questions about each passage. Your responses may be written in English, the target language, or a combination of both.

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 response must be written on the Response Sheets provided. Please label your response sheets according to the page count displayed in the upper right corner of each screen (e.g., "1 of 12," "2 of 12," etc.). All response sheets must be scanned using the scanner provided at your workstation.

Instructions for scanning your response sheet(s) 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:

Be sure to answer all questions for each reading passage. You may not use any reference materials during the test. This should be your original work and not copied from some other source. Where appropriate, support your response with reference to the passage. Remember to review your work and make any changes you think will improve your written responses.

A response will be considered unscorable if it is unrelated to the assigned topic; not written in English, the target language, or a combination of both; not of sufficient length to score; or merely a repetition of the assignment.

Any time spent responding to the assignments, including scanning the response sheets, 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 Reading Comprehension Passage

Read the passage below, based on an article in a magazine about teaching. Then respond to the questions that follow.

Simplified
 paragraph 1 在你所能给予学生们的礼物中，冇一件能同恒久爱好阅读相比，因为阅读不只是学生学习其他技能的基础，同时又是一种终生的享受。所有教师，唔单只是教阅读的教师，都有义务协助学生培养阅读爱好，下面的呢啲方法有助于你尽到呢嗰义务。
 paragraph 2 首先，要向你的学生显示你喜爱阅读，让佢哋睇见你到处携带着书籍，同佢哋分享你正在读的书，诵读你所爱看的书籍片断，显示你对阅读所感受的热爱。
 paragraph 3 其次，问学生有关佢哋正在读的书里面的问题，以协助学生们讲出作者的动机、写作特点，及题材等普遍性的问题，问一些能够引发学生思考自己对书上角色及在故事情节中找出自我感受的问题。
 paragraph 4 第三，帮助你的学生选择佢哋会欣赏的书籍，读一啲学生们喜欢的书籍，并同佢哋作为读者与读者之间的方式去谈论呢啲书籍，告诉佢哋你所喜欢及不喜欢的片断，同佢哋分享你自己的读后感并要求佢哋表达其感想。问佢哋在书中令佢哋喜悦，激发灵感，或令佢哋忧愁的部分，使佢哋觉得自己也是你书中的一员。
 paragraph 5 最后，应将阅读联系到学生及你自己的生活中去，留意珍惜个啲你和学生们读过的书籍中的特别时刻、事件和感受。在书籍角色与时事新闻或学校人物之间作对比，寻找机会将学生们正在读的书籍同佢哋的生活及情感联系起嚟。简单嚟讲，要令书籍真实化。
 paragraph 6 有关阅读方面的研究结果一再显示呢啲阅读方法是有效的。活跃、积极及挑战性的阅读方式能帮助各类型的学校及各年级的学生们开怀畅读。另外，呢啲阅读方法在你的学生们离开教室后，仍历久有效。如果你能协助你的学生们培养出阅读爱好，你就会比你想象的更能深入到学生们的生活中去。
Traditional
 paragraph 1 在你所能給予學生們的禮物中，冇一件能同恆久愛好閱讀相比，因為閱讀不只是學生學習其他技能的基礎，同時又是一種終生的享受。 所有教師，唔單只是教閱讀的教師，都有義務協助學生培養閱讀愛好，下面的呢啲方法有助於你盡到呢嗰義務。
 paragraph 2 首先，要向你的學生顯示你喜愛閱讀，讓佢哋睇見你到處攜帶著書籍，同佢哋分享你正在讀的書，誦讀你所愛看的書籍片斷，顯示你對閱讀所感受的熱愛。
 paragraph 3 其次，問學生有關佢哋正在讀的書裡面的問題，以協助學生們講出作者的動機、寫作特點，及題材等普遍性的問題，問一些能夠引發學生思考自己對書上角色及在故事情節中找出自我感受的問題。
 paragraph 4 第三，幫助你的學生選擇佢哋會欣賞的書籍，讀一啲學生們喜歡的書籍，並同佢哋作為讀者與讀者之間的方式去談論呢啲書籍，告訴佢哋你所喜歡及不喜歡的片斷，同佢哋分享你自己的讀後感並要求佢哋表達其感想。 問佢哋在書中令佢哋喜悅，激發靈感，或令佢哋憂愁的部分，使佢哋覺得自己也是你書中的一員。
 paragraph 5 最後，應將閱讀聯繫到學生及你自己的生活中去，留意珍惜個啲你和學生們讀過的書籍中的特別時刻、事件和感受。 在書籍角色與時事新聞或學校人物之間作對比，尋找機會將學生們正在讀的書籍同佢哋的生活及情感聯繫起嚟。 簡單嚟講，要令書籍真實化。
 paragraph 6 有關閱讀方面的研究結果一再顯示呢啲閱讀方法是有效的。 活躍、積極及挑戰性的閱讀方式能幫助各類型的學校及各年級的學生們開懷暢讀。 另外，呢啲閱讀方法在你的學生們離開教室後，仍歷久有效。 如果你能協助你的學生們培養出閱讀愛好，你就會比你想像的更能深入到學生們的生活中去。

Sample Test Questions and Responses for the Reading Comprehension Assignment

Objective 0001
Understand the literal meaning of a variety of materials written in the target language.

1. Summarize the author's argument.

Sample strong response. Enter to expand or collapse. Sample expanded
The author argues that reading is the foundation of all of the skills that children learn at school, and can also be the basis of a lifetime of enjoyment and learning. All teachers have a "special responsibility" to help students develop their love of reading, the greatest gift that a teacher can give a student. There are a variety of strategies that can be employed to accomplish this goal, strategies that will help students at every level both succeed in school and become lifelong readers.

Objective 0001
Understand the literal meaning of a variety of materials written in the target language.

2. What are the four recommendations the author makes in the passage?

Sample strong response. Enter to expand or collapse. Sample expanded
The author recommends that teachers show students that they themselves love to read, ask students questions about the books they are reading, help students define themselves as readers, and relate reading to the lives of their students and themselves.

Objective 0002
Apply skills of inference and interpretation to a variety of materials written in the target language.

3. Describe the relationship between teacher and students that is reflected in the passage.

Sample strong response. Enter to expand or collapse. Sample expanded
First, the teacher is a modeler or demonstrator, showing students the teacher's own love and excitement about reading. The teacher is also a facilitator or coach, helping students find books they will enjoy, relating what students are reading to their own lives, and guiding students to reflect on what they've read. The teacher is an instructor, asking questions and drawing parallels between what the students are reading and things going on around them. Most important, the teacher is a participant in learning, sharing the books the teacher is reading, reading books that their students are interested in, making students feel that teacher and student are all members of "the same special club."

Objective 0002
Apply skills of inference and interpretation to a variety of materials written in the target language.

4. What can be inferred from the passage about the author's attitude toward children?

Sample strong response. Enter to expand or collapse. Sample expanded
There are a number of attitudes concerning children that can be inferred from the passage. Students want to learn. They are looking to teachers and other adults as role models. They have the capacity to reflect about what they read and how that may relate to their lives. Students want to share their ideas and feelings. They deserve to be taken seriously and they are worthy participants in learning.

Objective 0003
Apply skills of critical analysis to a variety of materials written in the target language.

5. What can be concluded from information presented in the passage about the credibility of the author's suggestions?

Sample strong response. Enter to expand or collapse. Sample expanded
There are two things about the passage that make me think the author knows what he or she is talking about. First, the detailed nature of the author's recommended strategies suggests that these approaches have been thought about and worked with over a long period of time. Second, the author's comment at the end of the passage about research into reading suggests that the ideas she or he is promoting are based not only in the author's own experience but also in the experience of many other teachers. While the author does not provide any details about the research, the level of detail and the reference to research both support the credibility of the author's suggestions.

Objective 0003
Apply skills of critical analysis to a variety of materials written in the target language.

6. Does the author provide adequate support for the generalizations made in the first paragraph of the passage? If so, explain why. If not, explain why not.

Sample strong response. Enter to expand or collapse. Sample expanded
I don't think the author provides good support for the generalizations in the first paragraph of the passage. In the opening paragraph the author says that a lasting love for reading is the greatest "gift" that a teacher can give her students, that reading is a foundation for all of the other skills that children learn at school, that reading can provide "a lifetime of enjoyment and learning, and that all teachers have a "special responsibility" to help students develop a "love of reading." While the rest of the passage describes a number of strategies for accomplishing that goal, nowhere in the passage does the author offer any direct support for any of the generalizations in the first paragraph.

Performance Characteristics for Reading Comprehension Assignment

The following characteristics guide the scoring of responses to the Reading Comprehension test questions.

Comprehension The understanding of the literal content of a reading passage
Inference The inference and interpretation of information implied in a reading passage
Analysis The critical analysis of information contained within a reading passage

Score Scale for Reading Comprehension Assignment

A score will be assigned to the responses to the Reading Comprehension test questions according to the following score scale.

Score Point Score Point Description
4 The "4" response reflects a thorough understanding of the performance characteristics for the reading comprehension assignment.
  • The response demonstrates a thorough understanding of the literal content of the reading passage.
  • The response thoroughly demonstrates application of inference and interpretation skills of implied information in the text, including subtly conveyed information.
  • The response presents an analysis that thoroughly reflects the information presented.
3 The "3" response reflects an adequate understanding of the performance characteristics for the reading comprehension assignment.
  • The response demonstrates an adequate understanding of the main idea of the passage but misses some details.
  • The response adequately demonstrates application of inference and interpretation skills of the implied information from the text but may misinterpret some information.
  • The response presents an analysis that adequately reflects the information presented.
2 The "2" response reflects a partial understanding of the performance characteristics for the reading comprehension assignment.
  • The response demonstrates a partial understanding of the main idea of the passage but may miss significant details.
  • The response partially demonstrates application of inference and interpretation skills of the implied information from the text.
  • The response presents an analysis that partially reflects the information presented.
1 The "1" response reflects an inadequate understanding of the performance characteristics for the reading comprehension assignment.
  • The response demonstrates an inadequate understanding of the main idea of the passage, although it may exhibit comprehension of isolated words and phrases.
  • The response inadequately demonstrates application of inference and interpretation skills of the implied information from the text.
  • The response presents an analysis that inadequately reflects information presented.
U The response is unscorable because it is unrelated to the assigned topic, illegible, not written in the required language, not of sufficient length to score, or merely a repetition of the assignment.
B There is no response to the assignment.