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Study Guide

Field 101: Chinese (Mandarin)
Reading Comprehension

Sample Directions for Reading Comprehension

In this section of the test, you will read two passages in the target language. You will then prepare a written response to the assignment that follows each passage.

Your responses 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 response must be written on the response sheet provided. Please label each response sheet with the appropriate exercise (e.g., "Reading 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 assignments, 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 Reading Comprehension Assignment

Read either the passage presented in Traditional characters or the same passage presented in Simplified characters below. Then prepare a written response to the assignment that follows. Your response may be written in either Chinese or English. If you choose to respond in Chinese, your response must be written in Standard Modern Chinese characters (Traditional or Simplified).

[TRADITIONAL CHARACTERS]

???????????,????????????????????,????????????,??????,??????????,?????????,???????????,???,????,????????????????????????????,??????????,????,????,???????????

?????????????,????????????,???????????,?????????????,????,?????,????,????????????????????,??????????????????

??????????????????????????????????????????????????,???????????????????,?????????????

[SIMPLIFIED CHARACTERS]

???????????,????????????????????,????????????,??????,??????????,?????????,???????????,???,????,????????????????????????????,??????????,????,????,???????????

?????????????,??????????,???????????,?????????????,????,?????,????,????????????????????,??????????????????

??????????????????????????????????????????????????,???????????????????,?????????????

Write a response several sentences in length in which you:

Sample Response for the Reading Comprehension Assignment

Zhang Yong is a graduate student. He has lived in the student dormitory for two semesters. He has three roommates but they each have a different schedule. He feels that the dorm is too noisy for him to sleep well. The room is also small and he cannot cook there. Therefore, he has decided to move off campus next semester.

He has been looking for an apartment for over a month but it is very difficult to find anything he wants in Guangzhou. The apartments are either too expensive or too far away from school.

Yesterday he saw an apartment ad in the morning newspaper. Zhang Yong thought the apartment was just what he wanted so he asked the landlord to show him the apartment. Zhang Yong likes the apartment but the rent is a bit expensive. He plans to find a friend to share the apartment with him so that it would be affordable.

Performance Characteristics for the Reading Comprehension Assignments

Literal Comprehension accuracy and completeness in comprehending literal content of written language
Inferential Comprehension demonstrated ability to infer information implied in a reading passage, including subtleties such as tone

Score Scale for the Reading Comprehension Assignments

Score
Point 		Score Point Description
4 The "4" response gives evidence of strong reading comprehension skills.
  • The candidate demonstrates thorough comprehension of literal content, including virtually all significant ideas, details, and grammatical relations.
  • The candidate accurately infers implied information, even if it is subtly or abstractly conveyed.
3 The "3" response gives evidence of satisfactory reading comprehension skills.
  • The candidate demonstrates adequate comprehension of main ideas, but misses some details and grammatical relations.
  • The candidate adequately infers information, but may misinterpret some subtleties and abstractions.
2 The "2" response gives evidence of limited reading comprehension skills.
  • The candidate demonstrates limited comprehension of main ideas, details, and grammatical relations.
  • The candidate demonstrates limited ability to make inferences, particularly if information is presented subtly or abstractly.
1 The "1" response gives evidence of weak reading comprehension skills.
  • The candidate fails to comprehend ideas, understanding only isolated words and phrases.
  • The candidate fails to make any inferences.
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.