ESL EXIT TEST
LISTENING
WORKSHOP
400 AND 500
LEVELS
Listening Section: Basics
1. Standard American English
2. Each question gets harder with:
a. Speed
b. Vocabulary
c. Language (idioms, etc.)
3. Read the questions, Listen to the short conversation. Take notes.
Answer the questions. Then you read the question. You can only listen
one time, so be ready and take notes!
Screen Layout
Look for Context
Two children are playing…
Two students are talking…
A professor is giving a lecture…
Read the Question(s)
1. Who wants to play soccer?




a. The boy
b. The girl
c. The father
d. The mother
1
Listen
Question
Move
between
Questions
2
3
4
Listening Strategies
Pre:
1. Read the context
2. Read Questions and Answers (take your time)
a. who, when, where, why, which, how much
During:
1. Take notes (related to questions)
2. Don’t wait for the answer to the first question (not in order)
Going from 416  516
Students typically are able to understand most discourse about personal
situations and other everyday experiences, including conversations with basic
academic and/or occupational subject matter. Main ideas and details are
generally grasped, although comprehension is sometimes affected by length,
topic familiarity, or cultural knowledge.
Students are able to understand different time frames and usually understand
utterances using the perfect tenses, conditionals, modals, passives, but there
may be some difficulty. They are aware of common cohesive devices, such as
‘however’ and ‘as a result’ but may be unable to utilize them to enhance
comprehension.
Let’s Practice!
What is the main idea of the lecture?
Context: Listen to a lecture abou
artists
A. Michelangelo was the greatest artist of his time.
B. Michelangelo was a better sculptor than a painter.
C. Michelangelo's personality, more than his art, made him famous.
D. Michelangelo's personality is the model for a common image of Western artists.
2. According to the lecture, why was Michelangelo reluctant to paint the Sistine
Chapel at first?
A. He lost his temper with political leaders.
B. He wanted to work on his sculpting instead.
C. He did not want to paint the pictures he was asked to paint.
D. He was not satisfied with the payment offered.
3. Based on the lecture, which of the following is the most correct statement?
A. The image of the artist, modeled after Michelangelo, is a Western stereotype.
B. Michelangelo wanted to be the model for the image of the modern artist.
C. Michelangelo created more art than most artists of his time.
D. Michelangelo believed he was a better painter than sculptor.
Context: Listen to a lecture on Japanese Bamboo Artifacts
1. According to the presentation, it was
believed that:
A. bamboo was the food of the Shinto
gods.
B. the Shinto gods lived inside the
bamboo.
C. the early inhabitants worship bamboo
as their gods.
2. What makes bamboo such a useful raw
material?
A. It is a very pliable and sturdy plant.
B. It can be reused over and over again.
C. It is easy to cut and carve into
different shapes.
3. What is the chashaku used for during the
tea ceremony?
A. It is used for measuring tea.
B. It is used to add flavoring like sugar to
the tea.
C. It is used for serving sweets to your
4. A chasen is a tool used to:
A. remove the foam
from the tea.
B. mix the tea.
C. taste-test the tea.
5. What is a mimikaki used
for?
A. It is used to scratch
the roots of your hair
around your ears.
B. It is used to check
your hearing.
C. It is used to clean the
inside of your ears.
Going from 516  OUT!
Students are able to understand complex discussions, including unmodified
academic lectures and factual reports.
Though there may be occasional trouble with colloquialisms, idiomatic
language, or rapid native speech, they are able to use context clues to aid
comprehension and have acquired an understanding of most discourse
markers.
They have acquired the ability to comprehend implications, inferences,
emotional overtones, differences in style, and shifts in register. Students
understand almost all reductions, elisions, and blends in the spoken language.
Let’s Practice!
Context: Professor giving a lecture on recycling…
1. What is the main
idea of this lecture?
A. Important Keys
to Encourage
Recycling
B. Technological
Advances Improve
Recycling
2. According to the
article, paper
materials that are
difficult to recycle
include:
3. In some cases, recycling
could be hazardous to the
environment if special
precautions are not taken
because:
A. copy paper
A. industrial emissions are
sometimes created in the
process.
B. document shred
C. food wrappers
C. Steps to
Improving Recycling
B. chemical waste is sometimes
produced as a result.
C. a great deal of energy is
expended to create new
products.
Context: Professor giving a lecture on recycling…
4. According to the lecture, the
demand for recyclable materials
in the manufacturing of new
products is sometimes sluggish
because:
5. Which is NOT one of the main
keys to recycling as mentioned in the
lecture?
A. some governments are
unwilling to support expensive
recycling methods.
B. better technology
B. there is a lack of advanced
technology to process the
materials.
C. businesses do not invest
enough money into research.
A. government regulation of waste
C. more demand for recycled
materials