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Listening
Not until recent years has much research been done on the importance of
effective listening to the success of the communication process. This skill
continues to be one that does not receive the attention or time it deserves. To
introduce this unit to your class give them the following listening test. (After you
read each statement slowly, allow students time to write their answers on a sheet
of paper. Explain that you will read each statement only once.)
Listening Test #1
Listen to this statement: Mary is taking courses in history, music, sociology,
English and political sciences.
1. How many courses is Mary taking?
2. What was the second course mentioned?
Mary’s courses are numbered as follows: History 121, Political Science 32,
English 110, Music 10, and Sociology 3.
3. What is the number of the music course?
4. In the series of numbers 1- 3 – 6- 9- 4, the second number is _______?
Listen to this statement: The following officers were elected: President,
Charles Jones; Vice-President, Alice Smith; Secretary, Lois Adams; Treasurer,
Walter Johnson.
5. What is the first name of the president?
6. What is the last name of the secretary?
Listen to this statement: This is the December, 1930, issue of a no-longer
published magazine called The Golden Book. It contains articles or stories by
Katherine Mansfield, Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Stephen Crane.
7. In what year was this issue published?
8. What is the name of the magazine?
9. How many authors were mentioned?
Listen to these instructions: Stop at Blaine’s grocery on Center Street and get
two cans of onion soup, a pound of butter, four cans of sardines, three dozen
eggs, and two dozen oranges.
10. How many cans of soup were mentioned?
11. What kind of soup was mentioned?
12. On what street is the grocery located?
13. In the series of words at - as - to - on - in, the second word is _______?
14. How many words are in the series?
15. How many words in the series begin with the letter a?
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Answers to Listening Test #1
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
5
music
10
3
Charles
6. Adams
7. 1930
8. Golden Book
9. 4
10. 2
11. onion
12. Center Street
13. as
14. 5
15. 2
After students have checked their answers to Listening Test #1 and
discover how well or poorly they listen; you might try the second test to see if
they make any improvement. At this point they should have a better idea of what
is expected of them.
Listening Test #2
In the May 29 issue of Life Magazine, there were thirty-three photographs,
fifteen articles, nine cartoons, and three features. Twelve writers had signed
articles.
1. What is the date of the publication?
2. In the series of words, shovel – shuffle – hovel – pear – bear – tear, the
third word is _______?
3. How many words are in the series?
4. How many words in the series begin with the letter s?
Listen to this statement: This is the June edition of Sunday Readings, edited
by Samuel Smith. Writers who provide articles were: George Holt, Samuel
Johnson, LeRoy Smith, and Jack and Martha Armstrong.
5. What year was mentioned?
6. What is the name of the magazine and editor?
7. How many writers were mentioned?
The newspaper story said that three people were injured in the accident at the
Corner of Walnut and Blackwell. A black station wagon went through a stop sign
and hit a red convertible broadside. A gray sedan then ran into both cars.
8. What were the names of the streets given?
9. What color was the sedan?
10. How many people were injured?
Answers to Listening Test #2
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
May 29
hovel
6
2
Not mentioned
6. Sunday Readings; Samuel Smith
7. 5
8. Walnut and Blackwell
9. gray
10. 3
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After the two preceding listening tests, students should be receptive to the
basic concepts on listening presented in the text. Now try the following test.
Listening Test #3
Ask students to print the following copy on a sheet of paper.
1. i
2. MB, PB, SB
3. Canada, United States
4. Vote
5.
Now ask students to mark their papers according to these directions:
1. Put a dot on the i.
2. After being lost for two days, Baby Bull found his way back to the
meadow. Whom would he go to first: Mama Bull, Papa Bull, or Sister Bull?
Circle the correct answer.
3. There has been a plane crash on the border between Canada and the
United States. There are six survivors. Where would you bury them? Circle the
correct country.
4. Write the word Vote.
5. You are the pilot of an airplane that is flying between New York and
Chicago. There are 150 passengers on board. The plane is halfway between
the two cities. The carpeting of the plane id done in royal blue, and the seats are
upholstered in a brilliant red. The hostesses have just finished serving lunch,
and everything has gone well. The pilot’s wife is two years younger than he is
and the co-pilot’s wife is six years younger than the pilot’s wife. How old is the
pilot?
Answers to Listening Test #3
1. The dot should be put on the i, not above the i.
2. Papa Bull (PB) should be circled since there is no such thing as a Mama
Bull or a Sister Bull.
3. Survivors would not be buried.
4. The word Vote should be written, not printed.
5. The age of the pilot will be the age of the person taking the quiz. The key
was the first sentence of the statement?