Spanish K–12
For Testing until 9/30/2023

Multiple Choice Section

Test Format and Sample Questions

The Spanish K– to 12 subject area test consists of sections that test your speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills; your knowledge of Spanish-speaking cultures; of Spanish language structure and vocabulary; and of effective teaching and learning strategies based on second language acquisition principles. The test includes approximately 86 questions, and you will have two-and-one-half hours to complete the entire test.

Multiple Choice

This section of the test consists of multiple-choice items. Read the question, select the best answer, and indicate your choice by selecting A, B, C, or D.

Table of Question Formats

Question Format	Sample Items
Interpretive Reading Read a passage and select the response option that correctly identifies the main idea or a key detail in the passage or that states a logical inference or prediction that can be made based on a passage.	Item 8
Spanish-speaking Cultures Select the response option that correctly identifies or describes practices, products, or perspectives of Spanish-speaking cultures, such as arts and literature; social behavior and customs; social, economic, and political institutions; and beliefs and values. Identify relationships among the perspectives, products, and practices of Spanish-speaking cultures and how they are influenced by history and geography.	Item 10
Language Structure Decide whether a given sentence is grammatically correct and select the response option that accurately describes why the sentence is correct or incorrect. Or, select the response option that corrects a grammatical error in a given text or that preserves the grammatical correctness of a given text.	Item 20
Second Language Acquisition Principles and Pedagogy Select the response option that accurately identifies or describes research-based theories and practices of Spanish-language instruction, including methods, materials, and technologies.	Item 23

Sample Questions

The following questions represent both the form and content of questions on the examination. These questions will acquaint you with the general format of the examination; however, these sample questions do not cover all of the competencies and skills that are tested and will only approximate the degree of examination difficulty.

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Competency 4—Proficiency in interpretive reading

DIRECTIONS: Read the passage and then select the best response option.

Lea atentamente el pasaje que sigue; luego conteste las preguntas a continuación.

¿De qué trata el texto?

Choose an answer

1. Explica la obra maestra de un gran pintor.
2. Analiza el estilo pictórico que utilizaba El Greco.
3. Presenta a los grandes artistas de España e Italia.
4. Resume la vida personal y profesional de El Greco.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 4—Proficiency in interpretive reading

DIRECTIONS: Read the passage and then select the best response option.

Lea atentamente el pasaje que sigue; luego conteste las preguntas a continuación.

El Greco

Domenicos Theotocópoulos, a quien se conoce como El Greco, es uno de los pintores más importantes de España y del mundo. Como se notará por el apellido y el apodo, no nació el artista en España. Nació en la isla de Creta. No se sabe mucho de los primeros años de su vida. De joven fue a Italia, donde se cuenta que fue alumno de Tiziano y que conoció a Miguel Ángel. Allá para el año 1577 se trasladó a España, estableciéndose por fin en Toledo, donde murió en 1614.

No hay muchos datos disponibles sobre la vida personal del artista. Lo poco que se sabe ha sido averiguado a través de cartas escritas por sus contemporáneos, o se ha deducido del testamento que dejó. No obstante, leyendo entre líneas los documentos que nos quedan, sabemos que el gran pintor español era un hombre muy apasionado, de temperamento independiente, genio chistoso y gustos lujosos.

La mayoría de lo que se sabe de la vida de El Greco se ha aprendido por

Choose an answer

1. los libros escritos por otros artistas.
2. los documentos personales suyos.
3. las críticas escritas durante su vida.
4. las obras de arte que el pintor creó.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 4—Proficiency in interpretive reading

DIRECTIONS: Read the passage and then select the best response option.

Lea atentamente el pasaje que sigue; luego conteste las preguntas a continuación.

¿Cuál es el enfoque del pasaje?

Choose an answer

1. una ley aprobada por el presidente Ronald Reagan
2. la celebración de la herencia hispana en los Estados Unidos
3. unas costumbres tradicionales de Latinoamérica
4. los días de independencia de varios países hispanos

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 4—Proficiency in interpretive reading

DIRECTIONS: Read the passage and then select the best response option.

Lea atentamente el pasaje que sigue; luego conteste las preguntas a continuación.

Cada año en los Estados Unidos se observa El Mes Nacional de la Herencia Hispana desde el 15 de septiembre hasta el 15 de octubre. Durante este tiempo se celebran las historias, culturas, y contribuciones de los estadounidenses cuyos antepasados procedían de España, de México, del Caribe, de Centroamérica y de Sudamérica. La Semana de la Herencia Hispana se celebró por primera vez en 1968. Veinte años más tarde el presidente Ronald Reagan extendió el período a treinta días. Se promulgó como ley el 17 de agosto de 1988.

El día 15 de septiembre es el aniversario del día de la independencia de muchos países latinoamericanos, entre ellos Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras y Nicaragua. México y Chile celebran la independencia el 16 y 18 de septiembre, respectivamente. Además, el Día de la Raza se celebra el 12 de octubre.

De acuerdo con el pasaje, se puede deducir que

Choose an answer

1. los países hispanos ganaron la independencia durante el mismo año.
2. los mexicanos valoran la independencia tanto como los estadounidenses.
3. el Día de la Raza se celebra en los Estados Unidos y en los países hispanos.
4. los hispanos han influido mucho en la historia de los Estados Unidos.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 4—Proficiency in interpretive reading

DIRECTIONS: Read the passage and then select the best response option.

Lea atentamente el pasaje que sigue; luego conteste la pregunta a continuación.

La gaita es un instrumento de viento muy antiguo que consiste en uno o más tubos insertados en una bolsa llamada odre. Hay muchos tipos de gaitas pero todas comparten un sonido particular, continuo y melódico. Aunque el origen de la gaita no se ha podido establecer, este instrumento es sin duda alguna el instrumento emblemático de la cultura celta.

La cultura celta se asocia con partes de las Islas Británicas, la Bretaña en Francia y las regiones del noroeste de España como Galicia y Asturias. Estudiosos debaten «el celtismo» de algunas regiones, y muchos creen que el término «música celta» es una etiqueta comercial. Sin embargo, la mayoría de los gallegos y los asturianos se identifican con la cultura celta; el celtismo forma parte esencial de su identidad cultural. Y la música celta se exhibe en importantes festivales, entre ellos, el Festival del Mundo Celta de Ortigueira en Galicia, España.

From "La Gaita" Conversación y repaso ©copyright 2013 Heinle/ELT, a part of Cengage Learning, Inc. Reproduced by permission. www.cengage.com/permissions

Según el pasaje, la gaita se reconoce como símbolo

Choose an answer

1. de la música antigua.
2. de las etiquetas comerciales.
3. del mundo celta.
4. de los instrumentos de viento.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 5—Knowledge of practices, products, and perspectives of Spanish-speaking cultures

DIRECTIONS: Select the best response as it applies to Spanish-speaking cultures.

Which of the following gestures would typically be used as part of a greeting in Spain between a teenage girl and a teenage boy?

Choose an answer

1. a handshake
2. an embrace
3. a kiss on both cheeks
4. a pat on the shoulder

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 5—Knowledge of practices, products, and perspectives of Spanish-speaking cultures

DIRECTIONS: Select the best response as it applies to Spanish-speaking cultures.

Which of the following statements about a traditional quinceañera celebration would most likely be true in most Spanish-speaking cultures?

Choose an answer

1. The quinceañera sets aside the first dance for her father or a close male relative.
2. The quinceañera's mother presents her daughter with a prayer book during a religious service.
3. The parents or guardians of many quinceañeras pay for a family vacation instead of hosting an expensive party.
4. The quinceañera preserves the top layer of the cake for a year and serves it to her family.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: A.

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Competency 5—Knowledge of practices, products, and perspectives of Spanish-speaking cultures

DIRECTIONS: Select the best response as it applies to Spanish-speaking cultures.

Diego Rivera is best known for his contributions to which of the following areas of the arts?

Choose an answer

1. music
2. literature
3. painting
4. theatre

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 5—Knowledge of practices, products, and perspectives of Spanish-speaking cultures

DIRECTIONS: Select the best response as it applies to Spanish-speaking cultures.

Which of the following works of art was created as a critical response to a tragic event that occurred during the Spanish Civil War?

Choose an answer

1. Salvador Dalí's painting La persistencia de la memoria
2. Ana María Matute's novel Olvidado Rey Gudú
3. Pablo Picasso's painting Guernica
4. Emilia Pardo Bazán's novel Los pazos de Ulloa

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 5—Knowledge of practices, products, and perspectives of Spanish-speaking cultures

DIRECTIONS: Select the best response as it applies to Spanish-speaking cultures.

The custom of playing dominoes in Caribbean countries and some Spanish-speaking communities in the United States primarily reflects a belief in the importance of

1. mental acuity.
2. artistic expression.
3. interpersonal relationships.
4. professional achievements.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 6—Knowledge of language structure

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which change to an underlined word in the paragraph would correct an error?

Eran las dos de la mañana cuando el tren llegó al pueblo y nadie me esperaba en la estación. No hubo ni un gato en el andén.

Choose an answer

1. change Eran to Fueron
2. change llegó to llegaba
3. change esperaba to esperó
4. change hubo to había

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 6—Knowledge of language structure

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

start bold Decide whether the statement is correct or incorrect. Then select the appropriate grammatical rule or explanation. end bold

Tomás estudiará para una hora.

Choose an answer

STATEMENT

GRAMMAR RULE

Incorrect. Incorrect. Correct. Correct.

Por, rather than para, should be used to indicate future time in the future Por, rather than para, should be used to indicate duration of time. Para is used to express certainty that an action will be performed. Para is used to express doubt that an action will be performed. A. Por, rather than para, should be used to indicate future time in the future B. Por, rather than para, should be used to indicate duration of time C. Para is used to express certainty that an action will be performed. D. Para is used to express doubt that an action will be performed.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 6—Knowledge of language structure

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

start bold offscreenDecide whether the statement is correct or incorrect. Then select the appropriate grammatical rule or explanation. end bold

¿Dónde es la fiesta?

Choose an answer

STATEMENT	GRAMMAR RULE
Correct. Incorrect. Correct. Incorrect.	Ser is used for permanent conditions. Estar is used to express location. Ser is used for the location of an event. Estar is used for a temporary event. A. Ser is used for permanent conditions. B. Estar is used to express location. C. Ser is used for the location of an event. D. Estar is used for a temporary event.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 6—Knowledge of language structure

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which change to an underlined word in the sentence would correct an error?

El verano que pasamos en las islas start underline griegas end underline fue end underline uno de start underline las end underline más start underline felicesstart underline de mi vida.

Choose an answer

1. change griegas to griegos
2. change fue to fueron
3. change las to los
4. change felices to feliz

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 6—Knowledge of language structure

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which set of pronouns should be used in the blanks in the sentence?

David dejó el libro de matemáticas en casa. ______blank voy a prestar el ______blank.

Choose an answer

1. Se / suyo
2. Me / nuestro
3. Te / tuyo
4. Le / mío

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 6—Knowledge of language structure

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

start bold Decide whether the statement is correct or incorrect. Then select the appropriate grammatical rule or explanation. end bold

El señor Gómez tiene un bueno trabajo.

Choose an answer

STATEMENT

GRAMMAR RULE

Correct. Incorrect. Incorrect. Correct.

Descriptive adjectives regularly follow the noun they modify. Certain singular adjectives are shortened when they precede a masculine noun. Certain adjectives change meaning when they precede the noun. Singular adjectives are always shortened when they precede a masculine noun. A. Descriptive adjectives regularly follow the noun they modify. B. Certain singular adjectives are shortened when they precede a masculine noun. C. Para is used to express certainty that an action will be performed. D. Para is used to express doubt that an action will be performed.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 6—Knowledge of language structure

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

start bold Decide whether the statement is correct or incorrect. Then select the appropriate grammatical rule or explanation. end bold

El pobre Juan está enfermo.

Choose an answer

STATEMENT

GRAMMAR RULE

Correct. Correct. Incorrect. Incorrect.

The definite article is used when a proper noun is modified. The definite article is used with parts of the body. The indefinite article should be used to indicate that a person is unknown to the speaker. The indefinite article should be used before an adjective that does not modify a noun. A. The definite article is used when a proper noun is modified. B. The definite article is used with parts of the body. C. The indefinite article should be used to indicate that a person is unknown to the speaker. D. The indefinite article should be used before an adjective that does not modify a noun.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: A.

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Competency 6—Knowledge of language structure

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which verb should be used in the blank in the sentence?

En mi casa siempre ______ blank muchos animales.

Choose an answer

1. son
2. había
3. era
4. habían

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 7—Knowledge of effective teaching and learning strategies based on second language acquisition principles

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following instructional strategies would most likely lower students' affective filter in a Spanish-language classroom?

Choose an answer

1. placing clear limits on students' response time
2. encouraging students to speak in full sentences
3. providing ample opportunities for work in pairs and small groups
4. modeling correct pronunciation and intonation of vocabulary

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 7—Knowledge of effective teaching and learning strategies based on second language acquisition principles

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A teacher of a multilevel class wants to promote students' interpersonal communication skills. Which of the following instructional strategies would be most appropriate for the teacher to use for this purpose?

Choose an answer

1. using pattern drills to reinforce instruction
2. giving students access to language-learning computer programs
3. pairing direct instruction with video instruction
4. having students work in pairs in cooperative learning groups

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 7—Knowledge of effective teaching and learning strategies based on second language acquisition principles

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following student activities would most effectively promote cultural competency in the Spanish classroom?

Choose an answer

1. viewing a documentary about changing attitudes toward bullfighting in Spanish-speaking cultures and then discussing the issues explored in the film
2. role-playing typical formal and informal oral greetings between a variety of individuals from a specific Spanish-speaking culture
3. listening to traditional music from several Spanish-speaking cultures while viewing photographs of musicians and their instruments
4. reading an article in a Spanish-language magazine about similarities and differences in cuisines from Spanish-speaking cultures

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 7—Knowledge of effective teaching and learning strategies based on second language acquisition principles

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following instructional approaches would most likely promote vocabulary development in students who depend on visual information to learn?

Choose an answer

1. posting new vocabulary on a classroom bulletin board
2. preparing cloze exercises that feature new vocabulary
3. using photographs and illustrations to introduce new vocabulary
4. having the class identify newly learned vocabulary in a written text

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 7—Knowledge of effective teaching and learning strategies based on second language acquisition principles

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A teacher wants to create a multidisciplinary unit in which students will be able to identify specific Mexican artists and describe their works. Which of the following types of technology would best support instruction during the unit?

Choose an answer

1. a secure class wiki to which students can post information about the artists
2. the website of a commercial distributor of reproductions of the artists' works
3. virtual tours of museums around the world that exhibit the artists' works
4. computer software that students use to create infographics about the artists

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 7—Knowledge of effective teaching and learning strategies based on second language acquisition principles

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following types of assessment is designed to measure a learner's performance against that of others in a specific population?

Choose an answer

1. criterion referenced
2. anecdotal
3. norm referenced
4. proficiency

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 7—Knowledge of effective teaching and learning strategies based on second language acquisition principles

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A teacher of an advanced-level Spanish class plans to have students construct portfolios that include samples of their written work and audio recordings of their oral production. The purpose of the portfolios is for students to receive feedback that will facilitate the learning process.

Which of the following types of feedback would be most effective for the teacher to use for this purpose?

Choose an answer

1. a letter grade based on writing and speaking rubrics
2. completed checklists of writing and speaking skills
3. a numerical score based on rating scales for written and spoken work
4. written or spoken comments addressing strengths and needs

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 7—Knowledge of effective teaching and learning strategies based on second language acquisition principles

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A teacher of an intermediate-level Spanish class has each student read aloud a passage from a novel with which they are unfamiliar. This activity is an effective way for the teacher to informally assess students' ability to

Choose an answer

1. comprehend the meaning of the passage.
2. interpret figurative language and idioms.
3. recognize and pronounce individual words.
4. determine the main idea of the passage.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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