BRS Braille Literacy & Instruction 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which organization is primarily responsible for establishing braille standards and codes in the United States?
- American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)
- Braille Authority of North America (BANA) (Correct answer)
- National Braille Association (NBA)
- Library of Congress
Correct answer: Braille Authority of North America (BANA)
BANA (Braille Authority of North America) is the official body that establishes and maintains braille codes and standards for use in the US and Canada.
Question 2: What is a 'contraction' in Grade 2 braille?
- A shortened form representing a word, word part, or group of letters (Correct answer)
- A punctuation mark indicating omission
- A specialized symbol for foreign languages
- A raised dot pattern used only in math
Correct answer: A shortened form representing a word, word part, or group of letters
A contraction in Grade 2 braille is a shortened symbol that stands for a whole word, a common word part, or a frequently used letter sequence.
Question 3: When a student consistently reverses braille letters such as 'd' and 'f', the BRS should primarily suspect:
- Cognitive impairment
- Insufficient tactile discrimination training
- Incorrect finger placement on the cell (Correct answer)
- Visual memory interference
Correct answer: Incorrect finger placement on the cell
Consistent reversal of similar braille characters like 'd' and 'f' typically results from incorrect finger placement, causing the student to read the cell from a shifted position.
Question 4: Braille music notation used in the US is based on which system?
- Braille Music Code developed by Louis Braille (Correct answer)
- New International Manual of Braille Music Notation
- Nemeth Music System
- AER Music Notation Standard
Correct answer: Braille Music Code developed by Louis Braille
Braille music notation in the US is based on the system originally developed by Louis Braille himself, later codified in international guidelines.
Question 5: What is the primary purpose of a braille 'slate and stylus'?
- Reading embossed braille at high speed
- Producing braille manually by hand without electricity (Correct answer)
- Scanning print documents into braille
- Refreshing a braille display
Correct answer: Producing braille manually by hand without electricity
A slate and stylus is a manual, non-electronic tool that allows users to produce braille by hand, embossing dots from right to left through a template.
Question 6: A person reading braille who uses 'scrubbing' as their primary technique will likely experience which problem?
- Eye strain
- Reduced tactile sensitivity and slower reading speed (Correct answer)
- Difficulty with contractions only
- Improved accuracy but lower speed
Correct answer: Reduced tactile sensitivity and slower reading speed
Scrubbing, the back-and-forth rubbing of fingers over cells, reduces tactile sensitivity over time and leads to slower, less efficient reading.
Question 7: In the context of braille instruction, 'tracking' refers to:
- Following a line of braille from left to right without losing one's place (Correct answer)
- Counting total characters in a passage
- Monitoring a student's IEP progress
- Adjusting embosser settings for dot height
Correct answer: Following a line of braille from left to right without losing one's place
Tracking in braille instruction refers to the skill of moving smoothly along a line of braille from left to right while maintaining tactile contact with the text.
BRS Braille Literacy & Instruction 3
Which organization is primarily responsible for establishing braille standards and codes in the United States?