CALP CALP Test-Taking Language Strategies 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does the academic signal phrase 'best supported by evidence' require of a test-taker?
- Choosing the most common answer
- Evaluating answer choices against the quality and relevance of evidence provided in the text (Correct answer)
- Selecting the longest answer choice
- Guessing based on prior knowledge
Correct answer: Evaluating answer choices against the quality and relevance of evidence provided in the text
'Best supported by evidence' requires CALP-level evaluative reasoning to weigh the quality of textual support behind each answer choice.
Question 2: On a US academic writing test, the prompt instructs students to 'use precise language.' What does CALP proficiency enable here?
- Using the most complex vocabulary available
- Selecting vocabulary and syntax that clearly and accurately conveys meaning within the academic context (Correct answer)
- Writing the longest possible response
- Avoiding any technical vocabulary
Correct answer: Selecting vocabulary and syntax that clearly and accurately conveys meaning within the academic context
Precision in academic writing means choosing language that accurately conveys meaning without ambiguity — a CALP-level writing skill.
Question 3: A CALP test uses the instruction: 'Determine the author's purpose.' What academic language knowledge is required?
- Understanding the author's personal biography
- Knowing that 'purpose' in academic reading refers to the communicative intent behind a text (Correct answer)
- Identifying the author's favorite topic
- Counting how many times the main idea is stated
Correct answer: Knowing that 'purpose' in academic reading refers to the communicative intent behind a text
Understanding 'author's purpose' as academic metalinguistic concept requires CALP knowledge of how communicative intent shapes text construction.
Question 4: How does recognizing 'distractor' answer choices in multiple-choice tests relate to CALP?
- Distractors are irrelevant to academic language proficiency
- CALP proficiency helps students identify plausible-sounding distractors that use academic language to mislead less proficient readers (Correct answer)
- Only students with learning disabilities need to worry about distractors
- Distractors always use informal language that is easy to reject
Correct answer: CALP proficiency helps students identify plausible-sounding distractors that use academic language to mislead less proficient readers
CALP-proficient students can identify distractors that misuse academic vocabulary or partially fulfill the question's language demands, selecting the most accurate option.
Question 5: What does the academic term 'contextualize' typically mean on a CALP-level history test?
- Translate the document to modern English
- Place a source or event within its broader historical, social, or political circumstances (Correct answer)
- List the main events in chronological order
- Identify the author's name and date
Correct answer: Place a source or event within its broader historical, social, or political circumstances
Contextualization on history tests requires CALP-level academic language to connect sources and events to their broader historical circumstances.
Question 6: A student sees the test instruction: 'Corroborate your thesis with textual evidence.' What CALP-level academic term must they understand?
- They only need to know what 'thesis' means
- They must understand both 'corroborate' (confirm with evidence) and 'thesis' as academic writing terms (Correct answer)
- They need only basic reading skills to answer
- This instruction only applies to science tests
Correct answer: They must understand both 'corroborate' (confirm with evidence) and 'thesis' as academic writing terms
Both 'corroborate' and 'thesis' are CALP-level academic vocabulary items that students must understand to correctly interpret and respond to this writing instruction.
CALP CALP Test-Taking Language Strategies 2
What does the academic signal phrase 'best supported by evidence' require of a test-taker?