CLAD Factors Affecting Language Acquisition 3

Question 1

Cummins' distinction between BICS and CALP is important for ELL teachers because:

Accepted Answer

Students may be conversationally fluent but still lack academic language proficiency needed for grade-level work

Answer

BICS (social language) develops in 1–3 years while CALP (academic language) can take 5–7 years, so conversational fluency is not a reliable indicator of academic readiness.

Question 2

A teacher notices that an ELL student uses correct English in structured writing but makes many errors in spontaneous speech. This pattern is most consistent with:

Accepted Answer

The monitor hypothesis — the student over-monitors in writing but cannot monitor in real-time speech

Answer

Krashen's monitor hypothesis predicts that the Monitor is most effective when learners have time to plan and focus on form, as in writing.

Question 3

Which variable is most associated with 'integrative motivation' in second language acquisition research?

Accepted Answer

Desire to connect with and be accepted by speakers of the target language

Answer

Integrative motivation, identified by Gardner and Lambert, involves wanting to belong to or identify with the target language community.

Question 4

A newcomer ELL student from a war-torn region shows difficulty concentrating and limited progress in English acquisition. The MOST likely contributing factor is:

Accepted Answer

Trauma and high affective filter interfering with language processing

Answer

Trauma elevates stress responses and raises the affective filter, significantly impairing a learner's ability to acquire new language.

Question 5

Transfer errors in a student's English writing that reflect the grammatical structure of the home language are called:

Accepted Answer

Negative transfer or interference

Answer

Negative transfer (interference) occurs when L1 structures are incorrectly mapped onto the L2, producing non-target-like forms.

CLAD Practice Test

CLAD Practice Test

CLAD Factors Affecting Language Acquisition 3