CLAD (NI) 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which statement best reflects the relationship between interaction and language acquisition according to the Interaction Hypothesis?
- Interaction is a luxury supplement to grammar-based instruction
- Interaction creates ideal conditions for acquisition by connecting comprehensible input to communicative breakdown (Correct answer)
- Interaction is most beneficial only for advanced learners
- Interaction hinders acquisition by exposing learners to errors from peers
Correct answer: Interaction creates ideal conditions for acquisition by connecting comprehensible input to communicative breakdown
Long's Interaction Hypothesis holds that negotiation of meaning during interaction creates the optimal conditions for acquiring new linguistic forms.
Question 2: A bilingual student uses English in academic settings and Spanish at home. This behavior is best described as:
- Language fossilization
- Code-switching reflecting natural bilingual competence (Correct answer)
- Language attrition of Spanish
- A sign of limited English proficiency only
Correct answer: Code-switching reflecting natural bilingual competence
Code-switching between languages across contexts is a normal, sophisticated communicative behavior in bilingual individuals, not a language deficit.
Question 3: Which instructional strategy best promotes 'pushed output' as described by Swain's Output Hypothesis?
- Allowing students to listen only and never produce language
- Providing students with sentence completion worksheets with one correct answer
- Requiring students to explain a concept to a peer, prompting precision and accuracy (Correct answer)
- Asking students to memorize vocabulary definitions
Correct answer: Requiring students to explain a concept to a peer, prompting precision and accuracy
Explaining a concept to a peer requires learners to produce precise, accurate language, pushing them beyond their current comfort zone.
Question 4: In the CLAD framework, 'affective filter' refers to:
- A physical barrier in the brain blocking language input
- Emotional and motivational factors that influence how much input a learner processes (Correct answer)
- The speed at which learners process phonological information
- A standardized measure of reading comprehension
Correct answer: Emotional and motivational factors that influence how much input a learner processes
Krashen's Affective Filter Hypothesis posits that anxiety, low motivation, or low self-confidence raise a mental block that inhibits language acquisition even when input is present.
Question 5: Which classroom environment best lowers the affective filter for English language learners?
- High-stakes testing announced without prior notice
- A stress-free, inclusive setting where errors are treated as natural steps in learning (Correct answer)
- Ranking students publicly by English proficiency level
- Limiting ELL students to separate, isolated instructional spaces
Correct answer: A stress-free, inclusive setting where errors are treated as natural steps in learning
A supportive, low-anxiety classroom environment reduces emotional barriers, allowing learners to take risks and engage more fully with language input.
Question 6: A student frequently reformulates their sentences mid-utterance while speaking, showing self-monitoring. This behavior indicates the student is using:
- The Monitor in Krashen's Monitor Model (Correct answer)
- An affective filter set to high
- Interlanguage fossilization
- Silent period regression
Correct answer: The Monitor in Krashen's Monitor Model
Krashen's Monitor is the internal editor that learners use to review and adjust output when they have time and focus on form.
Question 7: Which of the following best distinguishes 'acquisition' from 'learning' in Krashen's model?
- Acquisition involves explicit grammar rules; learning is subconscious
- Acquisition is subconscious and implicit; learning is conscious and rule-based (Correct answer)
- Acquisition applies only to children; learning applies only to adults
- There is no meaningful difference between the two processes
Correct answer: Acquisition is subconscious and implicit; learning is conscious and rule-based
Krashen distinguishes acquisition (the subconscious process of internalizing language through use) from learning (the conscious study of grammar rules).
CLAD (NI) 5
Which statement best reflects the relationship between interaction and language acquisition according to the Interaction Hypothesis?