Stanford Achievement Test Stanford Achievement Listening Comprehension 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student hears a passage about recycling and is asked what problem recycling helps solve. This question tests the ability to identify—
- A problem-and-solution relationship (Correct answer)
- A compare-and-contrast relationship
- Figurative language
- The speaker's tone
Correct answer: A problem-and-solution relationship
Identifying what problem a solution addresses requires recognizing the problem-and-solution text structure.
Question 2: When a student listens and the narrator says 'for example,' the student should expect to hear—
- A specific illustration of the previous idea (Correct answer)
- A contrasting statement
- A summary of the whole passage
- A new, unrelated topic
Correct answer: A specific illustration of the previous idea
'For example' signals that a concrete instance will be given to clarify the preceding idea.
Question 3: A student hears: 'Tom ran faster than any other student in the school.' This sentence tells the listener that Tom is—
- The fastest runner in the school (Correct answer)
- One of the slowest runners
- As fast as other students
- An average runner
Correct answer: The fastest runner in the school
Running faster than any other student means Tom is the fastest runner in the school.
Question 4: Which skill is MOST directly measured by asking a student to retell a story just heard in their own words?
- Listening recall and comprehension (Correct answer)
- Phonemic awareness
- Decoding skills
- Spelling accuracy
Correct answer: Listening recall and comprehension
Retelling a story in one's own words demonstrates recall and understanding of what was heard.
Question 5: A passage describes rain clouds forming, strong winds starting, and then heavy rain falling. What organizational structure is this?
- Chronological order (Correct answer)
- Compare and contrast
- Problem and solution
- Descriptive
Correct answer: Chronological order
Events unfolding in time—clouds, then wind, then rain—represent chronological (time) order.
Question 6: A student hears the sentence: 'She was as brave as a lion.' This is an example of a—
- Simile (Correct answer)
- Metaphor
- Hyperbole
- Alliteration
Correct answer: Simile
A simile compares two things using 'as' or 'like'; here, her bravery is compared to a lion using 'as.'
Question 7: In the Stanford Achievement Test Listening Comprehension section, why are students NOT allowed to look at a written version of the passage?
- To isolate and assess listening skills specifically (Correct answer)
- To make the test shorter
- To allow students to use dictionaries
- To test reading speed
Correct answer: To isolate and assess listening skills specifically
Withholding written text ensures the test measures listening comprehension rather than reading ability.
Stanford Achievement Test Stanford Achievement Listening Comprehension 5
A student hears a passage about recycling and is asked what problem recycling helps solve.
This question tests the ability to identify—