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- Intensive Listening
Intensive listening requires students to perceive phonemes, words, intonation, discourse markers, and other components of a larger stretch of language [Brown 2004].
The following is an excellent example of an intensive listening test online. The test-taker must listen to the recording and read along, filling in any blanks by selecting the word choice that matches with the words heard in the recording. Example 1: Intensive Listening Cloze Test [make sure to press the play button on the silver bar at the top of the web page].
This next example requires students to listen to a very short dialogue while reading the corresponding fill-in-the-blank script. The test-taker must listen carefully in order to fill in the words that are left blank. Example 2: Intensive Listening Short Dialogue
- Responsive Listening
Responsive listening requires students to listen to a relatively short stretch of language [a greeting, question, command, comprehension check, etc.] in order to make an equally short response [Brown 2004].
This quiz gives test-takers questions in audio for which there are multiple choice responses to choose from. It will successfully test a student's comrehension of short questions. Example 1: Responsive Listening Choice Response
This is a slightly different example of a responsive listening test in which the student needs to look at a map and then listen to one question at a time regarding the map. The response choices are true or false. Example 2: Responsive Listening True/False Response
- Selective Listening
Selective listening requires students to process stretches of discourse such as short monologues while scanning them for specific information like names, numbers, directions, or certain facts and events [Brown 2004].
One such example requires students to listen to a 46 second dialogue between a little boy and his father. Students will then answer 5 multiple choice questions about specific facts that are mentioned within the dialogue. Example 1: Selective Listening Multiple Choice [make sure to look for "II. Listening Exercises" and click play to listen before answering questions].
This next example requires students to listen to a slightly longer [minute-long] recording of an autobiographical monologue. Students must listen to the monologue and answer 6 related questions regarding dates, places, and other specific information. Example 2: Selective Listening Fact Recollection
- Extensive Listening
Extensive listening requires students to comprehend or make inferences about the main idea of a lengthy lecture or conversation [Brown 2004].
This first example is a long text about Christopher Columbus. In order for this to work, the test-taker must click on the "Hide text while playing" box at the top left of the page. The teacher administering this test can have students listen to this long passage, and then have them write down the main idea or a very short summary of the passage once they have finished listening. Example 1: Extensive Christopher Columbus Audio
Another example of an extensive listening test would be to have students listen to the teacher tell a story, or to listen to a recording of a story like the following, and then write a few short sentences about the main idea [or a short summary] of the story. The following website can be used to administer an extensive listening test with story recordings. Choose any of the optional stories given on this website, but do not use the visuals for the examination. Example 2: Extensive Listening Story Recording
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