Study Guide
Field 022: Russian
Test Design and Framework
The test design below describes general assessment information. The framework that follows is a detailed outline that explains the knowledge and skills that this test measures.
Test Design
| Format | Computer-based test (CBT) |
|---|---|
| Number of Questions | 35 selected-response questions, 4 constructed-response assignments |
| Time* | 4 hours |
| Passing Score | 240 |
*Does not include 15-minute CBT tutorial
Test Framework
| Subareas | Range of Competencies | Approximate Percentage of Test |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Selected-Response | |||
| III | Language Structures | 0007–0009 | 27% |
| IV | Cultural Understanding and Language Acquisition | 0010–0012 | 23% |
| 50% | |||
| Constructed-Response | |||
| I | Listening Comprehension | 0001–0003 | 10% |
| II | Reading and Vocabulary | 0004–0006 | 10% |
| V | Written Expression | 0013 | 15% |
| VI | Oral Expression | 0014 | 15% |
| 50% | |||
Texts presented on the examination will be examples of language used by native speakers in authentic situations to serve genuine communicative functions among educated adults (e.g., to socialize, to obtain or impart information, to express opinions, to persuade, to entertain).
Subarea I–Listening Comprehension
Competency 0001–Understand spoken questions or other oral messages.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Understand a question or comment likely to be encountered in a social situation.
- Understand a request for information.
Competency 0002–Derive essential information from oral messages in real-life situations.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Understand the main idea or details in a spoken passage.
- Understand a telephone message or public address announcement.
- Understand a sequence of steps described in a set of oral directions.
- Understand a stated cause or effect of a situation described in an oral message.
Competency 0003–Infer meaning from oral communications.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Characterize the tone, mood, or point of view of one or more speakers.
- Analyze a relationship (e.g., cause-and-effect) implied but not stated in an oral communication.
- Analyze the social context of a spoken exchange or the relationship between speakers.
Subarea II–Reading and Vocabulary
Competency 0004–Understand the literal content of a variety of authentic materials.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Analyze a passage to determine the stated main idea or an accurate summary.
- Discern details regarding character, setting, or events described in a passage.
- Analyze a passage to determine the sequence of events.
Competency 0005–Apply skills of inference and interpretation in a variety of authentic materials.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Make inferences about setting or character from information provided in a passage.
- Discern implied cause-and-effect relationships in a passage.
- Infer an author's assumptions, purpose, or point of view in a passage.
- Interpret figurative language (e.g., metaphors, similes) in a literary passage.
Competency 0006–Select words, phrases, or sentences, including idiomatic expressions, to complete passages in Russian.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Determine appropriate language for travel situations (e.g., arranging for lodging, purchasing tickets for a group).
- Determine appropriate language for social situations (e.g., canceling an appointment, expressing a compliment).
- Determine appropriate language for everyday transactions (e.g., shopping, dining).
- Determine appropriate language for expressing attitudes, opinions, and judgments.
Subarea III–Language Structures
Competency 0007–Transform sentences or passages in context according to given instructions.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Transform a positive statement, question, or command to a negative one, or vice versa.
- Transform the tense or mood of a sentence or passage.
- Transform a sentence or passage from direct to indirect discourse, or vice versa.
- Combine two or more sentences into one sentence that preserves the meaning of the original sentences.
Competency 0008–Analyze sentences to determine grammatically correct words or phrases to complete them.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Use the correct noun or pronoun form or particle for a given context.
- Use verb forms or phrases as appropriate for a given context.
- Use the appropriate modifying word or phrase to complete a sentence.
- Use the appropriate subordinate clause to complete a sentence.
Competency 0009–Revise written passages to correct errors in structure and syntax that interfere with accurate communication.
The following topic is an example of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Select revisions to correct inappropriate use of tenses, forms, or constructions.
Subarea IV–Cultural Understanding and Language Acquisition
Competency 0010–Understand the historical development, geographic features, and social characteristics of Russian-speaking cultures.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Analyze the role of major historical events, figures, and movements in the development of Russian-speaking cultures.
- Relate natural geographic features (e.g., climate, location, natural resources) of Russian-speaking nations to the economies of these nations (e.g., mineral and agricultural products).
- Understand major social institutions (e.g., educational systems) and characteristic features of daily life in nations in which Russian is the major vehicle of communication.
Competency 0011–Understand the achievements of Russian-speaking cultures in the areas of literature, the nonliterary arts, science, and technology.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Identify the significance of major movements, writers, and works in the literature of the Russian-speaking world.
- Understand major movements, artists, and works in the visual arts and music of Russian-speaking cultures.
- Recognize scientific and technological achievements (historical or contemporary) of Russian-speaking cultures.
Competency 0012–Understand the process of language acquisition.
The following topics are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Analyze major theories of first- and second-language acquisition (e.g., the theories of Krashen and Cummins).
- Apply knowledge of the processes of first- and second-language acquisition.
Subarea V–Written Expression
Competency 0013–Write a well-organized passage of several paragraphs in Russian that is appropriate in style and diction for a given audience, purpose, and occasion and that communicates a message effectively through use of a range of vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and simple and complex linguistic constructions.
The following tasks are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Write a letter to a professor requesting a recommendation for a particular job or program of study, and include reasons for being interested in the job or academic program.
- Write an account describing to a teacher or other acquaintance the reasoning behind a significant personal decision.
- Write a letter of thanks addressed to an appropriate audience in a Russian-speaking culture (e.g., a family with whom the writer has spent a summer as an exchange student).
Subarea VI–Oral Expression
Competency 0014–In response to a prompt, construct connected oral discourse in Russian that communicates a message effectively and that demonstrates command of a range of vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and simple and complex language structures.
The following tasks are examples of content that may be covered under this competency.
- Describe events or actions in tenses appropriate to the task.
- Discuss advantages and disadvantages of an idea or proposed course of action.
- Respond to a hypothetical situation (e.g., a traffic accident) by explaining or describing events or by requesting assistance.