Study Guide

Field 123: Latin 
Sample Presentational Speaking Assignment

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The following materials contain:

General Test Directions

This test consists of four sections. Directions for each section appear immediately before the section.

Test Directions for the Presentational Speaking Assignment

[ start bold Note to examinee: end bold  These test directions are provided here to familiarize you with the directions you will see on the actual test. They may refer to features whose functionality is not enabled in this study guide. You will hear and see on the screen:]

For this section of the test, you will record a spoken response in the target language to an assignment presented on-screen.

The presentational speaking assignment will be presented on the next screen, and the screen timer in the upper right corner of the screen will count down the allotted preparation time. You will have two minutes to review the assignment and prepare your response.

When the preparation time is complete, the screen will automatically advance, and you will record your response to the assignment. Do NOT begin speaking until the screen advances and you see the recorder box presented on-screen. After 3 seconds, a tone will indicate when to begin speaking and the recorder box will show "Recording."  start bold You will have two (2) minutes to record your response. end bold  A sample of the recorder box appears below.

recorded answer box

You can monitor your recording time by referring to the timer, which will count up from 00:01 to 02:00. Bars will appear with the sound of your voice while the recording is in progress.

At the conclusion of your response time, the recorder box will change to "Complete" indicating the conclusion of the assignment.

recorded answer box

Once the recorder box shows "Complete," you may select the Next button to continue with the remainder of the test. Do NOT click  start bold Next end bold  until you have finished recording your response.  start bold If you advance to the next screen with recording time remaining, you will not be able to go back. end bold 

You will be provided with a list of topics to help direct your response to the assignment. You must address every topic on the list, but you are not limited in your response to only the points mentioned. However, your response must be relevant to the assignment, and part of your score will be based on the degree to which you elaborate by addressing the required topics and any other points of your choosing.

You may use the erasable notebooklet provided to make notes; however,  start bold you will be scored only on the response that is recorded in the test. end bold 

Your response to the oral expression assignment will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

 start bold CONTENT: end bold   adequacy of the information presented, including the number of ideas, the development of ideas, and the depth and specificity of supporting details

 start bold COHERENCE: end bold   organization and clarity of ideas communicated

 start bold GRAMMAR: end bold   accuracy of grammatical and syntactic constructions (e.g., conjugation of verbs, appropriate use of tenses, subject/pronoun and article/noun agreement)

 start bold VOCABULARY: end bold   command of vocabulary and idiomatic expressions and appropriateness of word choice

 start bold FLUENCY: end bold   ability to maintain a flow of speech, without hesitation or pauses which affect the overall comprehensibility of the response

 start bold PRONUNCIATION: end bold   comprehensibility of articulation and the appropriateness of stress

Be sure to speak about the assigned topic. You may not use any reference materials during the test.

You will have only  start bold and uppercase ONE end bold and uppercase  opportunity to record your response. Once the recording has begun, it cannot be stopped, nor can you re-record your response.

Select the  start bold Next end bold  button to begin the assignment.

Sample Presentational Speaking Assignment

subarea roman numeral 5 
Presentational Speaking

[ start bold Note to examinee: end bold  During the test, you will hear and see on-screen the directions below (for complete test directions to this assignment, see above):]

 start bold Begin your oral reading of the passage now. You may take up to 4 minutes to complete your reading. end bold 

[In this passage from Ovid's Metamorphoses written in dactylic hexameter, Ceyx tells the story of Daedalion, a man who became a bird.]

Et flēbat: moveat tantōs quae causa dolōrēs,
Pēleusque comitēsque rogant; quibus ille profātur:
"Forsitan hanc volucrem, raptō quae vīvit et omnēs
terret avēs, semper pennās habuisse putētis:
vir fuit (et—tanta est animī cōnstantia—iam tum
ācer erat bellōque ferox ad vimque parātus)
nōmine Daedaliōn. Illō genitōre creātis,
quī vocat Aurōram caelōque novissimus exit,
culta mihī pāx est, pācis mihi cūra tenendae
coniugiīque fuit, frātrī fera bella placēbant:
illīus virtūs rēgēs gentēsque subēgit,
quae nunc Thisbaeās agitat mūtāta columbās."

 start bold  start uppercase DO NOT end uppercase  click the Next button unless you have finished recording your response. end bold 

Strong Response Characteristics for the Presentational Speaking Assignment

A strong response to this assignment would present an effective oral reading of the Latin passage that demonstrates a strong understanding of the passage.

A strong response would be delivered with coherence and ease of expression, and with careful attention to Latin pronunciation conventions, syllabic stress, elisions, and, where applicable, meter (poetry). Pronunciation used would be either consistently classical or consistently ecclesiastical.

A strong response would effectively express the meaning of the Latin passage using vocal tone and phrasing appropriate to the mood, sense, and, where applicable, meter (poetry). A strong response would effectively use logical placement and duration of pauses to group and phrase words that are syntactically and semantically linked. Minor errors and occasional nonproductive pauses, if present, would not interfere with the overall comprehensibility.

Performance Characteristics for the Presentational Speaking Assignment

The following characteristics guide the scoring of responses to the presentational speaking assignment.

characteristics that guide the scoring of responses
Appropriateness the extent to which the response is an oral reading of the Latin passage that demonstrates understanding of the passage
Fluency the extent to which the response is delivered with coherence and ease of expression, and with attention to Latin pronunciation conventions, syllabic stress, elisions, and where applicable, meter
Expressiveness the extent to which the response expresses the meaning of the Latin passage using vocal tone and phrasing appropriate to the mood, sense, and where applicable, meter
Phrasing the extent to which the response uses logical placement and duration of pauses to group and phrase words that are syntactically and semantically linked

Scoring Scale for the Presentational Speaking Assignment

Scores will be assigned to each response to the presentational speaking assignment according to the following scoring scale.

score scale with description for each score point.
Score Point Score Point Description
4  start bold The "4" response reflects an effective oral reading of the Latin passage. end bold 
  • The response is an effective oral reading of the Latin passage that demonstrates a strong understanding of the passage. Minor errors do not interfere with overall comprehensibility.
  • The response is effectively delivered with coherence; with ease of expression; and with careful attention to Latin pronunciation conventions, syllabic stress, elisions, and where applicable, meter. Minor errors and a few nonproductive pauses do not interfere with overall comprehensibility.
  • The response effectively expresses the meaning of the Latin passage using vocal tone and phrasing appropriate to the mood, sense, and where applicable, meter. Minor errors do not interfere with overall comprehensibility.
  • The response effectively uses logical placement and duration of pauses to group and phrase words that are syntactically and semantically linked. Minor errors and a few nonproductive pauses do not interfere with overall comprehensibility.
3  start bold The "3" response reflects a generally effective oral reading of the Latin passage. end bold 
  • The response is a generally effective oral reading of the Latin passage that demonstrates general understanding of the passage. Some errors may interfere with comprehensibility.
  • The response is generally delivered with coherence; with ease of expression; and with general attention to Latin pronunciation conventions, syllabic stress, elisions, and where applicable, meter. Some errors, occasional stumbling, and nonproductive pauses may interfere with comprehensibility.
  • The response generally expresses the meaning of the Latin passage using vocal tone and phrasing generally appropriate to the mood, sense, and where applicable, meter. Some errors may interfere with comprehensibility.
  • The response generally uses logical placement and duration of pauses to group and phrase words that are syntactically and semantically linked. Some errors and nonproductive pauses may interfere with comprehensibility.
2  start bold The "2" response reflects a partially effective oral reading of the Latin passage. end bold 
  • The response is a partially effective oral reading of the Latin passage that demonstrates limited understanding of the passage. Frequent errors interfere with comprehensibility.
  • The response is only partially coherent and is delivered unevenly, with limited attention to Latin pronunciation conventions, syllabic stress, elisions, and where applicable, meter. Frequent errors, stumbling, and/or nonproductive pauses interfere with comprehensibility.
  • The response only partially expresses the meaning of the Latin passage and only partially uses vocal tone and phrasing appropriate to the mood, sense, and where applicable, meter. Frequent errors interfere with comprehensibility.
  • The response uses limited placement and duration of pauses to group and phrase words that are syntactically and semantically linked. Frequent errors and nonproductive pauses interfere with comprehensibility.
1  startbold The "1" response reflects an ineffective oral reading of the Latin passage. end bold 
  • The response is an ineffective oral reading of the Latin passage that demonstrates little to no understanding of the passage.
  • The response shows little to no coherence and is delivered unevenly, with little to no attention to Latin pronunciation conventions, syllabic stress, elisions, and where applicable, meter. Nonproductive pauses, stumbling, and/or largely unintelligible pronunciation significantly interfere with comprehensibility.
  • The response expresses little to none of the meaning of the Latin passage and uses little to none of the vocal tone and phrasing appropriate to the mood, sense, and where applicable, meter.
  • The response uses little to no placement and duration of pauses to group and phrase words that are syntactically and semantically linked.
U  start bold The response is unrelated to the assigned topic, inaudible/incomprehensible, not spoken in the required language, or not of sufficient length to score. end bold 
B  start bold There is no response to the assignment. end bold