Final Exam Answers: Comprehension & Spoken English

Part I: Listening

1. In this article, the word “season” specifically refers to…

(a) Winter

(b) The time period between Thanksgiving and Christmas

(c) The day after Thanksgiving

(d) The snowy season

2. When is “Black Friday”?

(a) The time period between Thanksgiving and Christmas

(b) The fourth Thursday in November

(c) The day after Thanksgiving

(d) The day before Thanksgiving

3. What do Americans do on “Black Friday”?

(a) They all go shopping.

(b) They wear black clothes.

(c) They eat Thanksgiving food.

(d) They do a variety of activities.

4. Why is “Black Friday” important to consumer markets?

(a) People start shopping for Christmas gifts.

(b) Products are much more expensive.

(c) Americans go to the movies.

(d) Americans buy lots of souvenirs in Washington.

5. The main idea of this article is…

(a) Thanksgiving is an important American holiday.

(b) Each American family has its own “Black Friday” traditions.

(c) All Americans go shopping on “Black Friday” because stores have big sales.

(d) Shopping is an essential activity after Thanksgiving.

Part II: Reading

**There may be more than one correct answer. Definitions MUST reflect the use of the word in the context of the text.**

lifeline: an essential life-saving tool

leapfrogged: moved, traveled, lived in multiple location

peers: people who are equal to one another in ability, age, background etc.

tenant: a person who rents, lives in or holds land for a temporary period of time

**There may be more than one correct answer. Answers are NOT correct if they simply copied the text without proving that you understand what it means.**

7. Why did Hui Lin feel “nervous” on her first day of eighth grade?

Hui Lin felt nervous on her first day of eighth grade because she was "the only Asian in her class." She thought her classmates may not be accepting of a student from another culture/country.

8. Now that Hui Lin’s family is in America, what is their financial situation?

Even though Hui Lin's family is in America, "money is still tight." In other words, her family is still poor. We know this because they share both an apartment and a bed.

9. Write the main idea in one complete sentence.

Hui Lin's parents sacrificed a lot for the sake of their daughter's education. OR English has acted as a "lifeline" for Hui Lin by giving her access to American society. OR Despite financial difficulties, Hui Lin has still managed to succeed in her English studies.

Part III: Vocabulary

1. First, I usually skim the article in order to find the main idea.

2. The boisterous students in elementary school constantly disrupt class.

3. I continued to spend money during the recession, whereas my brother decided to economize.

4. We hope that the administration repairs the crumbling buildings before they fall down!

5. Engineers probably earn a larger salary than teachers.

6. Studying the same grammatical concept for many hours is extremely tedious.

7. Some of the most gifted students in the United States cannot stay after graduation because they cannot get a green card.

8. I think I got the gist of the article, but I didn’t understand some specific sentences.

9. Climate change affects the Moroccan economy because agriculture is a major industry here.

10. Chris likes to travel spontaneously. In other words, he is unpredictable and doesn’t plan his vacations.