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Section 4: Sample Multiple-Choice Questions
WEST–E Bilingual Education (050)

The sample test questions in this study guide are designed to give you an introduction to the nature of the questions included in the Washington Educator Skills Tests—Endorsements (WEST–E). They represent the various types of questions you may expect to see on an actual test in this test field; however, they are not designed to predict your performance on the test as a whole.

Work through the sample questions carefully before referring to the answers. The correct response and test objective being assessed are provided for each question. When you are finished with the sample questions, you may wish to review the test objectives and descriptive statements provided in the test framework for this test field.

In addition to reading and answering the sample questions, you should also utilize the following preparation materials available in this study guide:

Practice Questions

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Language and Literacy Development

Objective 0001: Demonstrate knowledge of major concepts, theories, and research in first- and second-language acquisition.

1. A second-grade bilingual education teacher modifies his spoken language in class by speaking clearly and slowly, avoiding confusing idioms, repeating important concepts, and summarizing content frequently. The teacher most likely makes these modifications to provide students with:

  1. models of vocabulary usage.
  2. background knowledge.
  3. comprehensible input.
  4. examples of standard pronunciation.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.

2. During class discussion, an elementary school English Language Learner utters the sentence, "I drinked orange juice for breakfast." In this context, the sentence most likely exemplifies which of the following language acquisition processes?

  1. transfer of home language syntactic structures to English
  2. overgeneralization of an English suffix
  3. simplification of English speech to improve comprehensibility
  4. fossilization of an English dialect expression
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

3. A middle school bilingual education teacher plans a lesson on conversational repair strategies. The lesson will focus on vocabulary and sentence structures intended to enhance mutual understanding during discussions. The lesson is designed to primarily promote which of the following aspects of the students' communication skills?

  1. vocabulary knowledge
  2. strategic competence
  3. metalinguistic awareness
  4. discourse understanding
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Objective 0002: Demonstrate knowledge of variables that affect the process of language learning.

4. Which of the following statements best describes why a speaker may have an accent when speaking in a second language?

  1. The speaker is using aspects of the sound system of the first language when speaking in the second language.
  2. The speaker's first language has a different grammatical structure from the second language.
  3. The speaker's first language shares few cognate words with the second language.
  4. The speaker is using the rules for word and sentence structure in the first language when speaking in the second language.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.

5. In a bilingual education classroom that focuses on the development of biliteracy, which of the following strategies would best help students transfer literacy skills from the first language into the target language?

  1. providing students with ongoing opportunities to build proficiency in their first language
  2. allowing students to use first-language translations alongside target-language materials
  3. encouraging students to supplement target-language materials with first-language materials from the Internet or in the class library
  4. dividing students into learning groups based on their level of proficiency in the first language
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.

6. A four-year-old child and a thirteen-year-old child are newly arrived in the United States. Given the difference in age, the two children face the challenge of learning a new language with different sets of advantages and disadvantages. Which of the following statements most accurately describes the primary advantage that will differentiate the older child's language learning from that of the younger child?

  1. The older child's relative immaturity as a language user enhances the attention span required to learn a new language quickly.
  2. The older child has acquired the metacognitive skills that can be applied to master pronunciation of sounds in the new language.
  3. The older child has developed critical skills and background knowledge that can be used in processing a new language.
  4. The older child has the sociolinguistic skills and experience needed to understand formulaic and idiomatic expressions in the new language.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Objective 0003: Demonstrate knowledge of applied linguistics in the development of biliteracy.

7. A bilingual education teacher wants to help students who are having difficulty understanding idiomatic expressions in the target language. The teacher can best help the students understand these expressions by explaining that idiomatic expressions:

  1. have similar equivalents across most languages.
  2. can be analyzed like any other grammatical construction.
  3. can usually be interpreted by visualizing their content.
  4. are best learned and understood within their sociocultural context.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.

8. Prior to reading aloud in the classroom, a kindergarten bilingual education teacher always explicitly shows students how to hold the book, how to look at its cover, where to start reading, and in what direction to begin. The teacher's practice most effectively promotes students' academic progress by:

  1. engaging their distinctive learning styles.
  2. preparing them to receive handwriting instruction.
  3. helping them understand the alphabetic principle.
  4. enhancing their awareness that print carries meaning.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.

9. A bilingual education teacher shows students a short video in which actors use the target language to convey interpersonal expressions, such as requesting, apologizing, advising, and greeting, in a variety of social and conversational contexts. The teacher would most effectively use the video to provide instruction related to which of the following pragmatic features of language?

  1. dialectal variation
  2. informal discourse
  3. speech acts
  4. nonverbal cues
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.

Development and Assessment of Biliteracy

Objective 0004: Demonstrate knowledge of how to apply research-based best practices in first- and second-language instruction to plan, implement, adapt, and modify standards-based curricula and instruction for bilingual education students.

10. An elementary school bilingual education class contains students who are at varying levels of proficiency in both languages of instruction. Which of the following instructional strategies would best allow the teacher to promote the literacy development of all students?

  1. establishing small, flexible groups based on students' literacy skills and moving students from group to group as their literacy skills change
  2. creating a pull-out section for students who are performing at the lowest levels in both languages of instruction
  3. providing the same literacy assignments to all students, but giving them different amounts of time to complete the assignments
  4. setting up learning centers where students can practice literacy skills in both languages of instruction at their own pace
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.

11. Which of the following best explains the purpose of the Washington State English Language Development (ELD) Standards?

  1. to help teachers establish a common level and method of instruction that will best meet the needs of the most students
  2. to define heterogeneous groupings among English language learners that enable more effective performance-level content planning and instruction
  3. to set clear benchmarks of progress that reflect differences for students entering school at various grade levels and help teachers differentiate instruction
  4. to better predict language development and probable long-term achievement outcomes of students
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.

12. Which of the following statements most accurately describes the rationale for adopting Developmental Bilingual Education (DBE) as a model for a bilingual education program in an elementary school setting?

  1. Enhancing a student's proficiency in the native language contributes to the student's academic progress.
  2. Gaining proficiency in more than one language prepares students for careers in a multicultural economy.
  3. Learning a second language provides students with metalinguistic skills to promote the native language.
  4. Advancing students' native language skills promotes their ability to master knowledge that originates in their homes.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Objective 0005: Apply knowledge of differentiated instruction to provide bilingual education students with Washington State English Language Development (ELD) Standards–based listening and speaking instruction in English and the second language.

13. Use the information below to answer the question that follows.

A middle school bilingual education teacher creates the rubric below in both languages to help students prepare for a formal class presentation. The teacher breaks the students into groups of three or four and has students practice their presentations in these small groups. Each student takes a turn presenting to the group and then all the students, including the presenter, check the boxes on the rubric about the performance.

blank Most of the Time Some of the Time Needs More Work
looked at the audience
spoke clearly and not too fast
stayed on topic
used notes, but did not read them the entire time
presented a clear introduction and conclusion
answered questions from the other students

Which of the following activities should the students do next to further improve their oral communication skills?

  1. ask each presenter in the group questions about the content of his/her presentation
  2. write in a journal about the presentations and what they learned from each other
  3. discuss the rubric results in the small groups and get feedback and suggestions from each other
  4. write summaries of the points that needed improvement and turn them in for teacher review
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.

14. A social studies bilingual education teacher is teaching a seventh-grade class a unit on the United States Supreme Court. As part of the unit, the teacher gives students an assignment to summarize an important court case in the target language. During the revision stage of the students’ essay writing, the teacher engages students in peer review sessions by dividing the class into small groups and having students read aloud their essays and comment on the coherence, clarity, and persuasiveness of each other's writing. This small group activity most effectively promotes students' learning by:

  1. encouraging them to integrate prior knowledge with new facts and concepts.
  2. helping them build confidence through collaborative problem solving.
  3. enhancing their critical thinking in relation to listening and speaking.
  4. developing their self-monitoring skills for social communication.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.

15. A high school bilingual education teacher has students watch video clips recorded in the target language of diverse materials, such as daily news, weather forecasts, advertisements, and songs. The students then answer literal and inferential questions about the recorded materials. This practice would most effectively promote students' learning by enhancing their:

  1. cross-cultural communication skills.
  2. ability to integrate different language domains.
  3. interdisciplinary learning strategies.
  4. comprehension of authentic communication.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
Objective 0006: Apply knowledge of differentiated instruction to provide bilingual education students with Washington State English Language Development (ELD) Standards–based reading and writing instruction in English and the second language.

16. A bilingual education teacher is beginning English-language reading instruction with a group of intermediate-level eighth-grade students. According to the Washington State English Language Development (ELD) Standards, the teacher can most likely expect students who are at this grade and language proficiency level to be able to:

  1. use descriptive sentences to respond orally to formal letters and memos.
  2. use simple sentences to explain bus schedules, employment applications, or brochures.
  3. read and fill out employment and membership applications.
  4. comprehend informational text composed of simple phrases.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

17. Which of the following instructional activities is the best example of scaffolding in which first-language skills are used to foster target-language development?

  1. While students are rehearsing a skit in the target language, the teacher points out pronunciation differences between the first and target languages.
  2. During a reading activity, the teacher draws learners' attention to target-language cognates of first-language terms.
  3. In a class discussion, the teacher and students compare first- and target-language alphabets.
  4. The teacher has students translate a target-language text into the first language.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

18. A high school bilingual education teacher regularly introduces a new reading assignment of an informational or literary text by leading a classroom discussion that is intended to help students articulate background knowledge, personal experiences, and attitudes that are directly related to the content of the assigned text. The teacher then asks students to summarize in writing the main lessons they draw from the discussion. These prereading activities would most effectively improve students' reading proficiency by:

  1. developing their ability to draw inferences.
  2. scaffolding their use of comprehension strategies.
  3. reinforcing their automatic recall of relevant vocabulary.
  4. promoting their understanding of narrative development.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Objective 0007: Apply knowledge of how to support the development of bilingual education students' content-area knowledge and cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) in English and the second language of instruction.

19. A high school teacher is introducing a new content-area topic to a group of students who are at the intermediate level of language proficiency in the target language. Which of the following activities would best help students build on their first-language background skills and knowledge when working on the content-area topic in the target language?

  1. distributing first-language/target-language glossaries of content-specific terms for students to use during class discussions and when reading assigned texts
  2. asking students to generate a list of specific questions about the topic in both the first language and the target language and writing answers to the questions in both languages
  3. having students create a first-language idea web of concepts that they think are related to the topic and having them add to the web in both languages throughout the unit
  4. leading students in a library scavenger hunt activity in which they locate both first-language and target-language materials related to the topic
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.

20. An elementary school bilingual education teacher provides sheltered content instruction on Earth's water cycle to a group of bilingual education students. During instruction, the teacher encourages students to share personal knowledge that is directly related to various aspects of the water cycle, and to illustrate the information they share with photos they find online. The teacher's instruction most effectively achieves which of the following objectives?

  1. building on students' prior experiences to enhance content-area learning
  2. facilitating collaboration between students with different cultural backgrounds
  3. supporting students' diverse communication and learning styles
  4. providing students with a variety of content-specific learning strategies
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.

21. A second-grade bilingual education teacher is planning a social studies lesson that includes reading aloud a section from a textbook in the target language by taking the following steps:

These steps best exemplify which of the following critical factors involved in planning content-area instruction?

  1. incorporating students' prior knowledge
  2. providing students with comprehensible input
  3. addressing students' individual learning styles
  4. providing students with metalinguistic scaffolding
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Objective 0008: Demonstrate knowledge of principles and issues of assessment as they relate to the education of bilingual education students in English and the second language of instruction.

22. Parent notification of student qualification for language support services in Washington State must include:

  1. the child's expected entry and exit dates for the program.
  2. the extent of first-language use in the program expressed as a percentage.
  3. a detailed explanation of the school's prerogatives and responsibilities.
  4. a list of bilingual programs available in the child's school and district.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.

23. In contrast to a criterion-referenced language test, a norm-referenced language test would be most appropriate for a bilingual education teacher to use for which of the following purposes?

  1. assessing the language performance of students in relation to a representative sample
  2. comparing students' achievements against state and national benchmarks
  3. establishing an outline of students' current language proficiency
  4. evaluating students' mastery of a language concept to be introduced
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Objective 0009: Demonstrate knowledge of methods of assessment as they relate to the education of bilingual education students in English and the second language of instruction.

24. During content-area instruction in the target language, a bilingual education teacher has students demonstrate achievement in a variety of ways, including oral presentations, written assignments, informal class discussions, and the creation of multimedia materials such as videos. Which of the following goals does the teacher achieve by having students demonstrate achievement in this way?

  1. encouraging experimentation with new material in novel contexts
  2. drawing connections between native and school cultures
  3. ensuring the fairness and accuracy of classroom assessment
  4. interrelating interdisciplinary content and skills
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.

25. A bilingual education teacher wants to assess students' progress in learning the target language by informally observing their use of vocabulary, grammar, and social language skills during academic work in the classroom. Which of the following strategies would most effectively enable the teacher to achieve this goal?

  1. taking notes on students' individual learning needs prior to conducting observations
  2. creating checklists that help conduct observations in a systematic manner
  3. conducting observations during students' independent work to avoid interruptions
  4. planning observations that help interpret the results of more standardized assessments
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

Cultural Foundations of Bilingual Education

Objective 0010: Apply knowledge of major concepts, theories, and research related to the nature of culture.

26. Use the information below to answer the question that follows.

A bilingual education teacher asks students to take advertisements from newspapers and magazines written in their first language and work in groups to translate the advertisements into the target language. The students then translate target-language advertisements into the first language. As a class, they look at the new advertisements together and evaluate whether or not the advertisements are still effective.

This activity will most likely foster students':

  1. awareness of the relationship between language and culture.
  2. ability to reflect on their own culturally influenced beliefs.
  3. integration in an increasingly culturally diverse environment.
  4. comprehension of the concept of cultural universals.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.

27. In the context of contemporary social life in the United States, which of the following demographic characteristics of a community best demonstrates that its members endorse the value of cultural pluralism?

  1. Community members participate in a variety of voluntary organizations serving different civic functions.
  2. Families in the community have the choice of enrolling their children in several public and private schools.
  3. Political leaders in the community publicly identify themselves with different ethnic and religious groups.
  4. Governmental officials are chosen by community members through democratic elections held every two years.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.

28. A middle school bilingual education teacher has students create a family-tree diagram as a visual representation of their respective extended families. Students use the target language to write brief biographical notes on individual family members represented in the diagram. This activity most effectively enables the teacher to teach students which of the following aspects of culture?

  1. cultural values associated with gender
  2. normative behaviors sanctioned by culture
  3. cultural processes of accommodation
  4. internal and external elements of culture
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
Objective 0011: Apply knowledge of diverse cultural groups and how cultural identity affects the teaching and learning of bilingual education students.

29. A bilingual education teacher is keeping a personal journal in which he reflects on his reactions to the different interactions he has with students from various cultures in the classroom. This activity would best help a teacher become aware of:

  1. the common language-learning difficulties that bilingual education students must overcome.
  2. how teachers' personal cultural values and identity can influence their teaching practices.
  3. the practical advantages for bilingual education teachers of speaking a second language.
  4. how students' prior knowledge and experience can interfere with content-area learning.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

30. A bilingual education teacher notices that several students in the class are having difficulty completing assignments that require extensive independent work in class. In determining how best to support these students, the teacher should first consider whether the students:

  1. set unrealistically high standards for themselves and want to avoid being seen making mistakes.
  2. lose focus when working independently and need more strictly defined limits and expectations.
  3. have personal interests and preferences that do not overlap with the curricular content.
  4. come from a cultural background in which learning is teacher-led and direct instruction is the norm.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.

31. A bilingual education teacher works with a group of students from multiple cultural communities. The teacher regularly organizes group work by dividing students into culturally diverse groupings and having students in each group discuss and solve open-ended, content-based problems. The teacher's approach to group work effectively contributes to a learning environment that is responsive to students' cultural identities primarily by:

  1. developing students' understanding of the value of cultural universalism.
  2. fostering positive cross-cultural communication among students.
  3. building primarily on students' cultural funds of knowledge.
  4. helping students adapt to the school culture.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Objective 0012: Demonstrate knowledge of culturally inclusive instruction and how to incorporate cultural and linguistic diversity into instruction to support the teaching and learning of bilingual education students.

32. In a culturally diverse school, a teacher is trying to plan an activity that would help students evaluate their personal attitudes, experiences, and behavior concerning their own cultural heritage and that of all other students in the school. Which of the following activities would best achieve this goal?

  1. celebrating festivals from various cultures in the classroom
  2. organizing frequent roundtable discussions about culture with the students
  3. decorating the classroom with maps and objects from various cultures
  4. providing students with ample literature related to culture
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

33. At the beginning of the school year, a bilingual education teacher meets with students' parents/guardians to learn about their cultural backgrounds and home cultures. The teacher then searches Internet sources for more systematic knowledge to augment the information provided by parents/guardians. The teacher uses these sources of information to create lesson plans that provide students with opportunities for sharing their distinctive home cultures and cultural experiences during relevant content lessons. The teacher's actions most effectively achieve which of the following instructional objectives?

  1. developing students' culturally influenced communication and learning styles
  2. facilitating collaboration among students with different cultural norms and values
  3. using the cultural diversity of the classroom to foster students' critical-thinking skills
  4. building on students' knowledge to create a culturally responsive learning environment
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.

Professional Leadership

Objective 0013: Demonstrate knowledge of the historical, legal, and research foundations of education for bilingual education students in Washington State and in the United States.

34. Use the information below to answer the question that follows.

Bilingual education programs must be anchored in the following criteria:
  • sound educational theory;
  • adequate resources and personnel that are evident in the program;
  • sound practices that produce results in both language and content areas.

Which of the following court decisions is reflected in the above criteria?

  1. Brown v. Board of Education
  2. Lau v. Nichols
  3. Serna v. Portales Municipal Schools
  4. Castañeda v. Pickard
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.

35. The philosophical and theoretical foundations of programs in bilingual education in the United States are primarily based on espousing which of the following values?

  1. cultural diversity
  2. international cooperation
  3. social justice
  4. freedom of speech
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Objective 0014: Demonstrate knowledge of how to serve as an effective resource and advocate for bilingual education students and their families.

36. A bilingual education teacher wants to encourage students and their families to read books and watch films in the family's home language on a regular basis and to familiarize themselves with print and film resources available in the community. The teacher could best achieve this goal by:

  1. organizing bilingual family nights at the local library during which families can become familiar with the library borrowing system and the materials available in the library.
  2. discussing the purpose of these activities during a family evening at school and distributing a list of suggested books and films available in the school and local libraries.
  3. asking local businesses and shops to participate in a project promoting the importance for families of preserving their language and culture through education.
  4. asking the school principal to address a letter to the families explaining the importance of these activities in the development of the students' linguistic skills.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.

37. Which of the following strategies would best promote a classroom environment that supports cultural understanding?

  1. providing students with opportunities to debate cultural issues such as stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination
  2. creating classroom displays and bulletin boards that include images of food and crafts from students' home cultures
  3. leading students in discussions about what their cultures have in common and encouraging students to focus on these commonalties
  4. identifying opportunities for community members to contribute their knowledge and experiences to the class
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.

38. A bilingual education teacher sets up volunteer training sessions for parents/guardians of English Language Learners who expressed interest in volunteering but are unsure what services would be most helpful to the teacher and students. The teacher also meets with parents/guardians who volunteer to serve on school committees to discuss their role as committee members. The teacher's actions most effectively achieve which of the following goals?

  1. encouraging families to provide students with challenging learning opportunities
  2. empowering families' involvement in the education of students
  3. helping families form realistic expectations for students' academic performance
  4. raising families' awareness of the individual needs of students
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Objective 0015: Demonstrate knowledge of the role of the bilingual education teacher as a professional resource in the learning community and how to collaborate with other educational staff to support bilingual education students' language learning and school achievement.

39. A bilingual education teacher is leading a workshop designed to foster a deeper understanding of bilingual education students among all faculty and staff. Which of the following activities would best help the bilingual education teacher achieve this goal?

  1. providing instructional technology guidelines to help faculty and staff access cultural information about students' native cultures on the Web
  2. having faculty and staff attempt to follow oral directions given in an unfamiliar language and then discuss their reactions to the exercise
  3. leading faculty and staff in reading and discussing short articles or stories written by authors from different cultural backgrounds
  4. having faculty and staff work in small groups to brainstorm what they know about diverse cultures represented at the school
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

40. During a middle school professional training conference, a bilingual education teacher will be working with a group of content-area teachers on developing English Language Learners' vocabulary knowledge to enhance content learning. In this context, which of the following strategies would be most appropriate for the bilingual education teacher to adopt?

  1. presenting aspects of ESL programs that focus on academic vocabulary building
  2. discussing a selection of ESL-related articles on teaching academic vocabulary
  3. modeling ESL techniques for teaching academic vocabulary in the classroom
  4. reviewing ESL-related online resources on teaching academic vocabulary
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.