Preparation Manual

Domain I—Interpretive Listening

Competency 001—Demonstrate literal comprehension of a variety of formal and informal oral messages in the target language from across the target-language-speaking world.

1. Welche Erwiderung der Frau passt am besten zum Ende des Dialogs?

1. Mein Mann badet lieber.
2. Ich brauche morgens nur eine Tasse Kaffee.
3. Ich mag Balkone lieber.
4. Das Mittagessen ist meinem Mann zu früh.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option B is correct. This question requires the examinee to select an appropriate response to a spoken comment. At the end of the dialogue, the hotel manager is trying to sell a breakfast with the room. The woman's response that she only needs a cup of coffee in the morning is the only appropriate response in this context.

Competency 002—Demonstrate inferential and analytical comprehension of a variety of formal and informal oral messages in the target language from across the target-language-speaking world.

2. Die Frau nimmt wahrscheinlich das Zimmer:

1. mit Aussicht auf die Berge.
2. mit Badewanne.
3. mit Aussicht auf den See.
4. mit Balkon.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option A is correct. This question requires the examinee to draw conclusions based on information presented in an oral message. According to the dialogue, the woman needs a room for two people with a shower. She asks the clerk if there might be a room with a view on the lake. The hotel clerk says that there are no rooms with a view on the lake available but that there is a double room with a view of the mountains available and a single room with a balcony. Based on the woman's preferences, it is likely that she will take the double room with the view of the mountains because she does not want a single room, nor a room with a bath, and the room with the view on the lake is not available.

Domain II—Interpretive Reading

Competency 003—Demonstrate literal comprehension of a variety of authentic materials written in the target language from across the target-language-speaking world.

3. Laut des Briefes hatte Frau Muster die Stelle als Redakteurin in Jena bekommen, weil:

1. sie sehr gute Arbeit leistete.
2. sie sich für die Stelle interessierte.
3. sie einen sehr guten Studienabschluss hatte.
4. sie in eine Stadt ziehen wollte.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option A is correct. This question requires the examinee to recognize a cause-and-effect relationship described in a passage. According to the letter, as an intern (Volontärin), Frau Muster demonstrated that she was an excellent editor, so the newspaper hired her.

Competency 004—Demonstrate inferential and analytical comprehension of a variety of authentic materials written in the target language from across the target-language-speaking world.

4. Laut des Briefes möchte Frau Muster:

1. weniger den Lokalteil redigieren.
2. jetzt nach Berlin gehen.
3. weniger Stress haben.
4. jetzt ihre Stelle wechseln.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option D is correct. This question requires the examinee to draw conclusions based on information presented in a passage. According to the letter, Frau Muster wants to learn more, which she can do only if she works for a larger newspaper. Therefore, she has to change jobs.

Domain III—Language Structures

Competency 005—Understand the language structures of the target language.

5. Welche der folgenden Wörter sind in diesen Sätzen grammatikalisch korrekt?

Female: Kennst du _____ Mann?
Male: _____ meinst du?

1. dieser / Welchen
2. diese / Welcher
3. diesen / Welchen
4. diese / Welche

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option C is correct. This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the morphology of German. In the two questions in the dialogue, the missing words should be in the masculine, singular, accusative form. The correct inflectional endings for these words follow the form of "der" words. The masculine, singular, accusative ending for "der" words is "-en".

Competency 006—Apply knowledge of the language structures of the target language.

6. Welcher der vier Sätze ist die richtige Verbindung der folgenden beiden Sätze unter Beibehaltung der ursprünglichen Bedeutung?

Mein Freund wird mich am Wochenende besuchen. Sein Bruder wohnt auch in Hamburg.

1. Mein Freund, der Bruder auch in Hamburg wohnt, wird mich am Wochenende besuchen.
2. Mein Freund wird mich am Wochenende besuchen, dessen Bruder auch in Hamburg wohnt.
3. Mein Freund wird mich am Wochenende besuchen, sein Bruder auch in Hamburg wohnt.
4. Mein Freund, dessen Bruder auch in Hamburg wohnt, wird mich am Wochenende besuchen.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option D is correct. This question requires the examinee to transform sentences in German according to given instructions. To combine the two sentences while preserving their original meaning, it is necessary to determine the position of the relative clause in the final sentence and to use the appropriate relative pronoun and case. Since the relative clause provides more information about the friend, it must be positioned immediately after the word Freund in the final sentence. Since the relative pronoun relates back to the noun Freund, it takes the gender and number of that word. The case of the relative pronoun is determined by its function within the relative clause. In this sentence, the relative pronoun denotes possession, so it must be in the genitive case. The masculine, singular, genitive ending for the relative pronoun "der" is dessen.

Domain IV—Cultural Understanding

Competency 007—Understand the geography and major developments in the history of the target-language-speaking world and their cultural impact.

7. In the 1950s, a cornerstone of policies shaped by the Federal Republic of Germany's first chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, was the:

1. development of regional political cooperation among the German states.
2. integration of Germany with Western European economic and military alliances.
3. establishment of business and commercial ties with Eastern European states.
4. attainment of political reunification between East Germany and West Germany.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option B is correct. This question requires the examinee to analyze the roles of major figures in the history of the German-speaking world and their influence on the development and evolution on their respective cultures. World War II2 severely disrupted the German economy and brought the defeat of the existing German government. As German chancellor during the era immediately following this war, Konrad Adenauer's goals included rebuilding the country's economy and achieving reconciliation with its Western European neighbors. These goals were more important to him than achieving reunification or establishing ties with Communist-dominated Eastern European countries.

Competency 008—Understand the practices, products, and perspectives of target-language-speaking cultures and how they relate to one another.

8. In many German cities, a traffic sign with the word Umwelt inside a red circle prohibits vehicles that do not display an appropriate windshield sticker from entering designated zones. The creation of these sticker zones most reflects German concern with:

1. preventing annoying and disruptive noise levels.
2. avoiding traffic congestion that inhibits driving pleasure.
3. controlling emissions that contribute to air pollution.
4. ensuring the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option C is correct. This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of characteristic practices of daily life and customs in German-speaking cultures and ways in which such practices reflect the perspectives of German-speaking cultures. In Germany, the use of the "Umweltzone" traffic sign was developed in 2007 in response to high levels of air pollution in congested areas, when local governments were given permission to establish "environmental zones." The sign designates an area in which entrance is restricted to vehicles that bear stickers indicating they have passed an emissions test. This practice is one example that demonstrates Germans' concerns about air quality.