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Section 4: Sample Selected-Response Questions
Braille (283)

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This section presents some sample exam questions for you to review as part of your preparation for the exam. To demonstrate how each competency may be assessed, sample questions are accompanied by the competency that they measure. While studying, you may wish to read the competency before and after you consider each sample question. Please note that the competency statements do not appear on the actual exam.

For each sample exam question, there is a correct answer and a rationale for each answer option. The sample questions are included to illustrate the formats and types of questions you will see on the exam; however, your performance on the sample questions should not be viewed as a predictor of your performance on the actual exam.

Domain I—Reading Unified English Braille (UEB) and Nemeth Code

Reading Unified English Braille (UEB)

Competency 001—The teacher of students with visual impairments, including those with additional disabilities, knows how to read UEB.

For each question, read the sentence given; then select the correct Unified English Braille (UEB) transcription of the sentence from the answer choices given.

There are two types of questions that assess reading UEB.

In the first type (“Select the Correct Transcription” questions), each question consists of a statement in printed text followed by four options in simulated braille. You must choose which of the four options (labeled A, B, C, or D) is the correct UEB transcription of the printed statement.

In the second type (“UEB Error Correction” questions), each question is based on a statement and its UEB transcription, which includes some errors. You must choose which of the four options (labeled A, B, C, or D) best describes what should be done to correct an error in the transcription.

The statements in the questions are representative of the types of material that a VI teacher may be called upon to transcribe into braille for a student with a visual impairment. The statements may come from a variety of educational materials, such as history books, English worksheets, health texts, information about field trips, instructions for class activities, and the like. The questions below are examples of these types of questions.

Directions for Questions 1–7: For each question, read the sentence given; then select the correct Unified English Braille (UEB) transcription of the sentence from the answer choices given.

1. Coach got permission for an extra practice before the big game!

  1. The word permission is incorrect in the transcription.
  2. The word before is incorrect in the transcription.
  3. The end punctuation is incorrect in the transcription.
  4. Transcription contains no errors.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct because it is the correct transcription. Option A is incorrect because "sion” (a final-letter groupsign) in "permission" is incorrect; it should be dots 4-6, 1-3-4-5. Option B is incorrect because "before" (a shortform word) is incorrect; it should be dots 2-3, 1-2-4. Option C is incorrect because a question mark is used instead of an exclamation point; it should be dots 2-3-5.

2. Juan's e-mail address is jaunt@yootmail.com.

  1. Transcription contains no errors.
  2. The at sign is incorrect in the transcription.
  3. The hyphen is incorrect in the transcription.
  4. The hyphen and at sign are incorrect in the transcription.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option A is correct because it is the correct transcription. Option B is incorrect because the @ sign is incorrect; it should be dots 4, 1. Option C is incorrect because the hyphen between "e" and "mail" is incorrect; it should be dots 3-6. Option D is incorrect because the hyphen between "e" and "mail" is incorrect and should be dots 3-6, and because the @ sign is misformed and should be dots 4, 1.

3. A "rotation" is a transformation that turns a figure around a given point.

  1. The quotation marks are incorrect in the transcription.
  2. Transcription contains no errors.
  3. The word transformation is incorrect in the transcription.
  4. The word around is incorrect in the transcription
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option B is correct because it is the correct transcription. Option A is incorrect because dots 4-5 should not be used before the opening and closing quotation marks. These should be non-specific quotation marks: dots 2-3-6 for the opening quotation mark and dots 3-5-6 for the closing quotation mark. Option C is incorrect because in the word "transformation," the strong contraction for "for" (dots 1-2-3-4-5-6) should be used. Option D is incorrect because in the word "around," the final-letter groupsign for "ound" (dots 4-6, 1-4-5) should be used.

4. Her science research study had to do with finding out which color of light is best for reading.

  1. The word science is incorrect in the transcription.
  2. The word which is incorrect in the transcription.
  3. The word light is incorrect in the transcription.
  4. Transcription contains no errors.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct because it is the correct transcription. Option A is incorrect because in the word "science," the "ence" (a final-letter groupsign) should be dots 5-6, 1-5. Option B is incorrect because "which" (a strong wordsign) is incorrect; it should be dots 1-5-6. Option C is incorrect because "gh" (a strong groupsign) in "light" is incorrect; it should be dots 1-2-6.

5. Commencement for the Class of 2020 will be on Saturday, June 13, 2020 at 2:30 p.m.

  1. The word commencement is incorrect in the transcription.
  2. The word Saturday is incorrect in the transcription.
  3. Transcription contains no errors.
  4. The time two thirty is incorrect in the transcription.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option C is correct because it is the correct transcription. Option A is incorrect because the final-letter groupsign for "ment" (dots 5-6, 2-3-4-5) should be used in "commencement." Option B is incorrect because the initial-letter contraction for "day" (dots 5, 1-4-5) should be used in "Saturday." Option D is incorrect because it omits the required numeric indicator sign (dots 3-4-5-6) after the colon in the time "2:30."

6. There will be an assembly in the gymnasium during seventh period.

  1. Transcription contains no errors.
  2. The word there is incorrect in the transcription.
  3. The word in is incorrect in the transcription.
  4. The word during is incorrect in the transcription.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option A is correct because it is the correct transcription. Option B is incorrect because the initial-letter contraction should be used for "there" (dots 5, 2-3-4-6). Option C is incorrect because "in" (a lower wordsign) is misformed as "en"; it should be dots 3-5. Option D is incorrect because "during" uses the "in" contraction instead of the required strong groupsign "ing" (dots 3-4-6).

7. The teacher said, "Write the verbs in the blanks at the bottom of the page."

  1. The word said is incorrect in the transcription.
  2. The word verbs is incorrect in the transcription.
  3. The word of is incorrect in the transcription.
  4. Transcription contains no errors.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct because it is the correct transcription. Option A is incorrect because "said" (a shortform word) should be dots 2-3-4, 1-4-5. Option B is incorrect because "er" (a strong groupsign) should be contracted in "verb" using dots 1-2-4-5-6. Option C is incorrect because "of" (a strong contraction) is misformed as "with"; it should be dots 1-2-3-5-6.

Directions for Questions 8 and 9: Each question in this group is based on a sentence and its Unified English Braille (UEB) transcription, which includes some errors. For each question, select the best of the answer choices given.

The two questions are based on the sentence and transcription below.

The teacher reminded students in the class to bring a dictionary to assist in editing their essays about Westward Expansion.

U E B transcription of the text above, which includes some errors.

8. Which of the following should be done to correct an error in the UEB transcription?

  1. Transcribe the word "reminded" asThe transcription spells out reminded instead of using appropriate group signs.
  2. Transcribe the word "teacher" asThe transcription of teacher corrects errors found in the original transcription.
  3. Transcribe the word "dictionary" as The transcription of dictionary contains an incorrect group sign.
  4. Transcribe the word "assist" asThe transcription of assist contains an incorrect group sign.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option B is correct because the word "teacher" should use the "ea" lower groupsign and the "er" strong groupsign. Option A is incorrect because it recommends spelling out the word "reminded" instead of using the "in" lower groupsign and the "ed" strong groupsign. Option C is incorrect because it recommends the strong groupsign "gh" but the transcription incorrectly uses the "ar" strong groupsign. Option D is incorrect because it recommends the strong groupsign "ch" but the transcription correctly uses the "st" strong groupsign.

9. Which of the following should be done to correct an error in the UEB transcription?

  1. Transcribe the word "about" asThe transcription spells out about without the short form a b.
  2. Transcribe the word "editing" asThe transcription of editing with e d spelled out instead of using e d group sign.
  3. Transcribe the word "their" asTranscription contains no errors.
  4. Transcribe the word "Westward" asThe transcription of Westward is incorrect.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option C is correct because the word "their" should use the initial-letter contraction, but instead uses the contraction for "there." Option A is incorrect because it recommends spelling out the word "about" but the transcription correctly uses the shortform "ab". Option B is incorrect because it recommends spelling out the "ed" in the word "editing" but the transcription correctly uses the "ed" strong groupsign. Option D is incorrect because it recommends a misplaced dot that changes the "ar" to an "s", but the transcription correctly uses the "ar" strong groupsign.

Reading Nemeth Code

Competency 002—The teacher of students with visual impairments, including those with additional disabilities, knows how to read Nemeth Code.

Questions of this type consist of a mathematical problem or expression that is shown in print and then followed by four options in simulated braille. You must choose which of the four choices (labeled A, B, C, or D) is the correct Nemeth Code transcription of the printed math problem or expression.

The math problems or expressions that appear in the questions are representative of the types of material that a VI teacher may be called upon to transcribe for a student with a visual impairment. Typical examples include simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems, and problems involving money or percentages.

Directions for Questions 10 and 11: For each question, read the problem or statement given; then select the correct Nemeth Code transcription from the answer choices given.

10. 67.5%

  1. Transcription contains UEB numbers
  2. Percent symbol is incorrect
  3. Percent symbol is incorrect
  4. Transcription is error free
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct because it is the correct transcription. Option A is incorrect because the numbers are not Nemeth Code numbers but are UEB numbers, and because the UEB decimal point is used instead of the Nemeth Code decimal point. Option B is incorrect because the percent symbol is incorrect; it should be dots 4, 3-5-6. Option C is incorrect because the percent symbol is incorrect; it should be dots 4, 3-5-6 rather than dots 4, 2-5-6.

11. 2(7 − 1) + 9 ÷ 3 > 14

  1. Division sign is incorrect
  2. Minus sign is incorrect
  3. Transcription is error free
  4. Transcription includes the number 10 instead of 14
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option C is correct because it is the correct transcription. Option A is incorrect because the division symbol is incorrect; it should be dots 4-6, 3-4 rather than dots 3-4. Option B is incorrect because the minus symbol is incorrect; it should be dots 3-6 rather than dots 6, 3-6. Option D is incorrect because the number 14 is misformed as the number 10.
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