REPASO-- EXAMEN #1

Parte Oral

1. Preguntas personales

You hear a question, and you write an answer that is true for you, in a sentence of at least 8 words. The questions are usually related to one of the puntos clave. "Tricks" to know about this section:

You don't have to repeat the question in your answer. You don't even necessary have to use the same the verb form, although it might be easier sometimes. For example, if someone asks you, "What's the most embarassing thing you've ever done in your life?" (presente perfecto), it's perfectly natural and appropriate to answer, "I accidentally broke the faucet in my boyfriend's parents' bathroom the first time I visited them." (preterite). The same goes for "preguntas personales" on Spanish tests. The answer needs to be grammatically correct and to demonstrate that you understood the question, but don't go on auto-pilot and repeat exactly the phrasing of the question, especially if it's a form you're not comfortable with.

In this section, the goal is comprehension and correctness. There are no points reserved for creativity, so stick with fairly short answers.

You don't have to tell the truth. If the question is "What's your major?" and you don't know how to say "Management Information Systems" in Spanish, it's okay to say "biología."

If you didn't understand the question, answer whatever you think the question might have been. Don't leave blanks; a grammatically correct answer showing that you understood at least a little part of the question will get you partial credit, which is better than a zero.

Questions will only be read twice. There's a real-world reason for this. Studies have shown that in virtually every culture in the world, people are happy to repeat what they've said-- ONCE. If they repeat themselves, and you ask them to say it yet a third time, that's when almost everybody starts to get annoyed. (Try this sometime with friends. It's amazing how universal the phenomenon is.)

2. Comprensión

You hear a short story about one of our "cinco amigos", and you answer written questions. There are several "short-answer" questions, and then you summarize what you heard. Tips for this section:

Always read the questions first. They're almost an outline of what to listen for.
Reviewing the information in the book about the cinco amigos will probaby be helpful. Although the story doesn't exactly repeat any of the biographical information from the book, knowing that basic info will help you eliminate wrong answers. You don't need to spend a lot of time studying details about the "amigos," but you definitely should read p. 2-6 if you didn't do that when it was assigned.

3. Hacer preguntas

You'll hear remarks that are sort of conversational openers, and you write a question that would keep the conversation going. It's probably a good idea to review formation of questions and question words (look for "interrogatives" in the index of a grammar book), especially the difference between ¿Qué? and ¿cuál? Also be careful to listen for the verb endings so you know whether the question will be in past, present, future, etc.

4. Sección de misterio

PARTE ESCRITA

5. El futuro

A fill-in-the-blanks exercise on simple future tense. (Simple means having only one word. You also know another way to express the future using 3 words, ir+a+infinitive.) It's perfectly okay to write "José va a estudiar" in your compositions, etc, but in this section you MUST use the simple future, "José estudiará."

Irregular verbs WILL be included.

6. Presente perfecto

Another fill-in-blanks section using presente perfecto indicativo Y/O subjuntivo. It's a double challenge; you need to be able to conjugate AND to decide whether the verb needs to be in subjunctive. The exercise on p. 38 of the grammar supplement is a very good practice for this section.

Irregular verbs WILL be included, and so will unfamiliar regular verbs. Make sure you understand how the formation of regular verbs works.

7. Composición

This is a short composition that will require you to use most or all of your puntos clave. You'll get a basic idea of the topic on Monday, but not the exact instructions. You're given the basic topic so that you'll have the opportunity to think about what vocabulary you might need and also just to begin thinking of what you might want to say about the topic. This section will also end up testing your reading comprehension a little; the directions are fairly long and you'll need to read them carefully.

Be sure to study the transition words inside the back cover of your textbook and the "lista de horrores" on p. 69 of the Supplement.

8. Sección de misterio

This will be an exercise in which you write several sentences focussing on one or two puntos clave. You may be asked to compare two specific people or things, to give advice and suggestions using specific phrases, to talk about likes and dislikes using specific verbs, or some combination of these. Study your notes and green pages, and talk to your classmates to try to guess what this section might be like.

By the way, there's a reason for the "mystery sections." I've watched students studying in hallways and libraries, and you all do really incredible things when you're trying to figure out what might be on an exam-- you tend to ask yourselves exactly the questions your professors want you think about. I've found that students do just as well on these exams when there is no review sheet at all, but I give you one to ease your nerves.