CEFR - Common European Framework Spoken Interaction Strategies Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is a key 'co-operating strategy' in spoken interaction, according to the CEFR guidelines?
- Dominating the conversation to ensure all points are covered.
- Relating one's own contribution to that of other speakers. (Correct answer)
- Correcting the grammatical errors of other speakers immediately.
- Waiting for a long pause before taking a turn to speak.
Correct answer: Relating one's own contribution to that of other speakers.
The CEFR emphasizes collaborative discourse. Relating your contribution to what others have said (e.g., by agreeing, disagreeing with reasons, or expanding on a point) is a core co-operating strategy that helps a discussion to develop and shows active listening.
Question 2: A speaker at a B2 level is in a discussion and says, 'Could you please clarify what you mean by 'sustainable approach'?' What interaction strategy is being demonstrated?
- Taking the floor (Turn-taking)
- Compensating
- Asking for clarification (Correct answer)
- Planning
Correct answer: Asking for clarification
This is a direct example of 'Asking for clarification'. The speaker is intervening to resolve a comprehension issue and ensure mutual understanding, a strategy explicitly outlined in the CEFR framework for effective interaction.
Question 3: During a team meeting, you notice a colleague has been silent. You say, 'Maria, we haven't heard from you yet. What are your thoughts on this proposal?' This action is an example of which spoken interaction strategy?
- Monitoring and repair
- Compensating
- Inviting others into the discussion (Correct answer)
- Sustained monologue
Correct answer: Inviting others into the discussion
This is a classic example of a co-operating strategy where a participant actively invites another person to contribute. This helps to ensure balanced participation and moves the discussion forward collaboratively.
Question 4: According to the CEFR, the ability to initiate, maintain, and end a conversation appropriately is primarily categorized under which interaction strategy?
- Co-operating
- Pragmatic competence
- Asking for clarification
- Turn-taking (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Turn-taking
Turn-taking skills involve more than just speaking and stopping. They include knowing how to appropriately start a conversation (initiate), keep it going (maintain), and close it, as well as managing who speaks when. These are fundamental aspects of taking the floor.
Question 5: A speaker is telling a story and temporarily forgets the word for 'architect'. Instead of stopping, they say, '...the person who designs buildings'. Which spoken interaction strategy are they using?
- Asking for clarification
- Co-operating
- Compensating (Correct answer)
- Turn-taking
Correct answer: Compensating
This is a 'compensating' strategy. The speaker is making up for a gap in their vocabulary (a lexical gap) by using circumlocution (describing the concept) to convey their meaning without stopping the flow of speech.
Question 6: Which of the following statements best describes a C1 level of 'Spoken Interaction'?
- Can handle very short social exchanges but cannot usually keep the conversation going.
- Can interact with a degree of fluency that makes regular interaction with native speakers possible without strain.
- Can use language flexibly and effectively for social and professional purposes, formulating ideas with precision and relating contributions skillfully to other speakers. (Correct answer)
- Can interact in a simple way, provided the other person is prepared to repeat things at a slower rate.
Correct answer: Can use language flexibly and effectively for social and professional purposes, formulating ideas with precision and relating contributions skillfully to other speakers.
The C1 level is characterized by a high degree of proficiency. A key descriptor for this level is the ability to use language flexibly and precisely for various purposes and to skillfully integrate one's own contributions with those of others in a discussion, showing advanced interactional competence.
CEFR - Common European Framework Spoken Interaction Strategies Questions and Answers
Which of the following is a key 'co-operating strategy' in spoken interaction, according to the CEFR guidelines?