Study Guide

Field 050:American Sign Language (ASL)
Assessment for World Language Teachers of ASL (Subtest I)
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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Competency 0001
Understand the linguistic structure of American Sign Language.

Which of the following examples best illustrates the process of lexicalization in ASL?

  1. A handshape of a sign influences the production of the next sign.
  2. A rhetorical question is often used to introduce the result of an action rather than using a sign for because.
  3. The rapid fingerspelling for job has evolved into the sign JOB.
  4. Nonmanual markers can function as manner adverbs such as carelessly or in a regular way.
Answer
Correct Response: C.
Lexicalized signs are signs that reflect a fingerspelled word but have evolved so that the word is less like a string of letters and more like a nonlexicalized sign. The word for job is one such word. You can still see the fingerspelled letters j and b within the sign, but it is not signed in the same way that the word job would be fingerspelled. Rather, the sign is an abbreviated form of the original fingerspelling that is now considered the lexicalized sign JOB.
Competency 0002
Understand sociolinguistic and pragmatic features of American Sign Language and variations within American Sign Language.

The changes that have occurred to the ASL signs CREDIT-CARD, MOVIE, and PHONE best illustrate which of the following linguistic variations?

  1. variation in how signs are used in different regions
  2. variation in how signs are used in formal and informal situations
  3. variation in how signs are used by different generations
  4. variation in how signs are used by different genders
Answer
Correct Response: C.
The ASL signs CREDIT-CARD, MOVIE, and PHONE have changed over time to reflect the technological changes that have occurred. For example, an older sign for credit card emerged 30–40+ years ago, when the cards were put into a machine that had a sliding mechanism that imprinted a paper slip with the card number and account information. The sign for credit card that developed at that time reflects the motion of the credit card machine with a closed fist sliding over the other hand’s open, upright palm. Newer technology involves swiping the card through a credit card reader and the sign has changed to reflect that newer way of using the credit card. Someone from an older generation might still use the original sign for credit card, while a signer from a younger generation might be more likely to use the sign that reflects the swipe technology.
Competency 0003
Understand the similarities and differences among American Sign Language, English, contact signing, and invented sign systems.

Which of the following communicative acts is more appropriate within the Deaf community when compared to other communities in the United States?

  1. using a person's first name repeatedly while telling a story about the individual
  2. excusing oneself subtly when passing between two people in conversation
  3. briefly flashing the lights to signal the end of an intermission during a play
  4. getting a person's attention by waving or tapping on the table at which the person is sitting
Answer
Correct Response: D.
Visual and tactile ways of gaining attention are common, expected, and appropriate in the Deaf community. In some communities, gaining a person’s attention by tapping on the table where the person is seated could be considered impolite, but it would be considered completely appropriate within the Deaf community.
Competency 0004
Understand historical events and perspectives of American Deaf culture.

Historically, which of the following factors has most influenced the location and development of Deaf communities in the United States?

  1. extensive public transportation system
  2. residential schools for the deaf
  3. close proximity to family members
  4. availability of specialized medical care for the deaf
Answer
Correct Response: B.
Many of the larger Deaf communities in the United States are located in cities where residential schools for the deaf are, or were, located. For example, in Ohio, the two residential schools for the deaf were located in Cincinnati and in Columbus, and thus those two cities have relatively large Deaf communities that reflect the presence of the schools.
Competency 0005
Understand the relationship between the products (e.g., literary and artistic works, media, technology, entertainment) and perspectives of American Deaf culture.

Which of the following roles do Deaf film festivals play in contemporary American Deaf culture?

  1. They continue the tradition of making the kinds of silent films that were popular at the beginning of the twentieth century.
  2. They provide Deaf filmmakers an artistic venue to inform, to entertain, and to express themes important to Deaf culture.
  3. They provide the Deaf community access to current popular films via captioning and live interpretation.
  4. They replace other social gatherings that were popular in the past, such as theater performances of Deaf plays.
Answer
Correct Response: B.
Deaf film festivals, such as the DEAFestival in Los Angeles, the Maine Deaf Film Festival, and the Deaf Roc Film Fest in Rochester, New York, showcase films and documentaries involving Deaf authors, actors, writers, and producers and often focus on topics related to Deaf culture or the Deaf community.
Competency 0006
Understand the relationship between the practices (e.g., education, social and communicative practices) and perspectives of American Deaf culture.

Which of the following educational practices for Deaf students is most influenced by Deaf cultural/linguistic views?

  1. teaching academic content in ASL and introducing English as a second language
  2. teaching oral methods as soon as possible with early intervention activities during preschool
  3. teaching students to use a manually coded version of English such as Signed Exact English
  4. using classroom modifications such as FM systems to enhance any residual hearing
Answer
Correct Response: A.
The educational approach that best reflects Deaf cultural/linguistic views is a bilingual/bicultural approach in which ASL is the primary language of education and English is taught as a second language. Within this approach, Deaf children who learned ASL as their first language have greater access to academic content and Deaf culture. English is taught as a second language in this type of approach and is a necessary component of education for the purposes of reading and writing, but not to the exclusion of ASL.