NorthStar Placement Test Name:

Listening and Speaking

Listen to a passage.Then, you will have 20 seconds to answer each question.You will hear
a beep when the next passage will begin.

PART 1A: LISTENING

1.1 Listen to the beginning of an interview. Choose the best prediction of what the rest of
the interview is about.There is only one right answer.
A. the safety of video games for children
B. the use of video games to teach children
C. parents who are interested in children’s video games
D. the number of studies about children’s video games

1.2 Now listen to the entire interview. Use the information to choose the correct answers.
1. is interview is mainly about .
A. how oen children should play video games
B. which video games are safe for children
C. what violent games do to children
D. how video games affect children
2. Dr. Nottingham said some studies show that .
A. it is safe for children to play fantasy and adventure games
B. children who play video games every day are more violent
C. children who play violent video games have more violent thoughts
D. video games are not harmful for children if they play every week
3. How do Dr. Nottingham and Tina feel about violent video games?
A. ey agree that violent video games are bad.
B. ey disagree that violent video games are bad.
C. ey are unsure that violent video games are bad.
D. ey do not care about violent video games.

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NorthStar Placement Test Name:
Listening and Speaking

4. When Dr. Nottingham says, “You see, it’s easy for children to get addicted to
playing these games,” why does Tina say, “I have a 13-year-old. And I know
exactly what you mean”?
A. She doesn’t want her children to be addicted to video games.
B. She wants to tell Dr. Nottingham about her family.
C. She wants advice from Dr. Nottingham about her family.
D. She understands and agrees with Dr. Nottingham.

1.3 Listen to a family being interviewed at a video exhibition. Use the information from
this listening and the listening in Part 1.2 for your answers. Check (✓) the box that
shows how each person feels about the opinion. One answer is already given.
Opinion: It is OK for children to play Action/Adventure video games.

Agree Disagree Not sure

   Grandfather ✓
1. Dr. Nottingham

2. Boy

PART IB: LISTENING

1.4 Listen to the beginning of the class discussion.What does it mean when we say
someone speaks with an accent? Choose the correct answer.
1. What does it mean when we say someone “speaks with an accent”?
A. the way he or she acts when talking with others
B. the way he or she fits in when talking with others
C. the way he or she looks when talking with others
D. the way he or she sounds when talking with others

© 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.                                                                                                               3
NorthStar Placement Test Name:
Listening and Speaking

1.5 Now listen to the entire discussion. Use the information to choose the correct
answers.
1. e discussion is about how accents relate to people’s .
A. dialects
B. identities
C. parents
D. slang
2. e professor says that many children want to their
parents.
A. dress the same as
B. fit in with
C. separate from
D. speak like
3. Whose parents came from Germany?
A. the male student’s
B. the female student’s
C. Bern’s
D. the professor’s
4. Which person feels negatively about the way teenagers talk today?
A. the male student
B. the female student
C. Bern
D. the professor

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NorthStar Placement Test Name:
Listening and Speaking

PART IC: LISTENING

1.6 Listen to a conversation. Use the information to choose the correct answers.
1. What happens during REM sleep?
A. You begin to breathe slowly.
B. A sleep hormone is released.
C. Your muscles don’t move.
D. You have problems with memory.
2. During non-REM sleep .
A. you have bad dreams
B. you are not fully asleep
C. your eyes move rapidly
D. your breathing is regular
3. If you are deprived of REM sleep, you might have trouble .
A. moving your eyes
B. learning new things
C. falling back to sleep
D. releasing sleep hormones
4. Why does Donald say “What”?
A. He wants Sonia to repeat what she said.
B. He wants Sonia to speak more loudly.
C. He wants Sonia to give an explanation.
D. He wants Sonia to continue with what she was saying.

© 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.                                                                                                               5
NorthStar Placement Test Name:
Listening and Speaking

1.7 Listen to the interview about teen sleep. Use information from this interview and the
conversation in Part 1.6 to complete the outline. Use the letters of the phrases to
complete the outline. Not all answers will be used. One answer is already given.
A. can occur aer 10 minutes
B. can make you feel miserable
C. is a stage of sleep
D. can affect memory
E. is a hormone released to make you sleepy
F. can occur when you first fall asleep
G. is called rapid eye movement

I. Sleep
A. REM sleep
1. G
(1) 2.
(2) a. lack of REM sleep
B. Melatonin
(3) 1.
(4) a. lack of sleep

PART 2: SKILLS FOR SPEAKING

2.1 Listen to the words or phrases.Write the number of words you hear. One answer is
already given.
3 words
1. words

This is the end of the audio section of the test. Now, you have 25 minutes to complete
the written portion of the test.

6                                                          © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.