Speaking Test 2: Testing Russian Grammar in Beginner Learners' Speech (Comics type picture panels)

This test replicates Speaking Test 1, but is based on a different piece of Russian literature, a play poem by Russian writer and actor Leonid Filatov, written in 1985, called the Tale of Fedot the Strelets (Russian: Сказка про Федота-стрельца, удалого молодца). This test was successfully used for delayed testing with 34 Russian beginner learners after 20 classroom contact hours. The storyline of the poem is based on Russian folk tales, making this test more appropriate for younger learners. The same as Speaking Test 1, this test is aimed at Prepositional and Accusative cases. Thus, one of these tests can be used as a practice tool, while the other – as a testing tool with the same group.

 Suggestions for administering the test

Learners normally produce one sentence per panel; some might do more, or more for some panels. Thus, the test aims to elicit at least 18 sentences. Please note that, though the test is not assessing vocabulary, learners should not request words and will have to use their own structures to construct their sentences. However, to help learners produce obligatory context (that is case phrases), examiners might choose to provide certain words on flash cards, for example, «теплоход» to elicit «на теплоходе». In addition, if learners are struggling to produce a sentence on a particular panel, or if they rely on Prepositional and avoid Accusative, the examiner can ask a guided question to prompt the right context. The examiner needs to make sure that guided questions do not contain any case forms, for example, «Куда едет Федот?» is permitted, while «Федот едет в Америку?» is not. To ease the processing load, the characters can be referred to as «он» and «она». Learners should be informed about these rules before the test. The test itself takes between 12 to 20 minutes, depending on learner’s pace of speaking, confidence and previous speaking practice.