CBSE

 Assessment of Speaking and Listening Skills (ASL)

ASL New Sample Test and Examples Click here

Sample Audio Script of ASL for Class 10 as per CBSE Guidelines for 2015-2016 Session. 

Listening Test – Summative Assessment – II

Class 10                                                                                               Code X-L-03
Time: 45 min                                                                                       Max. Marks: 20
Audio Scripts and Answer Key

Task 1

You will hear 5 short extracts of people talking about the increasing number of motor vehicles on the road and its effects.

Read the statements given in your worksheet, then listen to the extracts and match each statement A–G to each speaker 1–5. There are two statements you do not need. You will hear the recording twice.

Now listen to 5 short extracts of people talking about the increasing number of motor vehicles on the road and its effects.

Speaker 1
There are now over 700 million motor vehicles in the world – and the number is increasing by more than 40 million each year. The average distance driven by car users is growing too – from 8 km a day per person in 1965 to 25 km a day in 1995. This increased use of motor vehicles has given rise to major problems, including environmental pollution, depletion of oil resources, traffic congestion and road accidents.

Speaker 2
While emissions from new cars are far less harmful than they used to be, city streets and motorways are becoming more crowded than ever. Moreover, older trucks, buses and taxis emit excessive levels of smoke and fumes. This concentration of vehicles `makes air quality in urban areas unpleasant and sometimes dangerous to breathe. Even metropolitan cities in India have joined the list of countries afflicted by congestion and traffic fumes. In Delhi, vehicle pollution is a major health hazard.

Speaker 3
Until a hundred years ago, most journeys were in the 20 km range. This distance could conveniently be reached by a horse. Heavy goods could only be carried through water or rail. Invention of motor vehicles has made travel easier and faster. Goods can also be transported over a much wider area. While the world cannot go back to the horse-drawn wagon, can it avoid the congestion and pollution? A more likely scenario seems to be a combination of mass transport systems for travel into and around cities.

Speaker 4
In Europe most cities are still designed for the old modes of transport. Adaptation to the motor car has involved adding ring roads, one-way systems and parking lots. In the United States, more land is assigned to car use than to housing. As cities spread out, life without a car is next to impossible. Excessive use of motor vehicles has also killed or injured millions of people. Better integration of transport systems is also highly desirable – and made more feasible by modern computers.

Speaker 5
A study by the Indian Federation for Transport and Environment found that car transport is seven times as costly as rail travel in terms of the external congestion, accidents, pollution, loss of cropland and oil resources. Yet cars are more popular than trains or buses as a convenient mode of personal transport. It is unrealistic to expect people to give up private cars in favour of public transport. Technical solutions can reduce the pollution problem and increase the fuel efficiency of engines.

Task 2

You will hear a radio programme on the topic ‘Ways of Saving the Planet’ where the presenter is interviewing Greenpeace head, Kumi Naidoo. Read the sentences given in your worksheet, then listen to the conversation and choose a, b or c for each sentence.

Manik: Good Morning Listeners. Welcome to Radio City ….. It’s the Environment Show and I’m your host Manik Ahuja and today we have with us the Greenpeace Head, Kumi Naidoo. I will ask Mr. Naidoo a few questions on his new vision for a sustainable world.

Good Morning, Ms. Naidoo. Welcome to Radio City.

Ms. Naidoo: Hello Manik, I’m glad to be here. Thanks.

Manik: Mr. Naidoo, according to you, what is the evidence that proves the climate is changing?

Ms. Naidoo: The global average temperature has increased by more than 0.6°C over the last century. As a result, many places have experienced more intense rain, as well as more frequent and severe heat waves. The planet’s oceans and glaciers have also experienced changes. Higher ocean temperatures expand the volume of water, contributing to a rise in sea levels that is submerging small island nations and threatening to wreak havoc in low-lying, densely-populated delta regions around the globe. All of these changes are evidence that our world is getting warmer.

Manik: That’s an alarming trend. What is causing this climate change: human activities or natural variations in climate?

Ms. Naidoo: The Earth does go through natural cycles of warming and cooling, caused by factors such as changes in the sun or volcanic activity. However, the warming we have seen in the past 50 years cannot be due to natural factors alone. In contrast, the warming we are observing is consistent with the warming properties of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases that we are adding to the atmosphere.

Manik: How can carbon dioxide hurt us?

Ms. Naidoo: While carbon dioxide is a necessary ingredient for plants to perform photosynthesis, and a critical component of our atmosphere. excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases global temperatures. This can harm plants, animals, and humans.

Manik:How can a change of one or two degrees in global average temperatures have an impact on our lives?

Ms. Naidoo: We are accustomed to a normal range of conditions. So, climate change could affect our health and infrastructure as well as energy, food, and water supplies. Climate change may especially affect people who live in coastal areas that are vulnerable to storms. Similarly, professions that are closely linked to weather and climate, such as outdoor tourism and agriculture, will be especially affected.

Manik: Oh, that sounds grim. Is it too late to do anything about climate change?

Ms. Naidoo: No, it is not too late. With appropriate actions by governments, communities, individuals, and organisations, we can reduce the amount of greenhouse gas pollution we release and lower the risk of much greater warming and severe consequences. Many of the actions that we can take to address climate change will have other benefits, such as cleaner, healthier air.

Manik: Thank you Ms. Naidoo for sharing your thoughts with us. I believe each one of us can make efforts that would reduce CO2 emissions.

Task 3

You will hear a speech on Cleanliness Drive in India. Read the question given in your worksheet, then listen to the extract and choose four of the options A–G which are correct. You will hear the recording twice. Which FOUR of the following statements does the speaker believe to be true?

“Our streets are clean, our minds are pristine, isn’t that how tomorrow is foreseen?“
Cleanliness of our society has become a matter of choice in today’s world. A matter that we only discuss during small talks or express our rage over, with an intention to blame it on a third person, usually the government.

Filthy surroundings disgust us and that is why we want our own dwelling to be as neat and fragrant as possible and we intend to keep them so. On the contrary, a lot of us don’t mind knocking down an empty container on the sidewalk in the middle of a crowded market. What is sadder is even though we might not do it on everyday basis, but we do witness it happening around us regularly and ignore it to avoid a disharmonious scuffle with a strange soul on thestreet. After regular and incessant littering, we expect the sweeper strata and our timely payment of taxes to fetch us spotless sidewalks and roads every next morning. But really, isn’t it simpler and more responsible of us to politely ask the litterer to place their used trash in an allotted bin and not on the street?

The Swachh Bharat Swachh Vidyalaya campaign has brought about a desire to unpollute as well as a realization of the activities we are indulging in and how we are in a way hurting our own surroundings without actual intention to do so. “Small Steps, Big Change!” Our accomplishments originate from small steps such as playing our part as a dutiful citizen by not littering. We need to start believing that our home is not confined to the roof above our head. Our country is our home as well and keeping it clean is as much our responsibility as our appointed governments.

The task of countrywide cleanliness is not something we can achieve overnight. It is something that requires constant effort and perpetual stress. But most importantly it starts from YOU. It starts from every person’s home, locality, school or workplace. We just need to awaken the desire and realize the importance and penalties of our everyday actions and what threats our lifestyle may pose to our motherland and our species. After all, “We have not inherited this earth from our ancestors. We have only borrowed it from our children.”

Task 4

You will listen to two students, a boy and girl, debate on the topic ‘Teachers are more important than doctors’.Read the sentences given in your worksheet, then listen to the conversation and complete the sentences with one or two words only.
You will hear the recording twice.

Speaker 1: I certainly think that after our parents, it’s undoubtedly our teacher who helps us shape our future? Right after we learn to speak and walk, our teacher holds our hand and guides us through life. She teaches us not only how to read and write, she gives us lessons in good manners, respect for our elders, and teaches us discipline. Doctors are certainly important in our life, but if there were no teachers, there would be no doctors either. So I believe teachers are more important than doctors.

Speaker 2: But in my opinion, no person can be more important for our future than our doctor. As we all know, health is wealth, and we cannot think of any future if we do not have good health. We certainly love and respect our teachers, but when it is a matter of life and death, we would hardly think of our Maths, Geography or English teacher, for example, would we? The first person who will come to our mind is none other than our doctor! So I believe doctors are more important than teachers.

Speaker 1: Thanks for reminding us of the importance of doctors in our lives. However, I would like to state that if there were no teachers, where would the doctors come from? For instance, a doctor is not made in heaven: anyone who chooses medicine as a career has to learn how to heal people and get a proper licence after passing examinations. Would any one of us put our lives in the hands of someone who claims to know how to heal us, but does not have a degree?

The point I was trying to make is that anyone with practical knowledge of a subject can teach others. What I mean is that teachers need a degree to teach as much as doctors, but we also respect and follow people who teach us things from practical experience. If by teacher we mean someone who transfers their knowledge and experience to others, I think teachers are the most important part of our lives.

Speaker 2: I believe that a teacher is more important than a doctor because a teacher takes over the role of a parent when we go to school. Also, anybody with some knowledge and experience can be a teacher; unlike a doctor, one does not need a formal degree to be a teacher. If teaching is such a noble duty, would we not wish to place ourselves in the care of someone who is proved to have the necessary skills? Our lives are more important than any Maths or Geography or Science we learn; and if our mental and physical health is important for us to be able to learn anything from a teacher, we must first place ourselves in the hands of a competent doctor. Only then can we lead a fruitful life.

Answer Key

 Task 1 

Task – 2
1. b
2. c
3. b
4. c
5. a
6. c

Task – 3
True Statements:
B, C, E, G

Task 4
1. life
2. health
3. degree
4. practical
5. mental

Listening Worksheet

CBSE: Assessment of Speaking and Listening Skills (ASL)
Listening Test – Summative Assessment – II (2014)
Class X Code X-L-03
Time: 45 min                  Max. Marks: 20
Listening Test

Task 1

You will hear 5 short extracts of people talking about the increasing number of motor vehicles on the road and its effects. 

Read the statements below, then listen to the extracts and match each statement A–G to each speaker 1–5. There are two statements you do not need. You will hear the recording twice.

Task 2

You will hear a radio programme on the topic ‘Ways of Saving the Planet’ where the presenter is interviewing Greenpeace head, Kumi Naidoo. Read the sentences below, then listen to the conversation and choose a or b or c for each sentence. You will hear the recording twice.

1. The name of the radio programme is
a. Radio City.
b. Environment Show.
c. Greenpeace.

2. As the ocean’s temperature rises, the water levels in the ocean
a. fall.
b. remain constant.
c. rise.

3. The rise in water levels is especially dangerous for
a. small island nations.
b. low-lying urban areas.
c. those engaged in agriculture.

4. The present warming of the Earth is largely caused by man as
a. there has been no activity utilizing sun’s energy.
b. there has been no earth’s natural cooling or warming.
c. there has been an increase in CO2 in the atmosphere.

5. Change in climate may have a greater impact on
a. places near the seashore.
b. places of tourist attraction.
c. places with health centers.

6. Global warming can be controlled by
a. seeking the help of government and organizations.
b. having cleaner and healthier air and environment.
c. reducing the amount of greenhouse gas pollution.

Task 3

You will hear a speech on Cleanliness Drive in India. Read the question below, then listen to the extract and choose four of the options A–G which are correct. You will hear the recording twice. Which FOUR of the following statements does the speaker believe to be true?

A. People’s attitude is that cleanliness is everyone’s responsibility.

B. People do not stop others from littering to avoid falling into any type of argument.

C. The Swachh Bharat campaign is about awakening people towards degenerating environment.

D. It’s important for the government to take care of the cleanliness of the country.

E. Our little efforts will go a long way in dealing with the issues pertaining to the environment.

F. The cleanliness campaign can achieve its aim in a couple of months or even a year.

G. We need to watch our actions carefully that may harm the flora and fauna.

Task 4

You will listen to two students, a boy and girl, debate on the topic ‘Teachers are more important than doctors’. Read the sentences below, then listen to the conversation and complete the sentences with one or two words only.

You will hear the recording twice.
1. The first speaker’s main point is that a teacher teaches us lessons of _________.

2. The second speaker argues that no fortune is possible without good __________.

3. Speaker 1 highlights the fact that we would trust a person with a _________ in medicine for our treatment.

4. Speaker 1 is of the opinion that to be knowledgeable, we need a ____________ experience of life.

5. Speaker 2 feels that a teacher is a healer of our ___________ as well as physical health.