Phonological Glass Ceiling Diagnostic

Ending Consonant Awareness

Question 1 of 10

Listen to the speaker. Which word do you hear?

Pay attention to the final sound of the word.

Listen carefully

The speaker says one word. Tap play to hear it.

A

"rice" (gao) - with /s/ at the end

B

"ride" (cuoi) - with /d/ at the end

C

"right" (dung) - with /t/ at the end

D

"rye" (lua mach den) - no ending consonant

Ending Consonant Awareness

Question 2 of 10

Listen carefully. Which sentence do you hear?

Focus on the final consonant of the last word.

Listen carefully

A short sentence. Tap play to hear it.

A

"I need to pack my BAG" (ending with /g/)

B

"I need to pack my BACK" (ending with /k/)

C

"I need to pack my BAD" (ending with /d/)

D

"I need to pack my BAT" (ending with /t/)

Stress Pattern Recognition

Question 3 of 10

Which syllable is stressed in the word "DEVELOP"?

Listen and identify which part of the word sounds louder, longer, and higher in pitch.

Listen to "DEVELOP"

Pay attention to which part sounds strongest.

A

DE-vel-op (1st syllable stressed)

B

de-VEL-op (2nd syllable stressed)

C

de-vel-OP (3rd syllable stressed)

D

All syllables are equally stressed

Stress Pattern Recognition

Question 4 of 10

Listen to these two sentences. How does the stress on "RECORD" change?

Sentence 1: "I need to RECORD this meeting." Sentence 2: "This is the RECORD."

Listen to both sentences

Notice how "record" sounds different in each.

A

Verb: re-CORD (2nd syllable) / Noun: RE-cord (1st syllable)

B

Both are pronounced the same way

C

Verb: RE-cord (1st syllable) / Noun: re-CORD (2nd syllable)

D

The difference is only in speed, not stress

Linking & Reduction

Question 5 of 10

Listen to this natural American English sentence. What does the speaker actually say?

Native speakers often reduce and link words together in casual speech.

Natural speed sentence

This is how Americans actually speak in meetings.

A

"I am going to talk to him about it"

B

"I'm gonna talk to him about it" (gonna = going to)

C

"I'm going talk him about it"

D

"I wanna talk to him about it"

Linking & Reduction

Question 6 of 10

In fast American English, "Do you want to grab lunch?" sounds like...

Listen to how the words blend together at natural conversation speed.

Casual American speech

How a coworker would say this at the office.

A

"Do you want to grab lunch?"

B

"D'ya wanna grab lunch?" (wanna = want to)

C

"You want grab lunch?"

D

"Do you wanna grab a lunch?"

Minimal Pairs

Question 7 of 10

Listen carefully. Which word do you hear?

These words differ by only one sound. This is a critical distinction for many learners.

One word - listen closely

The vowel sound is the key difference.

A

"SHIP" - short /I/ sound (like in "sit")

B

"SHEEP" - long /i:/ sound (like in "see")

C

"SHAPE" - /eI/ sound (like in "say")

D

I cannot tell the difference

Minimal Pairs

Question 8 of 10

Listen to this sentence. Which word completes it?

"I have to _____ the office at 5pm."

Complete sentence

Listen for the key verb in the sentence.

A

"LIVE" /lIv/ - short vowel (to reside)

B

"LEAVE" /li:v/ - long vowel (to depart)

C

"LOVE" /lVv/ - different vowel entirely

D

They all sound the same to me

Intonation Patterns

Question 9 of 10

Listen to these two versions. Which one is asking a yes/no QUESTION?

In English, the pitch movement at the end signals whether it is a statement or a question.

Two versions of "You finished the report"

Listen for pitch going UP or DOWN at the end.

A

Version 1 is the question (pitch rises at "report")

B

Version 2 is the question (pitch rises at "report")

C

Both sound like questions

D

I cannot hear the difference between the two

Intonation Patterns

Question 10 of 10

When listing items in English ("I need coffee, tea, and water"), what happens to the intonation?

Listen to how the pitch moves through the list.

English listing intonation

"I need coffee, tea, and water."

A

Pitch rises on each item, then falls on the last item

B

Pitch stays flat throughout the whole list

C

Pitch falls on each item, then rises on the last

D

Each item gets progressively louder

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