Chinese Language Quest
  • About
  • Book 1
    • Level 0: Introduction to Chinese >
      • L0 Act 1
      • L0 Act 2
      • L0 Act 3
      • L0 Boss Fights
      • L0 Projects
    • Level 1: Greetings >
      • L1 Act 1
      • L1 Act 2
      • L1 Boss Fights
      • L1 Projects
    • Level 2: Family >
      • L2 Act 1
      • L2 Act 2
      • L2 Act 3
      • L2 Boss Fights
      • L2 Projects
    • Level 3: Dates and Time >
      • L3 Act 1
      • L3 Act 2
      • L3 Act 3
      • L3 Act 4
      • L3 Boss Fights
      • L3 Projects
    • Level 4: Hobbies >
      • L4 Act 1
      • L4 Act 2
      • L4 Boss Fights
      • L4 Projects
    • Level 5: Visiting Friends >
      • L5 Act 1
      • L5 Act 2
      • L5 Act 3
      • L5 Boss Fights
      • L5 Projects
    • Level 6: Making Appointments >
      • L6 Act 1
      • L6 Act 2
      • L6 Act 3
      • L6 Boss Fights
      • L6 Projects
    • Level 7: Studying Chinese >
      • L7 Act 1
      • L7 Act 2
      • L7 Act 3
      • L7 Boss Fights
      • L7 Projects
    • Level 8: School Life >
      • L8 Act 1
      • L8 Act 2
      • L8 Act 3
      • L8 Boss Fights
      • L8 Projects
    • Level 9: Shopping >
      • L9 Act 1
      • L9 Act 2
      • L9 Act 3
      • L9 Act 4
      • L9 Boss Fights
      • L9 Projects
    • Level 10: Transportation >
      • L10 Act 1
      • L10 Act 2
      • L10 Act 3
      • L10 Boss Fights
      • L10 Projects
  • Book 2
    • Level 11: Weather >
      • L11 Act 1
      • L11 Act 2
      • L11 Boss Fights
      • L11 Projects
    • Level 12: Dining >
      • L12 Act 1
      • L12 Act 2
      • L12 Act 3
      • L12 Boss Fights
      • L12 Projects
    • Level 13: Asking Directions >
      • L13 Act 1
      • L13 Act 2
      • L13 Act 3
      • L13 Boss Fights
      • L13 Projects
    • Level 14: Birthday Party >
      • L14 Act 1
      • L14 Act 2
      • L14 Act 3
      • L14: Boss Fights
      • L14 Projects
    • Level 15: Seeing a Doctor >
      • L15 Act 1
      • L15 Act 2
      • L15 Act 3
      • L15 Act 4
      • L15 Boss Fights
      • L15 Projects
    • Level 16: Dating >
      • L16 Act 1
      • L16 Act 2
      • L16 Boss Fights
      • L16 Projects
    • Level 17: Renting an Apartment >
      • L17 Act 1
      • L17 Act 2
      • L17 Act 3
      • L17 Boss Fights
      • L17 Projects
    • Level 18: Sports >
      • L18 Act 1
      • L18 Act 2
      • L18 Act 3
      • L18 Boss Fights
      • L18 Projects
    • Level 19: Travel >
      • L19 Act 1
      • L19 Act 2
      • L19 Act 3
      • L19 Act 4
      • L19 Boss Fights
      • L19 Projects
    • Level 20: At the Airport >
      • L20 Act 1
      • L20 Act 2
      • L20 Boss Fights
      • L20 Projects
  • Book 3
    • Level 21: Starting School >
      • L21 Act 1
      • L21 Act 2
      • L21 Boss Fights
      • L21 Projects
    • Level 22: Dorm Life >
      • L22 Act 1
      • L22 Act 2
      • L22 Boss Fights
      • L22 Projects
    • Level 23: At the Restaurant >
      • L23 Act 1
      • L23 Act 2
      • L23 Act 3
      • L23 Boss Fights
      • L23 Projects
    • Level 24: Buying Things >
      • L24 Act 1
      • L24 Act 2
      • L24 Boss Fights
      • L24 Projects
    • Level 25: Choosing Classes >
      • L25 Act 1
      • L25 Act 2
      • L25 Act 3
      • L25 Boss Fights
      • L25 Projects
    • Level 26: Romance >
      • L26 Act 1
      • L26 Act 2
      • L26 Act 3
      • L26 Boss Fights
      • L26 Projects
    • Level 27: Computers and the Internet >
      • L27 Act 1
      • L27 Act 2
      • L27 Act 3
      • L27 Boss Fights
      • L27 Projects
    • Level 28: Working >
      • L28 Act 1
      • L28 Act 2
      • L28 Act 3
      • L28 Boss Fights
      • L28 Projects
    • Level 29: Education >
      • L29 Act 1
      • L29 Act 2
      • L29 Act 3
      • L29 Boss Fights
      • L29 Projects
    • Level 30: Chinese Geography >
      • L30 Act 1
      • L30 Act 2
      • L30 Act 3
      • L30 Act 4
      • L30 Act 5
      • L30 Boss Fights
      • L30 Projects
  • Book 4
    • Level 31: Chinese Holidays >
      • L31 Act 1
      • L31 Act 2
      • L31 Act 3
      • L31 Act 4
      • L31 Boss Fights
      • L31 Projects
    • Level 32: Changes in China >
      • L32 Act 1
      • L32 Act 2
      • L32 Act 3
      • L32 Act 4
      • L32 Boss Fights
      • L32 Projects
    • Level 33: A Trip to Yunnan >
      • L33 Act 1
      • L33 Act 2
      • L33 Act 3
      • L33 Boss Fights
      • L33 Projects
    • Level 34: Lifestyle and Health >
      • L34 Act 1
      • L34 Act 2
      • L34 Act 3
      • L34 Boss Fights
      • L34 Projects
    • Level 35: Gender Equality >
      • L35 Act 1
      • L35 Act 2
      • L35 Act 3
      • L35 Boss Fights
      • L35 Projects
    • Level 36: Environmental Protection >
      • L36 Act 1
      • L36 Act 2
      • L36 Act 3
      • L36 Act 4
      • L36 Boss Fights
      • L36 Projects
    • Level 37: Wealth Management >
      • L37 Act 1
      • L37 Act 2
      • L37 Act 3
      • L37 Boss Fights
      • L37 Projects
  • Special Units
    • Distance Learning
    • The Coronavirus
    • Identity
  • AP Exam
    • 听:Listening >
      • Vocab and Grammar
      • Practice Questions
      • Test Strategies
    • 读:Reading >
      • Vocab and Grammar
      • Practice Questions
      • Test Strategies
    • 说:Speaking >
      • Vocab and Grammar
      • Practice Questions
      • Test Strategies
    • 写:Writing >
      • Vocab and Grammar
      • Practice Questions
      • Test Strategies
  • Resources
    • Class Activities and Games
    • Discovery Quests
    • Online Resources

SPEAKING: PRACTICE QUESTIONS


Useful Expressions for Smooth Speaking

Describing Time:

  • after that 那以后
  • later, afterward 后来
  • soon 不久
  • soon/shortly after ……之后不久
  • at last 终于
  • lately 近来
  • recently 最近
  • since then 从那时起
  • until now 直到现在
  • after a while 一会儿,过了一会儿
  • once, as soon as 一……就……
  • right away, immediately 立即,马上,立刻
  • at the same time 在此期间,同时
  • suddenly, all of a sudden 突然

Describing Position:

  • in front of 在……前面
  • at the back of 在……后面
  • below 在……下面
  • above 在……上面
  • in the middle of 在……中间
  • at the bottom of 在……底部
  • on top of 在……顶部
  • across 在……的另一边
  • around 在……周围
  • nearby 在……附近
  • opposite to 与……相对
  • close to 靠近
  • on the right/left 在右/左边
  • to the right/left 朝右/左
PRACTICE: please come up with two stories based on the picture. Use at least 5 expressions from above for each story.
Picture
Describing Time.
Picture
Describing Position.

Comparing Things:

  • comparatively 比较起来
  • like 像……,像……一样
  • similarly 同样地
  • in the same way 以相同的方式
  • on the contrary 正相反
  • different from 与……不同
  • not exactly like 并不完全是

Giving an Example or Emphasizing Something:

  • for example 例如……,举个例子吧
  • such as 如……
  • take … for example 拿……来说
  • especially 特别是,尤其是
  • favorite 我最喜欢的是
  • in fact/as a matter of fact 事实上
  • in other words 换句话说
  • that is 也就是说
  • in that case 那样的话
  • to be more exact 更确切地说
PRACTICE: please come up with two stories based on the picture. Use at least 5 expressions from above for each story.
Picture
Comparing Things.
Picture
Giving an Example or Emphasizing Something.

Summarizing:

Picture
  • in conclusion 总的来说,一句话,总而言之
  • it is well known that 大家都知道,众所周知
  • it is clear that 很显然
  • as has been mentioned 正如所提到的
  • generally speaking 一般说来
  • taking everything 从总体来看
  • into consideration
  • I think 我认为,我觉得,我的看法是
  • as far as I know 据我所知
  • in my opinion 依我看来
  • by the way 顺便说
  • I am afraid 我恐怕
  • to tell the truth 说实话
  • to be honest 老实说
  • in fact 事实上

PRACTICE: summarize the population distribution of China using at least 5 expressions from above.

Part I: Conversation

              In this part of the exam—the first task of Section II, Part B (Speaking)—you will participate in a simulated conversation, responding to six prompts (a question or set of questions) in approximately four minutes. The questions are part of a conversation on a particular topic with a particular person. You will listen to a recording that includes the questions you need to answer. You will have 20 seconds to respond to each prompt. On the actual test, your responses will be recorded so they can be scored later. Attention! Conversation is probably the most difficult part of the AP Chinese exam. It tests not only your speaking skills but also your abilities in listening comprehension. Twenty seconds is actually not a very short time; you need to speak at least five sentences.
              The College Board provides scoring guidelines for the simulated conversation. Like the scoring for the story narration and e-mail response, each student’s response is graded on a scale of 1 to 6. Conversations at level 6 are considered “excellent,” while those graded at level 5 are “very good.” Level 4 scores are “good,” and level 3 is “adequate.”
              ​Your performance on the conversation portion of the exam—like the scoring on all the free-response questions—is evaluated on the basis of three criteria using this rubric:
Picture

Practice Questions:

1. You will have a conversation with Chen Ming, a friend from China, about your school life in the United States. ​Now listen to the six questions and answer them one by one. You will have 20 seconds for each answer; on the actual test, your spoken answers will be recorded.
2. You will have a conversation with Tang Wei, a friend who has been to China many times, about traveling in China. Now listen to the six questions and answer them one by one. You will have 20 seconds for each answer; on the actual test, your spoken answers will be recorded.
For a good answer:
  • a. Did you address the question thoroughly and provide details?
  • b. Did you include smooth sentence connections?
  • c. Did your response show natural pace with minimal repetitions and/or hesitations?
  • d. Did you use good pronunciation and register?
  • e. Did your answer show a rich vocabulary and various grammatical structures?

​General Strategies:

1. Listen carefully. Understanding the question is as important as answering it. Listen to the prompt very carefully. In a lot of cases, there are two questions in one prompt and you need to answer both of them. Repeat them in your mind.

2. Complete the task. Answer the questions directly first and then provide elaboration. Speak as much as possible for the 20 seconds you are given. If you didn’t get the question or missed some information you think is important, don’t give up. Try to repeat the words you know, then share your opinions and explain your reasoning. Most prompts involve questions about opinions and the reasons behind them.

​3. Pay attention to language usage and delivery. Do not worry too much about your grammar. If your mind goes blank, start out with a phrase you know such as “As far as I know…” or “What I would like to say….” Speak as fast and fluently as possible for the familiar parts. Give examples, rephrase your answers, and use language that is culturally appropriate to the situation to demonstrate your ability for good language usage and delivery. Don’t blurt out English when frustrated!

Part II: Cultural Presentation

              In this part of the exam—the second task of Section II, Part B (Speaking)—you will make a presentation on a specific cultural topic you are given. You will have four minutes to prepare for your two-minute presentation. Your two-minute presentation will be recorded so it can be scored later. Don’t panic! It is just like any presentation your teacher asked you to do in the class, and you can take notes in the four minutes before your presentation. Although it may sound difficult, the cultural presentation can actually be the easiest part of the whole exam because you can prepare the structure and content before the exam. You are given some latitude in choosing the topic you want to talk about. Choose a topic for which you know the Chinese name and can talk about its significance.
              The College Board provides scoring guidelines for the culture presentation. Like the scoring for the story narration and e-mail response, each student’s response is graded on a scale of 1 to 6. Conversations at level 6 are considered “excellent,” while those graded at level 5 are “very good.” Level 4 scores are “good,” and level 3 is “adequate.”
              Your performance on the presentation portion of the exam—like the scoring on all the free-response questions—is evaluated on the basis of three criteria using this rubric:
Picture

Practice Questions:

Time Limit: four minutes for the preparation period and two minutes for the presentation. On the actual test your two-minute oral presentation will be recorded. ​

1. Choose one famous Chinese person (e.g., movie stars, sports stars, leaders, authors, musicians, artists, etc.). In your presentation, describe the person in detail and explain his/her significance.

​2. ​Choose one Chinese traditional festival activity (dinner on Chinese New Year’s Eve, the dragon boat competition during the Duan Wu Festival, etc.), describe this festival activity, and explain its significance.

Useful Expressions:

  • I feel that 我觉得啊
  • I think 我认为
  • in another way/that is 也就是说
  • how to say 怎么说呢
  • from another point of view 从另一方面来看
  • for example 比如说
  • for instance 举个例子吧
  • to be more exact 说得更确切一点
  • in detail 说得更具体一点
  • just like what I said 就像我刚才所说的
  • as everybody knows 大家都知道的
  • as we all heard about 我们都听说过的

General Strategies: 

1. Use your four minutes for careful preparation. You can do a lot of constructive preparation in the four minutes. First, carefully read the task you are assigned (the prompt). Make sure that you understand what culture practice or product you need to discuss. Sometimes there is a specific condition (usually adjectives such as famous, traditional, regional, etc.) added to the topic. Your preparation should be based on the condition and include some complete sentences.

2. Complete the task.
Start with your main idea as the first sentence. If you are going to talk about a cultural topic and its significance, then state it. Second, describe the features and share the significance. Speak as fast and fluently as possible for the familiar parts. If you have time, plan a beautiful closing sentence that wows.

3. Start with a structure (template)
prepared in advance. Similar to the e-mail response, you can prepare a structured outline before the exam because the topics involve a cultural practice and its significance. Thus, you can do fill-in-the-blank writing instead of starting from zero in the actual exam. Preparing a well-organized structure with perfect grammar and the use of rich language before the exam can really help you to succeed in this task.
MORE TOPICS:
  • One Chinese social custom
  • One city in mainland China or Taiwan
  • One Chinese art
  • One Chinese movie
  • One Chinese leisure activity
  • One traditional Chinese concept or value
  • One Chinese regional cuisine
  • One Chinese cultural sport (Tai Chi, Qi Gong, yo-yo, etc.)
  • One Chinese idiom or proverb
  • One Chinese taboo topic
  • One ancient Chinese invention
  • One famous person in ancient China
  • One traditional Chinese holiday

Lino Practice Questions:

Follow the link to try out REAL speaking prompts on past AP Chinese Exams. The format follows the AP Exam exactly:

Lingt:  AP Chinese Speaking Practice

Recommended Resources for Practice:

Barron's AP Chinese and Culture

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Strive for a 5 - AP Chinese Practice Tests

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© 2019 Hugo Xiong. hugo@chineselanguagequest.com
  • About
  • Book 1
    • Level 0: Introduction to Chinese >
      • L0 Act 1
      • L0 Act 2
      • L0 Act 3
      • L0 Boss Fights
      • L0 Projects
    • Level 1: Greetings >
      • L1 Act 1
      • L1 Act 2
      • L1 Boss Fights
      • L1 Projects
    • Level 2: Family >
      • L2 Act 1
      • L2 Act 2
      • L2 Act 3
      • L2 Boss Fights
      • L2 Projects
    • Level 3: Dates and Time >
      • L3 Act 1
      • L3 Act 2
      • L3 Act 3
      • L3 Act 4
      • L3 Boss Fights
      • L3 Projects
    • Level 4: Hobbies >
      • L4 Act 1
      • L4 Act 2
      • L4 Boss Fights
      • L4 Projects
    • Level 5: Visiting Friends >
      • L5 Act 1
      • L5 Act 2
      • L5 Act 3
      • L5 Boss Fights
      • L5 Projects
    • Level 6: Making Appointments >
      • L6 Act 1
      • L6 Act 2
      • L6 Act 3
      • L6 Boss Fights
      • L6 Projects
    • Level 7: Studying Chinese >
      • L7 Act 1
      • L7 Act 2
      • L7 Act 3
      • L7 Boss Fights
      • L7 Projects
    • Level 8: School Life >
      • L8 Act 1
      • L8 Act 2
      • L8 Act 3
      • L8 Boss Fights
      • L8 Projects
    • Level 9: Shopping >
      • L9 Act 1
      • L9 Act 2
      • L9 Act 3
      • L9 Act 4
      • L9 Boss Fights
      • L9 Projects
    • Level 10: Transportation >
      • L10 Act 1
      • L10 Act 2
      • L10 Act 3
      • L10 Boss Fights
      • L10 Projects
  • Book 2
    • Level 11: Weather >
      • L11 Act 1
      • L11 Act 2
      • L11 Boss Fights
      • L11 Projects
    • Level 12: Dining >
      • L12 Act 1
      • L12 Act 2
      • L12 Act 3
      • L12 Boss Fights
      • L12 Projects
    • Level 13: Asking Directions >
      • L13 Act 1
      • L13 Act 2
      • L13 Act 3
      • L13 Boss Fights
      • L13 Projects
    • Level 14: Birthday Party >
      • L14 Act 1
      • L14 Act 2
      • L14 Act 3
      • L14: Boss Fights
      • L14 Projects
    • Level 15: Seeing a Doctor >
      • L15 Act 1
      • L15 Act 2
      • L15 Act 3
      • L15 Act 4
      • L15 Boss Fights
      • L15 Projects
    • Level 16: Dating >
      • L16 Act 1
      • L16 Act 2
      • L16 Boss Fights
      • L16 Projects
    • Level 17: Renting an Apartment >
      • L17 Act 1
      • L17 Act 2
      • L17 Act 3
      • L17 Boss Fights
      • L17 Projects
    • Level 18: Sports >
      • L18 Act 1
      • L18 Act 2
      • L18 Act 3
      • L18 Boss Fights
      • L18 Projects
    • Level 19: Travel >
      • L19 Act 1
      • L19 Act 2
      • L19 Act 3
      • L19 Act 4
      • L19 Boss Fights
      • L19 Projects
    • Level 20: At the Airport >
      • L20 Act 1
      • L20 Act 2
      • L20 Boss Fights
      • L20 Projects
  • Book 3
    • Level 21: Starting School >
      • L21 Act 1
      • L21 Act 2
      • L21 Boss Fights
      • L21 Projects
    • Level 22: Dorm Life >
      • L22 Act 1
      • L22 Act 2
      • L22 Boss Fights
      • L22 Projects
    • Level 23: At the Restaurant >
      • L23 Act 1
      • L23 Act 2
      • L23 Act 3
      • L23 Boss Fights
      • L23 Projects
    • Level 24: Buying Things >
      • L24 Act 1
      • L24 Act 2
      • L24 Boss Fights
      • L24 Projects
    • Level 25: Choosing Classes >
      • L25 Act 1
      • L25 Act 2
      • L25 Act 3
      • L25 Boss Fights
      • L25 Projects
    • Level 26: Romance >
      • L26 Act 1
      • L26 Act 2
      • L26 Act 3
      • L26 Boss Fights
      • L26 Projects
    • Level 27: Computers and the Internet >
      • L27 Act 1
      • L27 Act 2
      • L27 Act 3
      • L27 Boss Fights
      • L27 Projects
    • Level 28: Working >
      • L28 Act 1
      • L28 Act 2
      • L28 Act 3
      • L28 Boss Fights
      • L28 Projects
    • Level 29: Education >
      • L29 Act 1
      • L29 Act 2
      • L29 Act 3
      • L29 Boss Fights
      • L29 Projects
    • Level 30: Chinese Geography >
      • L30 Act 1
      • L30 Act 2
      • L30 Act 3
      • L30 Act 4
      • L30 Act 5
      • L30 Boss Fights
      • L30 Projects
  • Book 4
    • Level 31: Chinese Holidays >
      • L31 Act 1
      • L31 Act 2
      • L31 Act 3
      • L31 Act 4
      • L31 Boss Fights
      • L31 Projects
    • Level 32: Changes in China >
      • L32 Act 1
      • L32 Act 2
      • L32 Act 3
      • L32 Act 4
      • L32 Boss Fights
      • L32 Projects
    • Level 33: A Trip to Yunnan >
      • L33 Act 1
      • L33 Act 2
      • L33 Act 3
      • L33 Boss Fights
      • L33 Projects
    • Level 34: Lifestyle and Health >
      • L34 Act 1
      • L34 Act 2
      • L34 Act 3
      • L34 Boss Fights
      • L34 Projects
    • Level 35: Gender Equality >
      • L35 Act 1
      • L35 Act 2
      • L35 Act 3
      • L35 Boss Fights
      • L35 Projects
    • Level 36: Environmental Protection >
      • L36 Act 1
      • L36 Act 2
      • L36 Act 3
      • L36 Act 4
      • L36 Boss Fights
      • L36 Projects
    • Level 37: Wealth Management >
      • L37 Act 1
      • L37 Act 2
      • L37 Act 3
      • L37 Boss Fights
      • L37 Projects
  • Special Units
    • Distance Learning
    • The Coronavirus
    • Identity
  • AP Exam
    • 听:Listening >
      • Vocab and Grammar
      • Practice Questions
      • Test Strategies
    • 读:Reading >
      • Vocab and Grammar
      • Practice Questions
      • Test Strategies
    • 说:Speaking >
      • Vocab and Grammar
      • Practice Questions
      • Test Strategies
    • 写:Writing >
      • Vocab and Grammar
      • Practice Questions
      • Test Strategies
  • Resources
    • Class Activities and Games
    • Discovery Quests
    • Online Resources