Talking to Technology (Informational STAAR passage)

8. The details in paragraph 5 support the idea that -

• F.

  humans use a lot of sarcasm and humor in everyday speech

• G.

  miscommunication between humans is more likely when they cannot see facial expressions

• H.

  language software is designed for communicating information rather than making jokes

• J.

  human communication involves features that cannot easily be replicated by computers

9. What is the main idea of paragraphs 7 & 8?

• A.

  When people use speech-recognition applications, their privacy may be invaded.

• B.

  As people talk more to computers, they may become less able to interact with humans.

• C.

  Advances in technology may cause humans to lose their jobs to computers.

• D.

  The use of speech-recognition technology poses a variety of potential problems.

10. According to the selection, speech-software developers are still striving to develop speech-recognition technology that -

• F.

  can comprehend language as quickly as people speak it

• G.

  helps people complete simple tasks on electronic devices

• H.

  makes people feel as if they are speaking to a human

• J.

  minimizes the need for most types of human interaction

11. Which idea does the author emphasize throughout the selection?

• A.

  Speech-recognition technology saves companies time and money.

• B.

  The technology for speech-recognition systems is constantly improving.

• C.

  Virtual personal assistants are an important achievement in talking computers.

• D.

  The earliest speech-recognition systems had limited capabilities.

12. The author's main purpose in writing this selection is to -

• F.

  describe the history of and advances in speech-recognition technology

• G.

  share concerns about problems with speech-recognition technology

• H.

  suggest that consumers rely too much on speech-recognition technology

• J.

  explain how speech-recognition technology understands human language

13. Which sentence from the selection best explains why some people may prefer human-to-human communication?

• A.

  Despite the efficiency of these systems, many people find them impersonal, stilted, and sometimes frustrating.

• B.

  Even the advanced human-machine interfaces used today are unable to trick the judge consistently into thinking a computer is a human.

• C.

  Simply put, the reason is that human beings rely on more than words to produce utterances and derive meaning from them.

• D.

  While the potential for spontaneous communication between a human and a machine may seem exciting, this possibility concerns some people.

14. The author organizes the information in the selection mainly by -

• F.

  explaining the development of speech-recognition technology over time.

• G.

  describing advancements in speech-recognition technology as well as some concerns about it.

• H.

  providing details about the technical processes that computers use to understand speech and construct a response

• J.

  comparing the ways humans and computers interpret spoken language

15. Which sentence from the selection reflects the author's opinion?

• A.

  Today many voice systems can understand the language when spoken at a normal conversational rate.

• B.

  Others fear that machines will take over functions that were traditionally performed by humans, such as customer service.

• C.

  This digital trail may lead to data mining, or the collection of large quantities of personal data.

• D.

  For now, however, the continuing evolution of speech-recognition software is thrilling to behold.