Which term refers to activities learners do before a listening activity to prepare for listening?

• A. Pre-listening
• B. Pre-teaching
• C. Plenum
• D. Process-oriented syllabus

Answer: (A)

Pre-listening tasks are activities learners do before listening to prepare for the incoming input. They activate background knowledge, help learners predict content, and clarify the purpose of listening, which primes understanding and reduces the cognitive load during the actual listening. By front-loading key vocabulary or framing questions, students approach the listening with a clearer aim and better anticipation of what they will hear, making it easier to pick out main ideas and specific details.

Pre-teaching is related but more narrowly focused on teaching vocabulary or language forms that might hinder comprehension, and can be part of pre-listening, but it’s not the general label for all preparatory activities. Plenum refers to a whole-class discussion, not a type of pre-listening activity. A process-oriented syllabus is a broader design approach about how learning unfolds over time, not the specific step of preparing to listen.