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REET Level 1 & 2 · Hindi (Language I/II)

Language Skills (LSRW): Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing — REET Hindi Pedagogy

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This page covers the four language skills — listening, speaking, reading, writing — their classification, natural order, the types of reading, and how teachers build these skills in the classroom. REET 2024 asked 12 questions from this single topic in Hindi pedagogy, making it the single most important teaching-methods topic in the language section.

  • 12 questions in REET 2024
  • Teacher-training level
  • 9 min read
Verified 17 September 2026 · Source: NCERT — Position Paper: National Focus Group on Teaching of Indian Languages (NCF 2005)

How REET tests this topic

REET 2024 asked 12 questions on this topic from the pedagogy portion of Language I and Language II (Hindi) — more than any other language-teaching topic. Most of these were on reading: the types and purposes of silent reading alone accounted for 3 questions (one of which was later marked BONUS). Beyond that, the paper tested receptive vs productive skills, writing activities such as anulekh and shrutlekh, the rule of not interrupting a child while speaking, co-curricular activities that build language skills, and definitions tied to specific pedagogues. Overall level: practical classroom understanding backed by a handful of hard facts.

The four language skills — classification

SkillNatureMediumKey activities
ListeningReceptiveOralListening to stories/poems, dictation (श्रुतलेख), following instructions, radio talks
SpeakingProductiveOralConversation, storytelling, debates, speeches, role-play, poets' gatherings (कवि-सम्मेलन)
ReadingReceptiveWrittenLoud reading (सस्वर वाचन) and silent reading (मौन वाचन), library use, children's magazines
WritingProductiveWrittenHandwriting practice (सुलेख), anulekh (अनुलेख, copy-writing), pratilekh (प्रतिलेख), shrutlekh (श्रुतलेख, dictation), essays, letters, diary entries

Receptive = listening + reading; productive = speaking + writing. Oral = listening + speaking; written = reading + writing.

The order of the skills and how they connect

The natural order in which a child acquires the mother tongue is listening → speaking → reading → writing (LSRW). A child has already learned to listen and speak at home well before starting school; reading and writing are taught systematically only once school begins. Speaking a language other than the mother tongue is usually the hardest skill and has to be learned with deliberate effort — REET 2024's official answer key rested on exactly this reasoning when it accepted "speaking" as the correct answer to a related question.

The four skills don't sit in separate boxes — they develop by feeding into one another. In an oral or written question-answer exchange, for instance, a child listens to or reads the question and then speaks or writes the answer, so a single activity ends up developing all four skills at once. NCERT's position paper on the teaching of Indian languages under NCF 2005 also stresses teaching language as a whole, in meaningful contexts, rather than skill by isolated skill.

According to the official answer key, the definition — 'भाषा शिक्षण का संबंध … सीखने वाले को सुनना, बोलना, पढ़ना और लिखना — इन चारों कौशलों में दक्ष बनाना है' ("language teaching is concerned with … making the learner proficient in these four skills — listening, speaking, reading and writing") — is attributed to S. K. Deshpande. Similarly, the official key credited Montessori as the pedagogue who held that writing should be taught before reading — in the Montessori method, children first get familiar with sounds and letter shapes, learn to write words, and only then move on to reading them.

Listening and speaking

The objectives of listening (auditory) skill are: listening attentively, recognising correct pronunciation, grasping the central idea of what is said, and responding to what was heard. Typical activities: asking questions after telling a story, dictation, 'जो कहूं वह करो' ("Simon says"-type) games, and listening to poetry recitation.

The objectives of speaking skill are: correct pronunciation, an appropriate pace and rhythm, expressing ideas confidently, and adjusting one's language to the listener. The basic grounding in correct pronunciation and spelling is given in the early grades — REET 2024's official key placed this age group at 6 to 9 years.

The teacher's own behaviour matters more than any technique: never interrupt a child while they are speaking, and offer suggestions only afterwards. Interrupting repeatedly makes children more hesitant, whereas listening patiently builds both speaking skill and confidence. Debates, poetry gatherings, role-play, antyakshari and the class assembly (bal-sabha) are all co-curricular activities that build language proficiency; an activity like 'ध्यान' (meditation), by contrast, has no direct connection to language proficiency.

Types of reading (vachan)

TypeSub-typeKey points
Loud reading (सस्वर वाचन)Model reading (आदर्श वाचन)Done by the teacher, with correct pronunciation, proper pace and feeling; serves as the model for students
Imitative reading (अनुकरण वाचन)After the model reading, students read aloud imitating the teacher
Individual reading (व्यक्तिगत वाचन)Each student reads in turn; helps identify individual errors
Choral / group reading (सामूहिक / समवेत वाचन)The whole class or group reads together; useful for younger classes and poetry; helps overcome hesitation
Silent reading (मौन वाचन)Intensive / deep reading (गंभीर / गहन वाचन)Careful, detailed study; grasping meaning, feeling and facts in depth; used in higher classes
Skimming / extensive / rapid reading (सरसरी / विस्तृत / त्वरित वाचन)Broad study; getting the gist of more material in less time — newspapers, stories, novels

Silent reading is done without vocalising and individually; choral, group and imitative reading are all forms of loud reading.

Objectives of silent reading, and writing skill

The objectives of silent reading are: increasing reading speed, concentration, grasping meaning, and building vocabulary. Its affective objective is to build interest in study and the habit of self-study. Silent reading doesn't tire the throat, doesn't disturb others, and lets more be read in less time; younger classes are given more loud reading first, with silent reading emphasised later.

Writing-skill activities include: sulekh (सुलेख, neat, clear handwriting practice), anulekh (अनुलेख, writing over or on top of already-written letters), pratilekh/copying (प्रतिलेख, copying by looking at a model), and shrutlekh (श्रुतलेख, writing what is heard, i.e. dictation). Tasks like anulipi (अनुलिपि), pratilipi (प्रतिलिपि) and shrutlipi (श्रुतलिपि) all help build writing proficiency. The marks of good writing are: correct spelling, well-formed letters, proper punctuation, paragraph division, and an orderly sequence of ideas.

How to teach this in the classroom

Listening activity (Grades 1–3)

'सुनो और बताओ' ("Listen and tell"): the teacher narrates a short story, then asks — 'कहानी में कौन-कौन था? अंत में क्या हुआ?' ("Who was in the story? What happened at the end?"). This builds attentive listening and recall together.

Speaking activity (Grades 4–8)

One-minute talks on 'मेरा गाँव/मेरा मोहल्ला' ("My village / my neighbourhood"), a class bal-sabha (बाल-सभा), and role-play. Never interrupt the child mid-speech; give correction suggestions positively, and only afterwards. Accept the child's home dialect (say, a Rajasthani variety) while gently building a bridge to standard Hindi.

Reading-writing material

Picture-story cards, children's magazines, a class library, a word wall, an anulekh (अनुलेख) workbook, and a list of familiar words for dictation (श्रुतलेख).

Common misconception

'बच्चा अक्षर पहचानकर ज़ोर से पढ़ ले, तो वह पढ़ना जान गया' ("If a child can sound out the letters and read aloud loudly, they've learned to read"). In reality, reading = grasping meaning. Fix: after reading, ask 'क्या, क्यों, कैसे' ("what, why, how") questions and ask the child to retell it in their own words.

Assessment idea

Keep separate indicators for all four skills — answering after listening, speaking for one minute, reading an unseen passage and answering questions, and dictation/paragraph writing; track progress through continuous observation.

Memory trick / exam tip

'सु-प ग्रहण, बो-लि बाहर' ("su-pa take in, bo-li give out"): su+pa — सुनना (listening) + पढ़ना (reading) — take language in (receptive); bo+li — बोलना (speaking) + लिखना (writing) — put it out (productive). And in any question on silent reading, if an option mentions 'स्वर' (vocalised), 'सामूहिक' (group), 'समवेत' (choral) or 'अनुकरण' (imitative), rule it out immediately — those all belong to loud reading.

Questions asked in REET 2024 (with solutions)

Question 37Bonus — dropped in the final key

The appropriate statement regarding silent reading (मौन-वाचन) is

  1. Aस्वर में रागात्मकता आती है ।
  2. Bमौन-वाचन स्थूल व सूक्ष्म दोनों प्रकार के अध्ययन में सहायक होता है ।
  3. Cमौन-वाचन सामूहिक वाचन के रूप में किया जा सकता है ।
  4. Dमौन-वाचन प्रवाहमय तथा गति पर नियन्त्रण के साथ होना चाहिए ।

Explanation

BSER ने अंतिम उत्तर-कुंजी में इस प्रश्न को निरस्त (BONUS) कर दिया, अर्थात् सभी अभ्यर्थियों को इसके अंक दिए गए। बोर्ड ने प्रश्न हटाने का कारण नहीं बताया। सामान्य रूप से पढ़ाया जाता है कि मौन-वाचन बिना स्वर के, व्यक्तिगत रूप से किया जाता है, इसलिए (A) और (C) इससे मेल नहीं खाते।

Question 46

“Language teaching is not merely concerned with imparting knowledge or providing information, but with making the language learner proficient in these four diverse skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing.” The above definition was given by

  1. Aरॉबर्ट लाडो द्वारा
  2. Bपामर द्वारा
  3. Cएस. के. देशपांडे द्वारा
  4. Dभोलानाथ तिवारी द्वारा

Explanation

आधिकारिक उत्तर-कुंजी के अनुसार भाषा-शिक्षण की यह परिभाषा एस. के. देशपांडे की मानी गई है। परिभाषा का मूल भाव यह है कि भाषा-शिक्षण केवल जानकारी देना नहीं, बल्कि सुनना, बोलना, पढ़ना और लिखना — इन चारों भाषायी कौशलों में दक्षता विकसित करना है। अतः उत्तर (C) है।

Question 68

For the development of language proficiency, the co-curricular activity that is NOT appropriate is -

  1. Aकवि-सम्मेलन
  2. Bवाद-विवाद
  3. Cनाट्याभिनय
  4. Dध्यान

Explanation

कवि-सम्मेलन, वाद-विवाद और नाट्याभिनय में विद्यार्थी बोलने, सुनने और अभिव्यक्ति का अभ्यास करते हैं, इसलिए ये भाषायी दक्षता बढ़ाने वाली पाठ्य सहगामी क्रियाएँ हैं। ‘ध्यान’ (meditation) मानसिक एकाग्रता की क्रिया है, भाषायी दक्षता के विकास से इसका सीधा संबंध नहीं है।

Question 69

Which language skills are included in expression (अभिव्यक्ति)?

  1. Aसुनना और बोलना
  2. Bपढ़ना और सुनना
  3. Cबोलना और लिखना
  4. Dलिखना और पढ़ना

Explanation

भाषायी कौशलों में सुनना और पढ़ना ग्रहणात्मक (receptive) कौशल हैं, जबकि बोलना और लिखना अभिव्यक्तात्मक (productive) कौशल हैं। अभिव्यक्ति में व्यक्ति अपने विचार बोलकर या लिखकर प्रकट करता है, इसलिए उत्तर (C) है।

Question 73

Among these, a type of silent reading (मौन वाचन) is -

  1. Aसामूहिक वाचन
  2. Bअनुकरण वाचन
  3. Cगंभीर वाचन
  4. Dसमवेत वाचन

Explanation

मौन वाचन के दो प्रमुख प्रकार माने जाते हैं — गंभीर वाचन और द्रुत (गति) वाचन। गंभीर वाचन में विषय-वस्तु को गहराई से समझने के लिए मौन रूप से पढ़ा जाता है। सामूहिक वाचन, अनुकरण वाचन और समवेत वाचन सस्वर (मुखर) वाचन के प्रकार हैं।

Question 48

In Hindi language teaching, correct pronunciation of letters and words, and correct spelling of words, is taught to children of which age group?

  1. A3 से 5 वर्ष
  2. B6 से 9 वर्ष
  3. C1 से 3 वर्ष
  4. D9 से 15 वर्ष

Explanation

भाषा शिक्षण की पुस्तकों के अनुसार वर्ण एवं शब्दों के शुद्ध उच्चारण और शुद्ध वर्तनी की व्यवस्थित शिक्षा प्राथमिक स्तर पर, अर्थात् 6 से 9 वर्ष के बच्चों को दी जाती है। 3 से 5 वर्ष पूर्व-प्राथमिक अवस्था है जहाँ मुख्यतः सुनने-बोलने पर बल रहता है।

Question 66

Which skill is naturally learned first in the mother tongue, but in a second (non-native) language is learned with deliberate effort only at the final stage of learning?

  1. Aलिखना
  2. Bमनन करना
  3. Cबोलना
  4. Dपढ़ना

Explanation

मातृभाषा में बच्चा सुनकर सबसे पहले स्वाभाविक रूप से बोलना सीख लेता है। किन्तु मात्रेतर (दूसरी) भाषा में बोलने की सहज दक्षता सबसे कठिन होती है और वह सीखने के अंतिम चरण में सप्रयत्न विकसित होती है, क्योंकि उसके लिए भाषिक परिवेश उपलब्ध नहीं होता। अतः उत्तर ‘बोलना’ है।

Question 67

Activities like Anulipi (copying), Pratilipi (transcription), Shrutilipi (dictation) etc. are helpful in acquiring which language skill?

  1. Aश्रवण
  2. Bवाचन
  3. Cपठन
  4. Dलेखन

Explanation

अनुलिपि (देखकर लिखना), प्रतिलिपि (नकल करना) और श्रुतिलिपि (सुनकर लिखना) — ये सभी लेखन के अभ्यास हैं। इनसे सुलेख, शुद्ध वर्तनी और लेखन-गति जैसी लेखन दक्षता का विकास होता है।

Question 71

Which educationist considered teaching writing before reading to be correct?

  1. Aजान डीवी ने
  2. Bमैक्डूगल ने
  3. Cड्रेवर ने
  4. Dमॉण्टेसरी ने

Explanation

मॉण्टेसरी पद्धति में बच्चे की ज्ञानेन्द्रियों और माँसपेशियों के प्रशिक्षण पर बल दिया जाता है, और मारिया मॉण्टेसरी ने लिखना सिखाने को पढ़ना सिखाने से पहले उचित माना। उनके अनुसार बच्चा अक्षरों की आकृतियाँ बनाना सीखकर फिर पढ़ना सरलता से सीखता है।

Question 72

Through oral and written question-answer, how many language skills can be developed?

  1. Aतीन
  2. Bचार
  3. Cएक
  4. Dदो

Explanation

मौखिक प्रश्नोत्तर में सुनना और बोलना, तथा लिखित प्रश्नोत्तर में पढ़ना और लिखना कौशल सक्रिय होते हैं। इस प्रकार प्रश्नोत्तर द्वारा चारों भाषायी कौशलों — श्रवण, भाषण, पठन और लेखन — का विकास किया जा सकता है।

Question 58

'When upper-primary level children speak, they should not be interrupted; suggestions should be given at the end.' This will develop which skill in them?

  1. Aश्रवण कौशल का
  2. Bपठन कौशल का
  3. Cबोलना कौशल का
  4. Dलेखन कौशल का

Explanation

बोलते समय बच्चों को बीच में टोकने से उनका आत्मविश्वास घटता है और वे झिझकने लगते हैं। उन्हें बिना टोके बोलने देना और सुझाव अंत में देना मौखिक अभिव्यक्ति अर्थात बोलना (वाचन/भाषण) कौशल का विकास करता है।

Question 73

The affective (emotional) objective of silent reading is

  1. Aअध्ययन में रुचि उत्पन्न करना
  2. Bतीव्र गति से पठन का अभ्यास करना
  3. Cशब्द भण्डार में अभिवृद्धि करना
  4. Dपाठ्यक्रम शीघ्रता से पूर्ण करना

Explanation

मौन पठन के भावात्मक (affective) उद्देश्य रुचि, अभिरुचि और आनंद से जुड़े होते हैं, जैसे अध्ययन में रुचि उत्पन्न करना। तीव्र गति से पढ़ना और शब्द भंडार बढ़ाना कौशल/ज्ञान संबंधी उद्देश्य हैं, भावात्मक नहीं।

Practice questions

Question 1

Which of the following pairs comprises receptive language skills?

  1. Aबोलना और लिखना
  2. Bसुनना और पढ़ना
  3. Cसुनना और बोलना
  4. Dपढ़ना और लिखना

Explanation

Listening and reading are how a child takes language in, which makes them receptive skills. Speaking and writing, where the child puts language out, are the productive skills.

Question 2

What is the natural order of language skills in learning one's mother tongue?

  1. Aपढ़ना – लिखना – सुनना – बोलना
  2. Bबोलना – सुनना – लिखना – पढ़ना
  3. Cसुनना – बोलना – पढ़ना – लिखना
  4. Dलिखना – पढ़ना – बोलना – सुनना

Explanation

A child listens first, then begins to speak; reading and writing are learned later, in a structured way, once school begins. This natural order is remembered as LSRW.

Question 3

The reading done by the teacher with correct pronunciation, proper pace and expression, which students listen to as a model, is called

  1. Aआदर्श वाचन
  2. Bमौन वाचन
  3. Cसरसरी वाचन
  4. Dगंभीर वाचन

Explanation

Model reading (आदर्श वाचन) is done by the teacher so students have a model to imitate. Silent, skimming and intensive reading are all done without any vocalisation, so none of them fit here.

Question 4

Reading a newspaper to grasp the gist of the main news in a short time is an example of which type of reading?

  1. Aअनुकरण वाचन
  2. Bसरसरी (त्वरित) मौन वाचन
  3. Cसमवेत वाचन
  4. Dआदर्श वाचन

Explanation

Getting the gist of the main headlines quickly is exactly what skimming/rapid silent reading (सरसरी वाचन) is for — covering a lot of material in a short time. Imitative, choral and model reading are all types of loud reading.

Question 5

Dictation mainly develops which two skills together?

  1. Aपढ़ना और बोलना
  2. Bबोलना और लिखना
  3. Cसुनना और लिखना
  4. Dपढ़ना और लिखना

Explanation

In dictation, the teacher speaks and the student listens carefully and writes it down, so both listening and writing get practised together.

Question 6

Which of the following statements about silent reading is NOT correct?

  1. Aइससे पढ़ने की गति बढ़ती है
  2. Bयह व्यक्तिगत रूप से किया जाता है
  3. Cयह शुद्ध उच्चारण के अभ्यास का सबसे अच्छा साधन है
  4. Dइससे स्वाध्याय की आदत बनती है

Explanation

Silent reading involves no vocalisation at all, so it cannot build pronunciation practice — that's the job of loud reading. The other three statements are all true of silent reading.

Question 7

At the start of teaching writing in Class 2, having children trace over dots or lightly written letters is called

  1. Aश्रुतलेख
  2. Bअनुलेख
  3. Cनिबंध लेखन
  4. Dसुलेख प्रतियोगिता

Explanation

Writing over dotted lines or lightly-written letters is anulekh (अनुलेख), the earliest stage of writing practice. Dictation (shrutlekh) is writing what is heard, and essay writing is free, independent expression.

Question 8

A Class 6 student uses words from his home dialect while speaking in class. What should the teacher do?

  1. Aउसे तुरंत रोककर मानक शब्द बोलने को कहना
  2. Bघरेलू बोली के प्रयोग पर दंड देना
  3. Cउसे केवल लिखित कार्य देना
  4. Dउसकी बात पूरी सुनना, अभिव्यक्ति की सराहना करना और बाद में मानक हिंदी के शब्दों से परिचित कराना

Explanation

Accepting a child's home dialect keeps their confidence intact and lets their speaking skill develop naturally. Interrupting mid-speech or punishing dialect use only increases hesitation; the standard form is better introduced gently, afterwards.

Question 9

Which is the most suitable assessment activity for checking reading skill?

  1. Aअपठित गद्यांश पढ़वाकर उस पर आधारित प्रश्न पूछना
  2. Bपाठ के प्रश्नोत्तर रटकर लिखवाना
  3. Cबच्चों से वर्णमाला बुलवाना
  4. Dपाठ की नकल (प्रतिलेख) करवाना

Explanation

Reading means grasping meaning, so questions based on an unseen passage are what actually test that comprehension. Rote-recited answers, reciting the alphabet, or copying a passage don't demonstrate reading comprehension at all.

Question 10

A teacher organises a 'Bal-Sabha' (children's assembly) in class in which children recite poems, others listen attentively and respond, and finally write a report of the assembly. The most appropriate statement about this activity is

  1. Aइससे केवल बोलने का कौशल विकसित होता है
  2. Bइसका भाषायी दक्षता से कोई संबंध नहीं है
  3. Cयह पाठ्य सहगामी क्रिया है जो एकाधिक भाषायी कौशलों को एक साथ विकसित करती है
  4. Dइससे केवल लेखन कौशल विकसित होता है

Explanation

Reciting a poem uses speaking, listening and reacting uses listening, and writing the report uses writing — several skills develop together in one activity. Bal-sabha (बाल-सभा) is exactly this kind of co-curricular activity that builds multiple language skills at once.

Frequently asked questions

How many REET questions come from language skills?+

REET 2024 asked 12 questions on this topic from the Language I/II pedagogy portion, with reading and silent reading drawing the most questions.

What are the four language skills?+

Listening, speaking, reading and writing. Of these, listening and reading are receptive skills, while speaking and writing are productive skills.

How many types of silent reading are there?+

Silent reading has two main types — intensive/deep reading (गंभीर / गहन वाचन), used for detailed study, and skimming/extensive/rapid reading (सरसरी / विस्तृत / त्वरित वाचन), used to get the gist of material quickly.

What's the difference between anulekh and shrutlekh?+

In anulekh (अनुलेख), the child writes over or by looking at already-written letters, while in shrutlekh (श्रुतलेख) the teacher speaks and the child writes what they hear. Shrutlekh develops both listening and writing skills.

Read next

Methods of Teaching Hindi

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Hindi Teaching-Learning Material

Next topic: material that supports skill development

REET Syllabus

The complete official syllabus for Language I and II

REET 2024 Solved Paper

Questions from all shifts with the official key and explanations

Official Sources

  1. NCERT — Position Paper: National Focus Group on Teaching of Indian Languages (NCF 2005)
  2. NCERT — National Curriculum Framework 2005 and textbooks
  3. BSER — REET 2024 official question papers and final answer keys (original PDFs; no longer hosted on the board portal)

Change Log

  • 17 September 2026 — English page published — mirrors the fact-checked Hindi page, independently bilingual-accuracy checked