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NCEA L1 Te Reo Māori study materials
NCEA L1 Te Reo Māori study resources

NCEA L1 Te Reo Māori practice questions

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Question 1Listening

You hear: 'Kei te haere a Hine ki te kura.' What is Hine doing?

  1. She has returned from school
  2. She is going to school Correct answer.
  3. She is at school
  4. She will go to school tomorrow

Explanation

The pattern 'kei te' plus a verb marks an action happening now, so 'kei te haere' means 'is going'. The particle 'ki' shows direction toward the kura, giving 'going to school' as the present action.

Question 2Listening

You hear: 'E rua ngā kurī, e toru ngā ngeru.' How many animals are there in total?

  1. Three
  2. Two
  3. Five Correct answer.
  4. Six

Explanation

The speaker gives two dogs ('e rua ngā kurī') and three cats ('e toru ngā ngeru'). Adding the two counts gives five animals altogether, so the total is five.

Question 3Listening

You hear: 'Kāore au e mōhio ki te wāhi o taku pukapuka.' What is the speaker saying?

  1. I do not want to read my book
  2. I do not know where my book is Correct answer.
  3. My book is not at home
  4. I have lost my book at school

Explanation

'Kāore au e mōhio' is the negative form meaning 'I do not know'. The phrase 'ki te wāhi o taku pukapuka' refers to the location of the speaker's book, so the full meaning is not knowing where it is.

Question 4Listening

You hear: 'Tēnā koe, e hoa. Kei te pēhea koe?' What is the speaker asking?

  1. Who is your friend?
  2. When are you coming?
  3. Where are you?
  4. How are you? Correct answer.

Explanation

'Kei te pēhea koe?' is the standard greeting question asking how someone is. 'Tēnā koe, e hoa' is a friendly address to a friend before the question, so the whole utterance asks after the listener's wellbeing.

Question 5Listening

You hear: 'Ka kai mātou i te parakuihi, kātahi ka haere ki te mahi.' What happens first?

  1. They go to work
  2. They cook dinner
  3. They eat breakfast Correct answer.
  4. They return home

Explanation

The sequence marker 'kātahi ka' introduces the second action, so whatever comes before it happens first. Eating breakfast ('ka kai mātou i te parakuihi') is stated before the marker, so it comes first.

Question 6Listening

You hear: 'He nui taku whare, engari he iti tōna whare.' What does this tell you?

  1. The speaker's house is smaller than the other's
  2. Neither house is big
  3. The speaker's house is big but the other person's is small Correct answer.
  4. Both houses are big

Explanation

'He nui taku whare' states the speaker's house is big, and 'engari' signals a contrast. After it, 'he iti tōna whare' says the other person's house is small, so the two descriptions are opposite.

Question 7Listening

You hear a speaker say: 'Āpōpō ka tū te hui ki te marae.' When and where is the meeting?

  1. Tomorrow at the school
  2. Yesterday at the marae
  3. Today at the hall
  4. Tomorrow at the marae Correct answer.

Explanation

'Āpōpō' means tomorrow and 'ka tū te hui' means the meeting will be held. The location is given by 'ki te marae', so the meeting is tomorrow at the marae.

Question 8Listening

You hear: 'Kua tae mai te manuhiri.' What has happened?

  1. The visitors have not arrived
  2. The visitors are still coming
  3. The visitors have arrived Correct answer.
  4. The visitors are leaving

Explanation

'Kua' marks a completed action, and 'tae mai' means arrive toward the speaker. Together they state that the arrival of the manuhiri is now complete.

Question 9Listening

You hear: 'Homai koa te wai.' What is the listener being asked to do?

  1. Drink the water
  2. Wash with the water
  3. Pass the water Correct answer.
  4. Fetch water from the river

Explanation

'Homai' means give or pass something toward the speaker, and 'koa' softens the request politely. The object is 'te wai', so the listener is asked to pass the water.

Question 10Listening

You hear: 'Ko Tāne te pōtiki o tō mātou whānau.' What is being said about Tāne?

  1. Tāne is the eldest of our family
  2. Tāne is the youngest child of our family Correct answer.
  3. Tāne is our cousin
  4. Tāne is the father of our family

Explanation

'Pōtiki' is the term for the youngest child of a family. 'Tō mātou whānau' means our family, so the sentence names Tāne as the youngest child in that family.

Question 11Listening

You hear: 'Kei te kōrero a Mere ki a ia anō.' Who is Mere talking to?

  1. Her mother
  2. Her teacher
  3. Her friend
  4. Herself Correct answer.

Explanation

The phrase 'ki a ia anō' means 'to herself', with 'anō' emphasising the same person. So Mere is talking to herself rather than to anyone else named.

Question 12Listening

You hear: 'Kei te mahi a Pita i te kai, ā, kei te horoi a Ana i ngā rīhi.' What are they doing?

  1. Both are preparing food
  2. Pita is washing dishes and Ana is cooking
  3. Pita is preparing food and Ana is washing dishes Correct answer.
  4. Both are washing dishes

Explanation

The first clause gives Pita 'mahi i te kai', which is preparing or making food. The second clause gives Ana 'horoi i ngā rīhi', which is washing the dishes, so each person has a different task.

Question 13Listening

You hear: 'Kāore i taea e au te haere ki te hui.' What does the speaker mean?

  1. I was not able to go to the meeting Correct answer.
  2. I went to the meeting late
  3. I forgot about the meeting
  4. I did not want to go to the meeting

Explanation

'Kāore i taea e au' is the negative of ability, meaning 'I was not able'. The following 'te haere ki te hui' specifies the action that could not be done, so the speaker could not attend.

Question 14Listening

You hear: 'He pai ki a koe te kawhe, te tī rānei?' What is being offered?

  1. Only tea
  2. A choice between coffee and tea Correct answer.
  3. Neither coffee nor tea
  4. Only coffee

Explanation

The question asks 'he pai ki a koe' (do you like/would you like) and lists two items joined by 'rānei', which marks an alternative. This gives the listener a choice between kawhe and tī.

Question 15Listening

You hear: 'Nāku te pukapuka nei, nāu tērā.' Which book belongs to the listener?

  1. The one right here
  2. The one further away Correct answer.
  3. Neither book
  4. Both books

Explanation

'Nāku te pukapuka nei' claims the book near the speaker, while 'nāu tērā' assigns the book further away to the listener. 'Tērā' points to something at a distance, and 'nāu' means 'yours'.

Question 16Listening

You hear: 'I te ata ka horoi au i aku niho, kātahi ka kai.' What did the speaker do before eating?

  1. Went for a run
  2. Brushed their teeth Correct answer.
  3. Went to sleep
  4. Read a book

Explanation

The first action in the sequence is 'horoi au i aku niho', which is cleaning the teeth. The 'kātahi ka kai' clause marks eating as the later action, so teeth-cleaning came first.

Question 17Listening

You hear: 'He makariri te rangi i tēnei rā, he ua hoki.' What is the weather like?

  1. Cold and rainy Correct answer.
  2. Windy and dry
  3. Snowy and calm
  4. Warm and sunny

Explanation

'He makariri te rangi' describes the day as cold, and 'he ua hoki' adds that it is also raining. The word 'hoki' links the second description to the first, so both apply.

Question 18Listening

You hear: 'Kāore anō te kaiako kia tae mai.' What is the situation?

  1. The teacher has already arrived
  2. The teacher has not arrived yet Correct answer.
  3. The teacher has left
  4. The teacher is not coming

Explanation

The pattern 'kāore anō ... kia' expresses that something has not yet happened. With 'te kaiako kia tae mai', it means the teacher's arrival has not yet occurred but is still expected.

Question 19Listening

You hear: 'Titiro ki te maunga, kei reira tō tātou kāinga tūpuna.' Where is the ancestral home?

  1. Near the sea
  2. Near the river
  3. Near the mountain Correct answer.
  4. In the town

Explanation

'Kei reira' refers back to the place just named, which is the maunga. So the ancestral home ('kāinga tūpuna') is located at or by the mountain.

Question 20Listening

You hear: 'Me haere tāua ki te wharekai ā te poupoutanga o te rā.' What does this mean?

  1. We two went to the dining room yesterday
  2. We two should cook at midday
  3. You should go to the dining room alone
  4. We two should go to the dining room at midday Correct answer.

Explanation

'Me haere' gives a suggestion of what should be done, and 'tāua' means we two including the listener. 'Ā te poupoutanga o te rā' specifies midday as the time.

Question 21Listening

You hear: 'Ko te tikanga o te pōwhiri kia karanga te wahine.' What is being described?

  1. The rule for building a wharenui
  2. The time when the meeting ends
  3. The way to cook food on the marae
  4. The customary practice for the call of welcome Correct answer.

Explanation

'Ko te tikanga' introduces a customary practice or protocol, and the content is 'kia karanga te wahine', which concerns the ceremonial call of welcome. The whole sentence describes an aspect of pōwhiri protocol.

Question 22Listening

You hear: 'Kei te ako au i te reo Māori i te whare wānanga.' What is the speaker doing?

  1. Studying Māori at university Correct answer.
  2. Writing a Māori book
  3. Working at a university
  4. Teaching Māori at school

Explanation

'Kei te ako au i te reo Māori' means the speaker is learning the Māori language. The location 'i te whare wānanga' places this learning at a university.

Question 23Listening

You hear: 'I kī mai ia kua mutu tana mahi.' What did the person tell the speaker?

  1. That they had lost their job
  2. That their work was starting
  3. That their work had finished Correct answer.
  4. That they wanted more work

Explanation

'I kī mai ia' reports that someone said something to the speaker. The reported content uses 'kua mutu tana mahi', a completed action meaning the work has finished.

Question 24Listening

You hear: 'Kei te moe te pēpi, nō reira kia āta kōrero tātou.' Why should they speak quietly?

  1. Because the baby is crying
  2. Because the baby is sleeping Correct answer.
  3. Because it is night time
  4. Because the baby is eating

Explanation

'Kei te moe te pēpi' states that the baby is sleeping. The connector 'nō reira' introduces the consequence, so the reason for speaking softly ('kia āta kōrero') is the sleeping baby.

Question 25Listening

You hear: 'Ehara i te mea he māmā te mahi nei.' What is the speaker saying about the task?

  1. It is very easy
  2. It is finished
  3. It is optional
  4. It is not easy Correct answer.

Explanation

'Ehara i te mea' is a negative construction meaning 'it is not the case that'. Followed by 'he māmā te mahi nei', it denies that the task is easy, so the speaker says it is not easy.

Question 26Listening

You hear: 'E rua ngā kurī a Hemi, engari kotahi tāna ngeru.' How many of each animal does Hemi have?

  1. Two dogs and two cats
  2. Two dogs and one cat Correct answer.
  3. One dog and one cat
  4. One dog and two cats

Explanation

The number 'e rua' comes before 'ngā kurī', so Hemi has two dogs. 'Kotahi' before 'tāna ngeru' shows he has just one cat, and 'engari' signals the contrast between the two counts.

Question 27Listening

You hear: 'Kei te noho a Kiri ki Ōtautahi, engari kei te mahi ia ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara.' Where does Kiri work?

  1. In Hamilton
  2. In Wellington Correct answer.
  3. In Christchurch
  4. In Auckland

Explanation

'Kei te noho' tells us where she lives, while 'kei te mahi' tells us where she works. The workplace given is Te Whanganui-a-Tara, the Māori name for Wellington.

Question 28Listening

You hear: 'Ka tīmata te karaehe ā te waru karaka, ā, ka mutu ā te iwa.' When does the class end?

  1. At eight o'clock
  2. At nine o'clock Correct answer.
  3. At half past eight
  4. At ten o'clock

Explanation

'Ka tīmata ... ā te waru karaka' gives the start time of eight. The second clause, 'ka mutu ā te iwa', gives the finish time, which is nine o'clock.

Question 29Listening

You hear: 'He tuakana tōku ki a au, he teina hoki tōku.' What does the speaker tell us about their siblings?

  1. They have two older siblings
  2. They have no siblings
  3. They have an older sibling and a younger sibling Correct answer.
  4. They have two younger siblings

Explanation

'Tuakana' refers to an older sibling of the same sex, and 'teina' to a younger one. The speaker mentions one of each, joined by 'hoki' (also).

Question 30Listening

You hear: 'Ka haere mātou ki te hoko kai mā te whānau katoa.' What are they going to do?

  1. Eat food with the whole family
  2. Buy food for the whole family Correct answer.
  3. Visit the whole family
  4. Cook food for the whole family

Explanation

The verb 'hoko' means to buy or purchase, and 'kai' is food. 'Mā te whānau katoa' shows the food is for the entire family.

Question 31Listening

You hear: 'Kei te pukuriri te kaiako, nō reira kaua e pōrearea.' What are the listeners warned to do?

  1. Not to make trouble Correct answer.
  2. Not to leave the room
  3. Not to speak English
  4. Not to be late

Explanation

'Kaua e pōrearea' is a negative instruction meaning do not cause trouble or annoy anyone. The reason given is that the teacher is angry ('pukuriri').

Question 32Listening

You hear: 'Nō Hekenga mai au, engari i tipu au ki Te Tai Tokerau.' What does the speaker say about themselves?

  1. They have never been to Te Tai Tokerau
  2. They are from Te Tai Tokerau but grew up in Hekenga
  3. They have lived in both places only as an adult
  4. They are from Hekenga but grew up in Te Tai Tokerau Correct answer.

Explanation

'Nō ... au' states where someone is from, and 'i tipu au ki' states where they grew up. The speaker's origin is Hekenga and their upbringing was in Te Tai Tokerau.

Question 33Listening

You hear: 'Kua hoki mai rātou i te marae, ā, kua kai kē rātou.' What is the listeners' understanding of the group?

  1. They are still at the marae and have not eaten
  2. They have returned from the marae but have not eaten yet
  3. They have eaten at the marae and are still there
  4. They have returned from the marae and have already eaten Correct answer.

Explanation

'Kua hoki mai' shows they have come back, and 'kua kai kē' with 'kē' shows the eating is already done. Both events are complete.

Question 34Listening

You hear: 'Me tīmata te hui i te toru karaka, kaua i te whā.' What time should the meeting start?

  1. Half past three
  2. Four o'clock
  3. Half past four
  4. Three o'clock Correct answer.

Explanation

'Me tīmata ... i te toru karaka' sets three o'clock as the required start. 'Kaua i te whā' explicitly rules out four o'clock.

Question 35Listening

You hear: 'Ahakoa he ua, ka haere tonu tātou ki te hīkoi.' What will happen despite the rain?

  1. They will wait for the rain to stop
  2. They will still go on the walk Correct answer.
  3. They will cancel the walk
  4. They will walk a shorter distance

Explanation

'Ahakoa' introduces a concession ('although'), and 'tonu' after the verb emphasises that the action continues regardless. So the walk goes ahead even in the rain.

Question 36Listening

You hear: 'Kāore a Tama i te hui, engari ko tana tuahine i tae atu.' Who attended the meeting?

  1. Both Tama and his sister
  2. Tama
  3. Tama's sister Correct answer.
  4. Neither of them

Explanation

The first clause negates Tama's attendance ('kāore a Tama i te hui'). The 'engari' clause then affirms that his sister did arrive ('i tae atu').

Question 37Listening

You hear: 'He nui ake te utu o tēnei koti i tō tērā.' Which jacket costs more?

  1. Both jackets cost the same
  2. That jacket costs more than this one
  3. This jacket costs more than that one Correct answer.
  4. Neither jacket has a price yet

Explanation

'Nui ake' means bigger or greater, and here it modifies 'te utu' (the price). 'Tēnei koti' is the subject, so this jacket has the higher price compared with 'tō tērā'.

Question 38Listening

You hear: 'Kei te hiahia au kia kōrero koe ki te kaiwhakahaere mō te take.' What is the speaker asking the listener to do?

  1. Write a letter about the manager
  2. Become the manager for the matter
  3. Speak to the manager about the matter Correct answer.
  4. Listen to the manager's speech

Explanation

The structure 'hiahia ... kia kōrero koe ki' expresses a wish that the listener speak to someone. The person to speak to is 'te kaiwhakahaere', the manager.

Question 39Listening

You hear: 'I te wā o te hui, kāore ia i whakarongo, engari i te mutunga ka mōhio ia ki te kaupapa.' What does this tell us about the person?

  1. They left the meeting early and never understood
  2. They spoke throughout the meeting about the topic
  3. They did not listen during the meeting but understood the topic by the end Correct answer.
  4. They listened carefully throughout and understood from the start

Explanation

'Kāore ia i whakarongo' states they were not listening during the meeting. The 'engari' clause shows that by the end ('i te mutunga') they did understand the topic.

Question 40Listening

You hear: 'He rite tonu te reo o ēnei tāngata tokorua, ā, he uaua te wehewehe.' What is the speaker saying?

  1. The two people are hard to hear
  2. The two people speak different languages
  3. The two people are difficult to understand
  4. The two people sound so alike it is hard to tell them apart Correct answer.

Explanation

'He rite tonu' means they are very similar, referring to their voices ('te reo'). 'He uaua te wehewehe' means it is difficult to distinguish between them.

Question 41Listening

You hear: 'Kua roa au e noho ana ki tēnei tāone, engari kāore anō au kia tūtaki ki tōku hoa tata.' What does the speaker reveal?

  1. They are planning to leave the town to meet a friend
  2. They have lived in the town a long time but have not yet met their neighbour Correct answer.
  3. They have just moved to the town and have met their neighbour
  4. They have lived in the town a long time and know their neighbour well

Explanation

'Kua roa au e noho ana' shows long residence in the town. 'Kāore anō ... kia tūtaki' shows that meeting the neighbour has not yet happened.

Question 42Listening

You hear: 'Ki taku mōhio, kāore he hui ā te Rātapu.' What is the speaker expressing?

  1. A question about whether the meeting is on Sunday
  2. Their understanding that there is no meeting on Sunday Correct answer.
  3. A complaint that the Sunday meeting was too long
  4. A firm instruction to cancel the Sunday meeting

Explanation

'Ki taku mōhio' means 'as far as I know' or 'to my knowledge', which marks the statement as the speaker's understanding rather than a command. The content is that there is no Sunday meeting.

Question 43Listening

You hear: 'Ka kōrero te kaumātua ki te hunga e noho ana i mua i a ia.' Who is the kaumātua speaking to?

  1. The people standing behind him
  2. The people outside the building
  3. The people sitting in front of him Correct answer.
  4. The people who have already left

Explanation

'Te hunga e noho ana i mua i a ia' describes the group sitting in front of him. 'E noho ana' marks the ongoing action of sitting.

Question 44Listening

You hear: 'He mea nui te manaaki i te manuhiri i roto i te pōwhiri.' What value is being emphasised?

  1. The importance of speaking first at the pōwhiri
  2. The importance of caring for visitors during the pōwhiri Correct answer.
  3. The importance of arriving early to the pōwhiri
  4. The importance of the pōwhiri being held indoors

Explanation

'He mea nui' means 'it is an important thing', and 'te manaaki i te manuhiri' is the hosting and caring for visitors. The setting given is 'i roto i te pōwhiri', during the welcome ceremony.

Question 45Listening

You hear: 'Nā te mea kāore he pahi, i hīkoi mātou ki te kura.' Why did they walk to school?

  1. Because the bus was late
  2. Because they wanted exercise
  3. Because there was no bus Correct answer.
  4. Because the school was close

Explanation

'Nā te mea' introduces the reason, and 'kāore he pahi' states there was no bus. The main clause 'i hīkoi mātou' reports that they walked as a result.

Question 46Listening

You hear: 'Ahakoa kāore ia i whai wāhi ki te kura, he tohunga ia ki te mahi whakairo.' What is the speaker saying about the person?

  1. Although they had no schooling, they are skilled at carving Correct answer.
  2. They left school to become a carver
  3. They are still learning to carve at school
  4. Because they went to school, they became a carver

Explanation

'Ahakoa kāore ia i whai wāhi ki te kura' concedes that they had no opportunity for schooling. The main clause 'he tohunga ia ki te mahi whakairo' asserts their expertise in carving despite that.

Question 47Listening

You hear: 'Kāore i kō atu i te rima ngā tāngata i tae mai, engari i nui te mahi i oti.' What does this convey?

  1. More than five people came and little work was done
  2. Exactly five people came and no work was done
  3. Fewer than or equal to five people came, yet a lot of work was completed Correct answer.
  4. Five people came and the work was left unfinished

Explanation

'Kāore i kō atu i te rima' means no more than five, so at most five people attended. The 'engari' clause with 'i nui te mahi i oti' says a great deal of work was nevertheless finished.

Question 48Listening

You hear: 'Ko te tikanga kia kōrero te tangata whenua i mua, kātahi ka whakautu te manuhiri.' What does this describe?

  1. The order of speeches, with the visitors speaking first
  2. The order of speeches, with the home people speaking first Correct answer.
  3. The rule that only one speech is given
  4. The rule that speeches are given in English

Explanation

'Te tangata whenua i mua' places the home people first, and 'kātahi ka whakautu te manuhiri' shows the visitors reply afterwards. This is the standard order on the marae.

Question 49Listening

You hear: 'Mehemea i tae mai koe i te ata, kua kite koe i te whakaaturanga.' What is the speaker saying?

  1. If you come in the morning, you will see the performance
  2. When you came in the morning, you saw the performance
  3. If you had come in the morning, you would have seen the performance Correct answer.
  4. You should come in the morning to see the performance

Explanation

'Mehemea i tae mai koe' with 'i' marks an unreal condition about the past, and 'kua kite koe' gives the result that would have followed. Together they express a counterfactual: you did not come, so you did not see it.

Question 50Listening

You hear: 'Ehara i te mea nā te kaiako i hē, engari nā te ākonga.' Who is said to be at fault?

  1. Neither the teacher nor the student
  2. The teacher
  3. The student Correct answer.
  4. Both the teacher and the student

Explanation

'Ehara i te mea nā te kaiako i hē' denies that the teacher was at fault. The 'engari' clause then shifts the fault to 'te ākonga', the student.