North Carolina Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) State Practice Exam

Which of the following behaviors may indicate that a person is deaf or has hearing loss?

1. Consistently turning their head towards sounds

2. Alert but fail to respond to noise

3. Maintaining eye contact during conversation

4. Asking others to speak up

The correct answer is: Alert but fail to respond to noise

Indicating that a person may be deaf or has hearing loss involves recognizing specific behavioral cues. If an individual is alert but fails to respond to noise, it suggests they may not be able to hear the sounds that others can. This behavior indicates a potential hearing impairment because typically alert individuals will respond to auditory stimuli unless they cannot hear them at all. While other behaviors, such as consistently turning one's head toward sounds, might imply that the individual is trying to engage with auditory cues, this can be a natural reaction even for those with normal hearing. Maintaining eye contact is often an important communication skill that assists in reading non-verbal cues, and asking others to speak up may simply reflect a preference for clearer communication rather than a definitive indicator of hearing loss. However, a combination of alertness and an apparent lack of response to sound signifies a strong likelihood of hearing impairment, as it points directly to the individual’s inability to perceive auditory information that others typically would.