A child reads jingling keys as a sign Mother is home. Barthes' level:

1. Barthes described three levels of listening. 2. Alerting detects environmental sound cues, such as an unfamiliar noise signalling danger. 3. Deciphering detects patterns when interpreting sounds. 4. A child waiting for the sound of the mother's return picks up cues such as jingling keys. 5. Understanding is knowing how what one says will affect another. 6. So the child's listening is at the deciphering level. **Why the other options fail:** - Alerting is about sudden environmental cues, and understanding concerns the effect of one's words. - Hearing is a physiological act, not a level of listening. _Source: Wikipedia, "Listening", section "Process of listening" (revision 1373457535)_