Elementary Education Standard

Sara is regarded by her fourth-grade classmates as the best reader because she reads aloud very quickly. Why might you need to provide corrective feedback to Sara?

Fluency is as much about expression as it is about speed. Answer Explanation : Fluency includes the melody of speech, the rises and falls that convey shades of meaning to the words being spoken, and reading with expression. When a student reads too quickly, it is not apparent that the student actually understands what she is reading. Choice C is not necessarily correct, and Sara's automaticity (ability to identify words effortlessly) is not an issue as she is reading quickly.

Read the following passage:Sneezing and coughing, Grace felt warm and her head hurt. School would be no fun today, she thought.Which of the following choices is a fact-based inference?

Grace is sick. Answer Explanation : The reader can infer from these statements that Grace is sick. Although choices B, C, and D could be correct, the passage doesn't provide any factual basis for them. However, it is directly stated that Grace is sneezing and coughing, her head hurts, and she feels warm all over—all facts supporting that she is sick.

Which of the following analogy pairs is similar to skeletal joint type?

Hinge joint: flip phone Answer Explanation : Also, hinges on most types of doors, including refrigerator doors (choice C), are like skeletal hinge joints. Examples of skeletal hinge joints include knees and elbows. A water faucet handle (choice B) is an example of a pivot joint.

Students have measured several trees in a city park. They want to compare numbers of trees that are from 0 to 4.9 meters high, from 5 to 9.9 meters, from 10 to 14.9 meters, and 15 or more meters. If the students want to show how many trees are in each class of heights, which type of graph would be best?

Histogram Answer Explanation : Histograms act as a type of sorting "bin." You have one variable, and you sort data by this variable by placing them into bins. Then you count how many pieces of data are in each bin. In a histogram, the bins are always a range of numerical values that have no overlap. The other answer choices are not suitable for particulars within a category.

What is one of the first things that young students need to learn in order to read any text?

How print moves across and down the page Answer Explanation : By the time students arrive in kindergarten, they should already be familiar with how English print moves from left to right and top to bottom on a page. Familiarity with print is critical for students in order for the rest of reading instruction to make sense.

Calculate 12,690 ÷ 23.5.

540 Answer Explanation : 12,690 ÷ 23.5 = 540. When dividing decimals by hand, move the decimal in the divisor (23.5) to the right until it is a whole number. In this case, that is one place. Move the decimal the same number of places in the dividend, so that the division problem is now 126,900 ÷ 235. Then divide as you normally would.

Bill can throw a yo-yo 100 times in half an hour. Beth can throw a yo-yo 48 times in twice the length of time. How many times can Bill and Beth throw a yo-yo in 15 minutes?

62

After adding this affix to the end of a word it forms an adjective that means "capable and worthy of." What is the affix?

"-able" Answer Explanation : The suffix -able comes from the Latin suffix -abilis, which means "capable or worthy of." It forms an adjective when it is added to a word; for example, "charitable," as in "capable of charity."

There is a one-in-twenty chance that a senior in Ms. Sibley's Honors English class will be this year's valedictorian. How would you express each student's valedictory chances as a percentage?

5% Answer Explanation : The ratio 1:20 is the same as 1 divided by 20, which equals 0.05. Five one-hundredths is the same as 5%.

Jonah Miller takes home $3,000 a month from his teaching job. According to the following budget how much does he pay each month in rent? Rent is 25%

$750 Answer Explanation : First look at the budget to find out what fraction of his earnings goes to his rent. Using mental math, rather than pencil and paper, cut $3,000 in half to get 50% which gives you $1,500. Then cut that in half again to get 25% of the budget; half of $1,500 is $750.

Solve the following system of linear equations. 4 x + y = 24 2x - 3y = -2

(5,4) Answer Explanation : There is more than one way for solving this system by substitution. One way is to first solve for y (from 4x + y = 24) to find that y = 24 ? 4x. Substitute 24 ? 4 x for y in 2x ? 3y =-2 to get 2x ? 3(24 ? 4x)=-2. From there: 2x ? 3(24 ? 4 x) =-2 2x ? 72 + 12 x = -2 14 x ? 72 =-2 14 x = 70 x = 5 Then substitute 5 for x in either equation to find that y = 4. The ordered pair where the two lines intersect is therefore (5, 4).

In conducting a poll on the popularity of a Democratic City Council member, which sample set would produce the most accurate results?

1,000 registered voters chosen at random Answer Explanation : Choices A and B, only Democrats or only Republicans, would be biased samples. A sample set of only 10 people is too small to give valid results. Choosing 1,000 registered voters at random and calling them would give the best results as it provides a large enough random sample to yield valid results.

What is 25% of 250,000?

62,500 Answer Explanation : To find the percent of a number, change the percent into a decimal (0.25) and multiply it by the other number: 250,000(0.25) = 62,500. Or to find 25% of a number, just divide that number by 4.

What is the mode for the given data set? 12, 91, 103, 51, 7, 12, 77, 82, 112, 91, 63, 107, 12, 34

12 Answer Explanation : The mode is the number that occurs most often in a data set. There can be more than one mode if multiple pieces of data occur in the set the maximum number of times. There is no mode if all the data appear in the set the same number of times.

Consider the number sequence below. 1, 8, 3, 10, 5, 12, 7, 14, 9, ... What will the twelfth number in this sequence be?

18 Answer Explanation : The pattern shows an increase by 7 from the first to second number, and then a decrease by 5 from the second to third number, and then the pattern returns to add 7 again. The three missing numbers are 16, 11, and 18. The question asked for the third number in the pattern.

Which of the following is the correct mixed number. after converting the improper fraction 75/35?

2 1/7

Write the number 219 in scientific notation.

2.19 x 10^2 Answer Explanation : To convert the number 219 into scientific notation, first move the decimal to write it as a number between 1 and 10. In this case, 219 becomes 2.19. In order to get back to a value of 219, 2.19 would have to be multiplied by 100. In scientific notation, the second number is always written as a power of 10. 100 is equivalent to 102. Finally, combine the two parts to write 219 as 2.19 x 102 in scientific notation.

Sam has the following cards face down on a table: King of diamonds Queen of hearts Jack of hears Jack of diamonds Nine of diamonds Ace of spades he first card that is chosen is the ace of spades. What is the probability of the next card chosen being a jack if the first card is not replaced?

2/5

Ms. Tamari has 28 students in her first-grade class. She wants each student to build a long house after the fashion of the Iroquois. The students will be using 20 tongue depressors each, except for Missy and Eric, whose parents have asked that they be given an alternative assignment. Which of the following expressions could Ms. Tamari use to determine the number of tongue depressors she'll need for the class?

20(28 - 2) Answer Explanation : In order to find the correct number of tongue depressors for this project, Ms. Tamari needs to multiply the number of tongue depressors required for each child (20) by the number of children participating in this project (28 ? 2 = 26). Doing so will yield a total of 520 tongue depressors. The other answer choices yield different totals.

What is the surface area of the rectangular prism below? 6m 4m 9m

228m^2 Answer Explanation : Surface area is the sum of the areas of each face of the solid. In this case, for a rectangular prism, the formula is SA = 2lw + 2lh + 2wh.SA = 2(6 ? 4) + 2(6 ? 9) + 2(4 ? 9) SA = 48 + 108 + 72 SA = 228 m2

Jim is planning a trip to Europe and wants to visit four countries, but he doesn't know the order in which he'd like to visit those countries. How many unique itineraries can Jim develop, such that each one tours the countries in a different order?

24 Answer Explanation : The number of permutations possible with n elements is the product of all natural numbers from 1 to n ; this is represented by the factorial notationn! In visiting four countries, the order of Jim's visit can vary in 24 ways, as 4! = 24 permutations.

Jan painted a mural of her dog using the scale of 5:1. If, in her painting, the dog is 15 feet tall, how tall is her actual dog?

3 ft

Which statement is true? 4 liters = 1 gallon 50 Celsius = 80 Fahrenheit 50 kilograms = 200 pounds 1 meter = 60 inches

4 liters = 1 gallon Answer Explanation : Four liters is 1.05 gallons. The remaining choices are not true: 50 Celsius is 122 degrees Fahrenheit; 50 kilograms is equal to 110 pounds; and 1 meter is about 40 inches.

Imagine two boxes- box #1 containing a white kitten and box #2 contains a white and black kitten. You reach in and take one kitten out of box #1 and place it in box #2. Then, without peeking, you then reach back into box #2 and remove the kitten. What is the probability that the kitten you just picked up is a white kitten?

66% Answer Explanation : At the end of this process, you're reaching into a box with two white kittens and one black kitten; therefore, your chances of picking up a white kitten are 66%.

What is the length of line AB? -3 to 4

7 Answer Explanation : The length of a horizontal line segment is the difference between the x-coordinates.The y-coordinates are the same. The equation used to determine the length of line segment AB would be 4 - (-3) = 7.

How is the word mass used in the following sentence? The large ice mass appeared in our backyard pool after the winter storm.

A body of matter that does not have a definite shape Answer Explanation : In this sentence, mass is used to refer to a chunk of ice in the pool. The ice mass is referred to as a body of matter that does not have a definite shape or form. None of the other definitions fits the usage of mass in this context.

During a field trip, students look out the bus window and see the sun's rays refracting on falling rain. What phenomenon are the students observing?

A rainbow Answer Explanation : Rainbows are created when sunlight rays pass through water. The arc of colors is caused by the refraction, or bending of light. Students learn about rainbows at an early age. By second or third grade, students will likely be able to explain what causes a rainbow.

Read the following poem: I met a traveler from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert .

Allusion Answer Explanation : In using the name of a Pharoah, the author is alluding to the power and majesty of the Egyptian culture, as well as eventual downfall and relegation of that empire to ancient history. While the sonnet does employ other answer choices, the use of Ozymandias is a classic example of using allusion to evoke images of power, empire, and the transitory nature of both.

x-bar chart

Answer Explanation : When two dice are rolled, the sums that occur most often are the ones closest to the middle because there are more combinations to make those sums. For example, there are 6 different ways to make a sum of 7 on two dice, which means that 7 is theoretically the most likely sum to roll. On the other end of the spectrum, there is only one way to get a sum of 2 and one way to get a sum of 12.

Read the following sentence: Washington, D.C. is the capital of America, but Austin is the capital of Texas. Which of the following best describes the type of sentence above?

Compound sentence Answer Explanation : This is a compound sentence because it contains two independent clauses joined by the conjunction "but." A simple sentence contains only one independent clause. A complex sentence contains an independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

Antibiotics are used to combat which of the following health problems?

Bacteria Answer Explanation : British scientist Alexander Fleming is credited with discovering the sanative effects of the fungus Penicillium. Antibiotics (such as penicillin) work on bacteria. Choices A and C are incorrect—antibiotics have no effect on viral illnesses or fungi. Choice D is an enzyme that also has bacteria-killing effects.

Which of the following words contains four phonemes?

Bright Answer Explanation : A phoneme is a separable, individual sound. "Bright" can be broken down phonetically into the four phonemes /b/, /r/, /i/, and /t/. Tan and fake have three phonemes, and straight has five.

Which writing assignment would most benefit from having the students complete a Venn diagram before writing the first draft?

Comparison of Japanese and American schools Answer Explanation : The Venn diagram is a great way to organize information for comparing and contrasting two subjects. For choice D, some students may find it useful to complete a Venn diagram for the bride and groom in a wedding ceremony, helping them structure their narrative around the different attitudes, statements, and appearance of the "bride's side" and the "groom's side." However, choice B explicitly calls for comparison, and is therefore the best answer choice.

What can be a limiting factor to population size?

Competition Answer Explanation : Competitive relationships are harmful to one competitor, and so they can limit the population. Mutualism benefits both parties, and commensalism benefits one party and neither benefits nor harms the other.

Which of the following statements about expository texts is incorrect?

Combine dialogue and narrative with other facts and information Answer Explanation : Expository text is written to inform, and it does not contain much dialogue or a narrative, both of which are hallmarks of fiction writing. There are seven basic structures that are recommended to teachers to start teaching expository text at the paragraph level. These are definition, description, process, classification, comparison, analysis, and persuasion.

Which of the following is a giant ball of rock and ice that does not generate light on its own as it orbits the sun?

Comet Answer Explanation : Comets are sometimes compared to dirty snowballs, although they also have a tail that makes them distinctive in the night sky. Quasars, meteorites, and nebulae are not composed primarily of ice. A planet could possibly fit the description above, but is not a choice.

Which of the following words describes the emotional associations of a word, which go beyond the word's basic meaning to express the feelings, thoughts, and images the word evokes?

Connotation Answer Explanation : The connotative definition of a word involves the emotional meaning attached to the word, in addition to the dictionary meaning of the word. The denotative meaning is the meaning of a word from the dictionary. A word like "home" tends to have connotative meanings beyond its denotative meaning of "a place where people live." A metaphor is a literary device that uses multiple word meanings to make comparisons, while a synonym is a word having the same or nearly the same meaning as another word or other words.

What type of cloud forms thunderstorms?

Cumulonimbus Answer Explanation : Cumulonimbus clouds are towering clouds often associated with thunderstorms. The puffy, white, fair weather cumulus clouds can develop into cumulonimbus clouds under some conditions. Nimbostratus clouds look like a grey sheet and bring rain. Cirrostratus clouds are thin, high-level clouds. Anything with "nimbo" in it refers to rain.

Which of the following is a crucial skill for fluency?

Decoding Answer Explanation : Decoding is the bedrock skill of fluency; students who are at ease with decoding will develop greater fluency. Choice A is incorrect—expression is a component of fluency. Comprehension is an outgrowth of fluency, not a prior skill.

In the writing process, which of the following activities should come last?

Editing Answer Explanation : Editing and revising are often confused. Revising is improving the piece overall, with a focus on the organization and content of the writing. Editing is polishing a work, fixing errors, and getting it ready for publishing. Both revising and editing must come after ideas have been brainstormed and a rough draft has been written.

What is the correct sequence in a butterfly life cycle?

Egg, larva, pupa, adult Answer Explanation : The egg hatches to reveal a larva. The larva makes a covering, a cocoon, to form a pupa. The pupa changes inside the covering and becomes an adult butterfly, ready to mate and begin the cycle again.

Portuguese sailors discovered a flightless bird on the island of Mauritius in 1598 which was called the dodo. By 1681, the dodo was extinct. Which of the following is an unlikely reason for the dodo becoming extinct?

Extreme weather conditions Answer Explanation : Extreme weather conditions did not play any part of the dodo becoming extinct. The dodo became extinct due to human hunters and carnivores such as dogs. If the dodo had been able to fly, it would have had a chance of survival, but being flightless made it easy for predators to kill.

Which two forms of literature are described below?One is usually a short narrative making an educational point

Fable and legend Answer Explanation : A fable is typically a short moral story that frequently contains speaking animals as characters. Its purpose is to teach, often a moral lesson. A legend is a story about a supposed historical event often involving a mythical or supernatural being, such as the story of Robin Hood.

Which of the following types of rock is a crystalline solid that forms directly from the cooling of magma?

Igneous rock Answer Explanation : When melted rock (magma) cools and solidifies, igneous rocks are created. Different rates of cooling and different compositions of the magma create a variety of igneous rocks. Some examples of igneous rocks include granite, obsidian, and basalt. Igneous rocks make up the largest portion of the earth's structure.

Which of the following is an example of something that could harm or reduce the benefits of biodiversity found on earth?

Increased extinction rates Answer Explanation : Biodiversity is variability among living organisms on the earth. It includes variability within and between species and ecosystems. Only choice C limits this type of diversity. Increased crop assortment would increase biodiversity. The effects of erosion and foliage consumption are unknown.

In a scientific experiment on obesity, the scientists chose to regulate the percentage of monounsaturated fat for the individuals being studied. When scientists do this, they are controlling what factor in an experiment?

Independent variable Answer Explanation : An independent variable is the one that is manipulated in an experiment or study, by possibly its presence or degree, and it determines the change in the dependent variable, which is what is being measured. In this case, the amount of monounsaturated fat is the independent variable and the weight of the individuals is the dependent variable.

A second-grade student is reluctant to read independently. Which of the following steps should the teacher consider next to encourage the student to read?

Interview the student about her interests and hobbies. Answer Explanation : The result of such an interview with the student—the student's interest inventory—can help the teacher guide the student to books that may be of interest to her. Involving the librarian may be helpful, but only after the teacher has assessed the student's interests.

If the dimensions of a rectangle are doubled, what happens to its area?

It increases by a factor of 4 Answer Explanation : The area of a rectangle is length times width, and when the sides are doubled, it is ( 2l ) times ( 2w ). After multiplying those values together, the answer is 4 lw. Any time all the dimensions are doubled in a shape, the area quadruples.

What is the process of non-reproductive cell division called?

Mitosis Answer Explanation : Mitosis is the process of nuclear division in living cells by which chromosomes are exactly replicated and the copies distributed to identical daughter nuclei. In mitosis, a parent cell divides into two identical daughter cells with a full set of chromosomes. Meiosis only occurs with sperm cells and egg cells, so that there are half the chromosomes in them. This allows sperm and egg cells to join for reproduction and have a full complement of chromosomes.

"Twentieth-century America," "in a small hotel room," and "the dead of night" are all examples of which literary element?

Setting Answer Explanation : A story's setting takes into account the physical location of the events as well as their general time frame. Choice A (plot) refers to the events of the story themselves. Choice B (mood) is the story's overall emotional affect, and choice D is not a literary element.

The geologic era that was 248 million to 65 million years ago was made up of 3 periods: Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. What is this time period named?

Mesozoic Answer Explanation : The Mesozoic era was from approximately 146-65 million years ago and divided into 3 periods: Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. Mesozoic means "middle animals." Dinosaurs evolved during the Triassic period, became quite diverse during the Jurassic period, and died out at the end of the Cretaceous period, except for birds.

Given two years' worth of spending data, which of the following applications would you use to figure a household's monthly expenditures for groceries?

Microsoft Excel Answer Explanation : MS Excel's spreadsheet organization allows the user to create and execute complex formulas quickly. While choice C (a PC-based calculator) would also work, it would take significantly more work to accomplish the given task.

Which of the following statements about civilizations is analogous to the hierarchical relationship among cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems?

Miners extract iron ore from the ground, heavy industry forms iron ingots from which light industry makes consumer goods, and service workers sell the goods. Answer Explanation : The hierarchical relationship refers to the fact that "teams" of cells work together as tissues, "teams" of tissues work together as organs, and "teams" of organs work together as systems, such as the digestive, reproductive, and respiratory systems.

Which of the following formulas can help your students know how much fat to eat each day, given that each fat gram carries 9 calories and about 30% of a child's daily calories should be from fat?

Multiply total daily calories by 30%, (e.g., 1800 x 0.30 = 540 fat calories/day). Divide fat calories by 9 to get fat grams, (e.g., 540 / 9 = 60 fat grams/day). Answer Explanation : Students would need to calculate how many fat calories per day to consume, and then convert fat calories into fat grams since that is what is labeled on food packaging. Choice D makes the error of beginning with fat calories per week and then forgetting to divide by 7 to get to the amount per day.

A second grade science experiment involves the dyeing of flowers based on the hypothesis that flowers will change colors when food dye is mixed with the water that is feeding them. One student suggests trying all three different colors separately instead of one. Is adding more colors a way to make this experiment any more valid?

No, the experiment is about whether it is possible to change colors. Answer Explanation : Adding colors would not make the experiment more scientifically valid. The experiment is merely to discover whether it is a possibility to change a flower's color with dye. Adding or changing the color would not affect the outcome of the experiment. However, since the hypothesis is about flowers in general, it would be useful to attempt the color experiment on several kinds of flowers.

What is the difference between a vascular and non-vascular plant?

Non-vascular plants do not contain vessels and vascular plants do contain vessels. Answer Explanation : Vascular and non-vascular are the two major divisions of plants. The plants in both groups contain chlorophyll, the molecule that absorbs sunlight. The difference between the two categories of plants is that the vascular varieties contain vessels which allow them to produce flowers. Non-vascular plants, by definition, do not contain vessels.

In scientific experimental design, which of the following predicts that the independent variable will not have an effect on the dependent variable, as a means of eliminating bias?

Null hypothesis Answer Explanation : The NULL hypothesis predicts that the independent variable, which is manipulated during the experiment, will not have an effect on the dependent variable, which is what is being measured. The NULL hypothesis is presumed to hold true until experimental results disprove it. At that time, an alternative hypothesis would probably be proposed and tested.

Which of the following reservoirs of carbon contains the largest pool of carbon near the surface of the Earth?

Ocean Answer Explanation : The oceans are the largest reservoirs of carbon near the surface of the Earth. Carbon is exchanged between reservoirs because of various chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes.

Which of the following answers means "the written letters or symbols of a language"?

Orthography Answer Explanation : Orthography pertains to the set of rules of how to write correctly in a given language. Choices A, C, and D are incorrect: morphology is the study of word structure, and etymology is the study of the history of words.

One theory in plate tectonics states that all of the continents were once connected and formed a supercontinent before the tectonic plates shifted. This supercontinent is called

Pangaea Answer Explanation : Alfred Wegener, a German meteorologist used the fit of the continents, the distribution of fossils, similar sequences of rocks at numerous locations, and ancient climates to support his idea of a supercontinent which he called Pangaea. The mantle is a layer of the Earth, and Atlantis is the name of the mythic underwater city.

Which of the following is least likely to be useful in gaining knowledge on a specific scientific topic?

Performing the same experiment multiple times with a different hypothesis Answer Explanation : If the same experiment is performed multiple times, without any change in any of the variables, the same results are likely to occur. Once those results have been recognized, different or varied experiments need to be conducted to learn more. Knowledge can also be gained by reading about prior results, communicating with others, and proving a hypothesis to be true.

This illustration best exemplifies what key scientific concept in data gathering and observation. Target with a small area contacted

Precision Answer Explanation : Precision refers to how close multiple measurements of the same question are to each other. In other words, precision gets at how repeatable an experiment is, since with no changes in variables, the same results should occur. Accuracy is how close to the actual value, represented by the center of the target, an experiment or question obtains.

When items are chosen from a population in such a way that every item in that population has an equal opportunity to be in the sample, this is what kind of sampling?

Random Answer Explanation : A random sample means that all items in the population have the same chance to be a part of the sample. All of the other choices create groups within sample populations, so they do not allow for equal opportunity of all population members.

In reading several magazine articles for a mention of President Clinton, which method would be most effective?

Scanning Answer Explanation : Scanning means looking quickly over a text to locate specific words or groups of words. Skimming is reading quickly to locate general ideas, themes, or main ideas. Both choices C and D would be counter-effective in terms of finding the location quickly.

The Thompson family buys a car for $10,000. They make a down payment of $400 and will pay the rest of the cost of the car in equal monthly payments over the period of 4 years. Assuming that the interest rate on their loan is 8%, what is the first step in determining their monthly payment?

Subtract $400 from $10,000. Answer Explanation : Breaking down complex problems like this one is crucial to arriving at the correct calculations. Before determining monthly payments or the effect of the interest rate, first subtract the family's down payment ($400) from the total cost of the car ($10,000). Only then can you begin making the calculations that determine the family's monthly payment.

Which of the following pieces of background information would be most relevant to reading a non-fiction book about planetary movement in space?

That there is no gravity in space Answer Explanation : The lack of gravity in outer space is the most relevant piece of background information in this instance. The other responses provide interesting supporting information but are not critical to the comprehension of the text selection.

Why is the temperature usually cooler in the mountains?

The atmosphere and the air are thinner in the mountains. Answer Explanation : When the atmosphere is thinner, there are fewer molecules to absorb heat. The air is still made up of the same types of molecules, but they are less densely packed due to decreased atmospheric pressure at higher elevations.

Eric's grandfather passed away, leaving him a collection of bottle caps from the 1970s and a sport utility vehicle. As a memorial to his late grandfather, Eric wants to glue a "racing stripe" of bottle caps all the way around the perimeter of the truck. The bottle caps are about one inch in diameter. The truck is about 7 feet wide and 18 feet long. What, if anything else, is needed to determine whether Eric has enough bottle caps?

The number of bottle caps in the collection Answer Explanation : The number of bottle caps needed would be about 600. In order to determine whether Eric has enough bottle caps, you would need to know how many he has. If the number of caps in the collection exceeds 600, then Eric can tackle this project.

Which of the following comes next in the pattern AiYnAiYnAi...?

Yn Answer Explanation : This repeating pattern contains four elements: A, i, Y, and n. Specifically, the elements of the pattern are consistently either upper case or lower case letters. The stem of the pattern ends with a lower-case i. The following elements should be an upper-case Y and a lower-case n, as in choice C.

In the fable "The Lion and The Mouse," the mouse pleads with the lion not to eat him by promising he would return the favor to the lion. Amused by the mouse's suggestion, the lion lets the mouse go. Later the lion is caught in a hunter's net, and the mouse comes to his rescue by gnawing a hole in the net and setting the lion free. What is the author's message in this fable?

The small can make mighty contributions. Answer Explanation : The underlying themes of fables are moral instructions, frequently presented by animal characters. Here, the great and small are contrasted using the lion and the mouse to show that the mighty and powerful lion can still be aided by the tiny mouse. While other themes can be drawn from this fable as well, choice D is the best one presented in the choices above.

Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) is credited with formulating:

Three Laws of Motion Answer Explanation : Newton was a mathematician, physicist, and one of the foremost intellectuals of modern times. He is responsible for many great discoveries and scientific advances including the invention of the telescope, calculus, and laws of motion and gravity. The First Law of Motion deals with the concept of inertia; the Second Law of Motion explains acceleration; the Third Law of Motion states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

After reading a non-fiction text selection to the class, why is it important to summarize the events and ideas contained in the book?

To provide students with a clear explanation of the book's overall themes Answer Explanation : Students benefit from a summary description after a read-aloud. Summarizing not only weaves together what was just read, but it also gives the teacher an opportunity to touch on key points found earlier in the book that may have been forgotten. Additionally, it is an ideal time for students to ask follow-up questions to extend learning.

A performance assessment indicates that a first grade student struggles to recognize grade-level sight words. Which of the following activities is likely to be most beneficial to this student?

Working together using letter manipulatives to build sight words Answer Explanation : Using manipulatives can be helpful in a variety of content areas. In this instance, the movement of letter blocks to build sight words is an effective learning tool for the student given the assessment results. Reading books that deal with high-frequency words would be an appropriate extension activity.

The affix

adjective Answer Explanation : The suffix -ive means "performing or tending toward a specified action." Morphologically, this suffix turns words into adjectives; for example, a "connotative definition;" an "active imagination;" or a "substantive argument."

In mathematics, a method of proof which proceeds by stating a proposition and then showing that it results in a contradiction is called:

an indirect proof. Answer Explanation : An indirect proof is one of the standard arguments in math and philosophy. In addition to its widespread use in mathematics, philosophers, including Aristotle, have employed it since antiquity. The rhetorician uses the argument to refute his opponent's claim by carrying it to extreme and absurd ends. It is also known as "proof by contradiction."

Which of the following sentences illustrates correct noun-pronoun agreement and word order?

ate all the black jellybeans, but found myself wanting more. Answer Explanation : The sentence in choice A implies that Rico's grandfather was very expensive, but the author meant to indicate that the gift was very expensive. In choice B, it appears that Amy wants to be a dance marathon. There is no plural antecedent in answer choice C for "them." Though the reader may understand that the word "them" refers to the inhabitants of the homeless shelter, those inhabitants are never mentioned.

An object with so much mass that nothing can escape its gravitational field is called a

black hole. Answer Explanation : The misnomer "black hole" is commonly used to refer to these celestial phenomena whose mass is so great that it exceeds the escape velocity of even light. Due to this mass, the object is invisible, or "black." Choices A, B, and C are also deep-space objects, usually observed with the help of radio telescopes (telescopes that "see" relatively long wavelengths).

Water moves between the oceans and lands through the processes of

condensation and evaporation. Answer Explanation : The transformation of a liquid into gaseous form is called evaporation. Conversely, condensation occurs when gas turns into a liquid. The continual cycle between these two processes is the force behind the Earth's water movement

A pair of consonant letters that work together to represent a single consonant sound is called a

consonant digraph. Answer Explanation : Digraphs are pairs of letters that operate together to form a single sound; there are both vowel digraphs and consonant digraphs. Consonant blends such as /ch,/ /th,/ and /sh/ are consonant digraphs that represent a single sound.

Systematic phonics instruction is

explicit in its approach. Answer Explanation : Systematic phonics instruction is clear and organized in its approach to teaching students phonemes. Choice A is incorrect—a digraph does represent a phoneme, but this is not the basis for systematic phonics instruction. Choice B is incorrect because studies have shown that implicit phonics instruction is actually inferior to explicit phonics instruction. Choice D is also incorrect; systematic phonics instruction promotes good spelling in kindergarten and first grade.

In one of the Amelia Bedelia books, Amelia takes out paper and draws a picture of drapes when she is told to "draw the drapes." The word "draw" in this sense is a...

homonym. Answer Explanation : Homonyms have the same sound, but different meanings. A subcategory of homonyms is homographs, which indicates that the two words are spelled the same but have different meanings. Synonyms have the same meaning, antonyms have opposite meaning, and palindromes are spelled the same forwards and backwards.

Leon's parents used to joke that it took five giant storks to deliver him to his parents, and that he weighed fifty pounds a week later. This is an example of...

hyperbole Answer Explanation : Hyperbole is a figure of speech using much exaggeration, though not for deception. It is highly unlikely that it took five storks to deliver Leon to his parents, since we know that is not how children arrive in the world, and just as unlikely that he weighed fifty pounds a week later. Personification is giving person-like qualities to non-people, either objects or animals.

When demonstrating the use of a solvent in the classroom, the teacher should make sure to store it in?

in a metal cabinet. Answer Explanation : Because solvents pose a fire hazard, they should be stored in a fire-resistant container, such as a metal cabinet. Choice B would not protect students or the classroom from a potential fire. Choices A and D are better options, but would not contain a fire if the solvent evaporated and created the possibility of a fire.

Studies find that fluency instruction based on "repeated reading"

is a better method than silent reading. Answer Explanation : Research indicates that repeated reading improves students' fluency and automaticity. Reading and re-reading texts with the proper feedback also improves word recognition. Choice D is incorrect as round-robin reading usually only allows a particular student to read a small block of text, often only one time during the exercise.

A triangle with two equal sides can best be described as

isosceles Answer Explanation : An isosceles triangle is a triangle with two equal sides. A triangle with all equal sides is an equilateral triangle and a scalene triangle has no sides that are equal. A parallelogram has four sides, so it is not a triangle.

Radio telescopes search for

large wavelengths. Answer Explanation : Radio waves exist toward the large end of the electromagnetic spectrum. In contrast to optical telescopes, which search for light waves (relatively tiny in comparison), radio telescopes can detect quasar, pulsars, and other celestial phenomena in deep space.

Building fluency through classroom practice should include

lengthy, guided oral readings. Answer Explanation : Extensive oral reading is most helpful to students in developing fluency, especially if the teacher is providing corrective feedback. This method also allows the teacher to model fluency (expression, observation of punctuation, speed). Choice A will not offer enough text to each student to promote fluency; choices B and D feature silent readings, which may reinforce fluency but do little to build it.

During a tsunami, people in a boat several miles off shore in deep water may

not notice the event. Answer Explanation : Typically caused by catastrophic undersea events (landslides, earthquake, volcanic activity), tsunamis are characterized by fast-traveling waves, which may not be noticeable offshore. However, when the waves pile up on one another closer to the coastline, they gain height and power. Tsunamis push water miles inland and are one of most destructive of natural disasters.

In a study of exposed strata, you find a thick layer of limestone resting on the bedrock. Which of the following inferences could you logically make, based on that finding' The area had been?

the site of a shallow sea many, many years ago. Answer Explanation : Limestone is sedimentary rock formed from the shells, bones, and waste deposits of sea life. Often, indentations of shells are readily evident in limestone, even without digging.

In a unit on spelling conventions, a teacher chooses to work on the word get before the word gem. This is because

the "g" in get is a more common usage. Answer Explanation : The phoneme /g/ is a more common sound when presented with the grapheme "g;" the /j/ phoneme that begins gem occurs with less frequency. Choice A, while true, would have no bearing on learning about spelling conventions. The same is true of choice C. Choice D is incorrect as get has three phonemes, just like gem.

The literary term "register" refers to

the appropriateness of style for a given work. Answer Explanation : Register refers to the specific language that writers and speakers use for specific situations. For example, a technical medical manual would shy away from slang, and a casual conversation in the elevator would have an informal tone.

The alphabetic principle is best described as

the association of sounds with letters. Answer Explanation : In its most basic form, the alphabetic principle is the idea that there is a systematic correspondence between letters and the sounds of language. Choice A is incorrect (it describes a phoneme), and choice C is incorrect—morphology is the study of word structure.

A quadrilateral with exactly one pair of opposite parallel sides is a

trapezoid Answer Explanation : A trapezoid has exactly one pair of opposite parallel sides. The parallel sides are not the same length. The other two sides cannot be parallel, since they have to connect the sides of unequal length. The other answer choices all have two pairs of parallel sides. Rectangles and rhombuses are types of parallelograms.

In contrast to compound microscopes, stereo microscopes have...

two eyepieces. Answer Explanation : Stereo microscopes use two eyepieces to produce a three-dimensional visualization of the image being studied. Stereo microscopes do not feature any audio component, and actually have a superior depth of field when compared to the more traditional compound microscope.

Which of the following statements is true about the word hungry? It contains

two syllables and six phonemes. Answer Explanation : A phoneme is the atom of the sound world, the smallest unit of sound that can be distinguished from other sounds. There can be multiple phonemes in a single syllable, such as the /h/, /u/, and /n/ in the first syllable of hungry. Sometimes, however, two or more letters may form a single sound, such as the digraph sh, which constitutes only one phoneme, /sh/.

Sounds that consist of a blend of two separate vowel sounds such as /oi/ in oil or /oy/ in toy are

vowel diphthongs. Answer Explanation : A vowel diphthong is a complex sound that slides from one vowel to a second vowel sound in the same syllable. Vowel digraphs are a blend of two separate vowel sounds. Consonant-influenced vowels occur when any vowel letter is followed by a consonant and changes the sound of the preceding vowel.

Hannah is y years old. Write an expression for her age 8 years ago.

y-8 Answer Explanation : The present age of Hannah is y years. To find out how old she was 8 years ago, you must subtract 8 years from her present age, which is y ? 8

What is the equation of the following line? crosses at y=4 and x=4

y= -x+4 Answer Explanation : The line crosses the y-axis at positive 4, so the y-intercept is 4. The slope is -1; slope is the amount of "rise" (vertical change) divided by the "run" (horizontal change). In the form ofy = mx + b where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept, the equation for this line isy = -x + 4.

Which of the following lines is parallel to y=1/2 x +3?

y=1/2 x + 6 Answer Explanation : Parallel lines always have the same slope because they remain the same distance apart forever. Choice A (answer) is the only choice with the same slope as the line in the question.

Based on the triangles below, you can assume the following: AB = DE, AC = DF, and ∠A ≅∠D. Which of the statements below must also be true?

△ACB = △FDE Answer Explanation : The two triangles pictured are congruent. According to the Side-Angle-Side theorem, two triangles are congruent if a pair of corresponding sides and the included angle