Praxis Practice test #2 Reading and Social Studies

A teacher is holding a classroom discussion after a lesson on the ways in which cities develop to meet economic needs. The teacher asks students to brainstorm economic factors that contributed to an increase in the population of cities like New York and Boston during the late 1800s. Which of the following student responses indicates that the student may require additional instruction? A. "People started to move to cities because they wanted to own their own land." B. "People started to move to cities to find work in the factories that were being built." C. "People started to move to cities to more easily sell goods in international markets." D. "People started to move to cities because they couldn't find work in rural areas."

"People started to move to cities because they wanted to own their own land."

In the word "understatement," which of the following is best identified as the prefix of the word? A. "un-" B. "under-" C. "-state" D. "-ment"

"under-"

Which of the following best identifies the rime in the word "shirt"? A. /sh/ B. /s/ C. /irt/ D. /i/

/irt/

Which of the following enduring understandings best helps students understand the issues that led to the creation of the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights? A. The United States emerged as a world power with influence that spanned the globe. B. Symbols unite communities and demonstrate citizenship. C. A democracy depends on citizens understanding and respecting their individual rights and responsibilities. D. Resources can be used to determine directions, distances, and locations.

A democracy depends on citizens understanding and respecting their individual rights and responsibilities.

A history teacher wants to use a documentary video to engage students in a classroom discussion of the ways that pre-Columbian civilizations in Central and South America were influenced by their natural environments. Which of the following documentary videos would best facilitate the discussion? A. A documentary about the similarities among pre-Columbian languages B. A documentary about Spanish Conquest of the Aztec civilization C. A documentary about the development of agriculture in different pre-Columbian civilizations D. A documentary video about species of wildlife that live in Central America

A documentary about the development of agriculture in different pre-Columbian civilizations

In the word "Internet," the segment "inter-" is best defined as which of the following? A. Root word B. Syllable C. Affix D. Phoneme

Affix

Which of the following groups lists words that are best categorized as kindergarten high-frequency sight words? Answer the question by selecting the correct response. A. Bite, when, I, car B. Am, to, the, on C. Dog, jump, are, toes D. Jail, tram, see, from

Am, to, the, on

A fifth-grade teacher is beginning a unit on the Industrial Revolution. Which of the following was an effect of the Industrial Revolution on the United States? A. An increase in urbanization and immigration B. A decrease in the construction of railroads C. An increase in the population of rural areas D. A decrease in the number of women in the workforce

An increase in urbanization and immigration

Which of the following are signal words used in a compare and contrast nonfiction text structure? A. For example, such as, near B. Then, next, first C. But, both, however D. As a result, because, therefore

But, both, however

Which THREE of the following first-grade words are best to use for a beginning reader's decoding practice? A. Two B. Cat C. You D. Tap E. Log

Cat Tap Log

After completing a unit on citizenship, a fifth-grade teacher asks students to design a community service project. Which of the following student projects most accurately fulfills the end-of-unit assignment? A. Collecting paper trash from neighbors to take to the local recycling plant B. Helping to wash cars as a fund-raiser for the class field trip C. Contacting the state senator from the district about creating a new park D. Volunteering to do more tasks at home to help the family

Collecting paper trash from neighbors to take to the local recycling plant

To help a student research the history of the Oregon Trail, the teacher provides the student with two sources: a personal account of life in a covered wagon and a detailed map of the historic stops on the trail. Which of the following best identifies the primary benefit of the student using both sources? A. Utilizing two different sources will help the student practice synthesis of information. B. Studying both sources will build a stronger geographical understanding for the student. C. Providing two sources will offer the student a detailed firsthand perspective of the topic. D. Comparing a primary and a secondary source will give the student multiple perspectives for a deeper understanding.

Comparing a primary and a secondary source will give the student multiple perspectives for a deeper understanding.

A teacher is planning a sorting activity with the following list of spelling words. trot, drop, plum, frog, club, glee, dress, fluff, sled, flop, cross, slob, plot, gruff, dream, truck Which of the following language concepts will the list of words best be used to reinforce? A. Consonant blends B. Short e vowel sound C. R-controlled vowels D. Double consonants

Consonant blends

Which of the following assignments would best allow a fifth-grade teacher to determine whether students fully understand push and pull factors? A. Drawing a Venn diagram of the features of a fictional character's country of immigration and country of emigration B. Creating a time line of different immigration patterns to the United States C. Creating a storyboard for a documentary about the top reasons people migrate D. Listing the ways people can improve their lives after migration

Creating a storyboard for a documentary about the top reasons people migrate

Which of the following parts of a citation is unique to online sources rather than to print-based sources? A. Author's name B. Date the site was accessed C. Number of hits the site has received D. Publisher and original publication date

Date the site was accessed

Mr. Russell is reading aloud a big book that has two lines of text per page. He is using a pointer to point to each word. Mr. Russell is reinforcing which of the following concepts of print as he reads aloud? Select ALL that apply. A. Concept of letter B. Directionality C. One-to-one matching

Directionality One-to-one matching

Which of the following sentences demonstrates a comma being used after an introductory phrase? A. Buster is a strong, healthy dog. B. No, you should not buy that shirt. C. Anna wrote the winning paper, so she received the prize. D. During the recital, many children were restless.

During the recital, many children were restless

The following is an excerpt from a student's draft of a book review. In a book, setting is incredibly important. It tells you where the characters are and it's usually an important detail. In my opinion setting is a very important part of a story. Throughout the book Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper, I felt like the setting was a huge part of the book. The main character is Melody, and her moods changed wherever she went. She could go from mad to happy, then happy to sad all in the change of the setting. It's all about the setting that changes the character's mood. In my opinion, when settings change people change too. When revising the excerpt of the draft, it is most important for the student to apply which TWO of the following strategies? A. Eliminating repetitious language B. Incorporating a topic sentence C. Rewriting to use only first-person perspective D. Maintaining a consistent focus on the topic E. Using textual evidence to support ideas

Eliminating repetitious language Using textual evidence to support ideas

Which TWO of the following words can best be decoded by identifying a root word within the larger word? A. Snitch B. Colossal C. Endanger D. Fashion E. Lovely

Endanger Lovely

A sixth-grade teacher asks students to complete the following assignment. Design a political cartoon to show the system of checks and balances outlined in the United States Constitution. Write a paragraph explaining the methods and techniques used to convey the political message. To successfully complete the assignment, which of the following is important for the students to know in addition to knowing how to create a political cartoon? A. Specific examples of when presidential pardons were granted or denied B. How each branch of government limits the powers of other branches C. How other countries restrict the powers of government D. Names of current leaders of the three branches of government

How each branch of government limits the powers of other branches

A student rewrites sentence 4 to the following. The only reward I have is a million painful blisters on my hands. The student has improved the sentence by adding which of the following? A. Analogy B. Hyperbole C. Simile D. Onomatopoeia

Hyperbole

I recently came to your shop to have my car repaired, it was making a funny noise. Which of the following is the most effective and grammatically correct revision of the sentence? A. I recently came to your shop to have my car repaired, since it was making a funny noise. B. I recently came to your shop to have my car repaired it was making a funny noise. C. I recently came to your shop to have my car repaired, my car was making a funny noise. D. I recently came to your shop to have my car repaired because it was making a funny noise.

I recently came to your shop to have my car repaired because it was making a funny noise.

Which of the following is a major challenge of teaching the decoding of /s/ to students in kindergarten? A. Students cannot write to reinforce their learning. B. The /s/ sound is difficult to pronounce until age 7. C. It is not possible to assign just one sound to the grapheme of "s." D. Students with varied dialects pronounce the grapheme of "s" differently.

It is not possible to assign just one sound to the grapheme of

An elementary teacher groups students with differing reading abilities into core groups of three. Each member also belongs to another group that is assigned to read specific content to become experts on a chosen topic. After the specific-content groups take time to read and discuss their information, members return to their core groups, where they share and exchange the knowledge gained in their specific-content groups. Which of the following collaborative strategies is the teacher implementing in the scenario? A. Round table B. Directed-reading thinking activity C. Jigsaw D. Reciprocal teaching

Jigsaw

A history teacher assigns a short writing prompt assessing student knowledge of the impact of women such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony on the abolition movement. Many students submitted responses that misinterpreted the question, often stating that "Americans learned that women should be able to vote in elections." Previous knowledge of which of the following historical developments most likely led students to misinterpret the writing prompt? A. Women were not granted the right to vote until 1920. B. Many abolitionist leaders were also leaders in the woman suffrage movement. C. Women were often responsible for the education of their children. D. Many abolitionist leaders supported the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment.

Many abolitionist leaders were also leaders in the woman suffrage movement.

Star light, star bright, First star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, Have this wish I wish tonight. A first-grade teacher reads the poem to the students. Then the students do a choral reading of the poem with the teacher, and the teacher points to each word as the students say it. Which of the following best describes the objective of the choral reading activity? A. Supporting sight word recognition B. Modeling automaticity and prosody C. Introducing segments and blends D. Demonstrating comprehension strategies

Modeling automaticity and prosody

The following passage is a student writing sample. The day started like any other sunny Friday morning. I got out of bed and made my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth. But as the day continued, it got worse. Oh boy, what a mess I got myself into! The passage is best described as which of the following types of writing? A. Descriptive B. Expository C. Narrative D. Persuasive

Narrative

A kindergarten teacher prepares a literacy activity by writing a BLANK followed by the letters a and t"_at" on the board, then asks students to come up to the board and place magnetic letters next to a t"at" to form words. The activity best reinforces students' understanding of which of the following concepts? A. Onset and rime B. Vowels and consonants C. Syllables D. Sight words

Onset and rime

A third-grade student remarked, "I can't go to the movies with friends because I just spent all of my birthday money on a new video game." Which of the following economic concepts does this statement best illustrate? A. Barter B. Opportunity cost C. Capital resources D. Interest

Opportunity cost

Which of the following is a classical Chinese contribution that replaced bamboo, wood, and silk as a method for circulating literature and information? Answer the question by selecting the correct response. A. Map B. Compass C. Money D. Paper

Paper

The following excerpt is from The Time Machine by H. G. Wells. "I was led past the sphinx of white marble, which had seemed to watch me all the while with a smile at my astonishment, toward a vast grey edifice of fretted stone." Which of the following best describes the type of figurative language used in the excerpt? A. Idiom B. Onomatopoeia C. Personification D. Metaphor

Personification

The ability to identify four distinct sounds in the word "clap" demonstrates competence in which of the following phonemic awareness skills? A. Phoneme identity B. Phoneme categorization C. Phoneme blending D. Phoneme segmentation

Phoneme segmentation

Which of the following strategies best uses geography skills to engage students in inquiry-based learning? A. Plotting a national landmark using its latitude and longitude and answering the five "W" questions about the landmark B. Using a globe to identify latitude and longitude lines for various locations C. Completing a worksheet focused on latitude and longitude lines, then taking a brief knowledge check D. Taking notes during a teacher-directed lecture on latitude and longitude lines

Plotting a national landmark using its latitude and longitude and answering the five "W" questions about the landmark

The ocean is full of organisms—both plant and animal life—some of which you know, and others you probably haven't ever imagined! These organisms live and work together in the ocean ecosystem; they are important to each other and to the health of the ocean itself. Many of these organisms are at risk because of pollution that finds its way to the ocean. You can help prevent this by joining a local beach cleanup effort, disposing of your own trash when you're at the beach, and reusing and recycling as much as possible, anywhere and anytime. Which of the following organizational structures best describes the passage? A. Description B. Problem/solution C. Spatial D. Compare/contrast

Problem/solution

Before reading a new text, a reader identifies the purpose for reading, examines the genre and difficulty of the material, and considers prior knowledge on the topic. These strategies will best help the reader focus on which of the following elements of fluency? A. Rate B. Accuracy C. Prosody D. Automaticity

Rate

Which of the following activities will best help students develop articulation skills within oral presentations? A. Reading aloud passages that include persuasive rhetoric B. Reading aloud short rhyming poems, focusing on individual sounds within words C. Reading aloud a script created from an excerpt of a narrative's dialogue D. Reading aloud incomplete sentences, filling in the missing words in an impromptu manner

Reading aloud short rhyming poems, focusing on individual sounds within words

Which of the following elements best helps early emergent readers construct meaning from a narrative book? A. Rich vocabulary B. Realistic illustrations C. Boldface chapter titles D. Few words to a page

Realistic illustrations

As an introduction to an economics lesson, a teacher uses the example of a small business that prepares to launch a new cereal in the market. The teacher emphasizes that the cereal can only be sold in stores after its ingredients are tested and the nutritional information has been verified by the local and county health agencies. The teacher's example best illustrates which of the following concepts? A. Supply and demand B. Investment C. Regulation D. Corporate taxation

Regulation

A second-grade teacher creates a classroom store stocked with toys that can be purchased with certain amounts of tokens. A standard amount of tokens is awarded to students each week. At the end of each week, students may choose to spend their tokens on small toys from the store or save their tokens to purchase larger toys later. Understanding of which of the following economic concepts is best reinforced by the classroom store? A. Increasing productivity B. Predicting demands C. Avoiding debt D. Saving money

Saving money

(1) I've heard that hard work is its own reward. (2) I'm not so sure that's true. (3) I spent all weekend cleaning up my front and back yards. (4) The only reward I have is some pretty painful blisters on my hands. (5) I don't know who made up that saying. (6) I bet that person didn't have to clean a big yard all alone. Which of the following revisions most improves the flow of the narrative by blending two sentences? A. Sentences 1 and 2, which would read: I've heard that hard work is its own reward, and I'm not so sure that's true. B. Sentences 5 and 6, which would read: I don't know who made up that saying, but I bet that person didn't have to clean a big yard all alone. C. Sentences 4 and 5, which would read: The only reward I have is some pretty painful blisters on my hands, and I don't know who made up that saying. D. Sentences 3 and 4, which would read: I spent all weekend cleaning up my front and back yards, because the only reward I have is some pretty painful blisters on my hands.

Sentences 5 and 6, which would read: I don't know who made up that saying, but I bet that person didn't have to clean a big yard all alone.

Which of the following pairs of words contains identical onsets? A. Scrape/skirt B. Slip/slime C. Sand/stand D. Sting/sing

Slip/slime

Before European exploration in North America, which of the following types of weapon was used by indigenous people to hunt small game? A. Stone spearhead B. Firearm C. Metal sword D. Steel trap

Stone spearhead

During a small-group discussion of a class novel, the teacher asks students about a particular interaction between the two main characters. Which THREE of the following students are exhibiting active listening skills? A. Student A reads ahead in the book during the discussion. B. Student B asks the teacher to clarify the question before responding. C. Student C nods occasionally in agreement with the speaker. D. Student D conducts a side conversation with a student seated nearby. E. Student E looks at each speaker during the discussion.

Student B asks the teacher to clarify the question before responding. Student C nods occasionally in agreement with the speaker. Student E looks at each speaker during the discussion.

Mr. Sen is creating a lesson for his fourth-grade class around the geographic theme of human-environment interaction, which deals with the ways in which geographic locations influence the lives and choices of the people who live in them. Which of the following learning objectives best demonstrates Mr. Sen's understanding of the social studies concept of human-environment interaction? A. Students will be able to write an essay about the limitations geography placed on early explorers in the Americas. B. Students will be able to construct a table describing how different physical features of regions influence architecture and economic activities of residents. C. Students will be able to create a cause-and-effect diagram describing the formation of different landforms. D. Students will be able to describe patterns of immigration, emigration, and distribution of people in a particular region.

Students will be able to construct a table describing how different physical features of regions influence architecture and economic activities of residents.

A first-grade teacher is beginning a unit on the predictable pattern of the Sun as it relates to seasonal changes. The goal of the unit is to teach students that as the days get longer, Earth heats up, and as the days get shorter, Earth cools down. Which of the following activities best supports the instructional goal of the unit? A. Looking at photos of the Sun's position at different times of the day and predicting Earth's movement B. Completing a Venn diagram to compare and contrast temperatures of substances at sunrise and sunset C. Studying a graph that tracks sunrise, sunset, and corresponding temperatures for each month to determine a trend D. Sharing personal experiences of observing sunrise and sunset in different seasons

Studying a graph that tracks sunrise, sunset, and corresponding temperatures for each month to determine a trend

A second-grade teacher asks students to explain how patriotic symbols and practices reinforce national identity for Americans. Which of the following student responses demonstrates a misconception that the teacher needs to address? A. The Statue of Liberty represents America's independence and welcomes individuals coming to the United States. B. The American bald eagle often symbolizes the courage of the soldiers and individuals that created the United States of America. C. The stars on the American flag represent the 50 states that make up the United States of America. D. The Fourth of July celebration commemorates the surrender of the British army during the American Revolution.

The Fourth of July celebration commemorates the surrender of the British army during the American Revolution.

While introducing descriptive writing, a teacher writes the following sentence on the board. The sun was shining on the playground as Jack and Rachel ran to the basketball court. Which of the following revisions best makes the sentence more descriptive? A. The yellow sun was shining on the playground as Jack and Rachel ran to the basketball court. B. The bright sun was shining on the colorful playground as Jack and Rachel ran to the basketball court. C. The sun was out on the playground as Jack and Rachel ran to the basketball court. D. The sun shone on the playground as Jack and Rachel ran to the basketball court.

The bright sun was shining on the colorful playground as Jack and Rachel ran to the basketball court.

Which of the following is a true statement about phonological awareness in literacy development? A. The recognition of sight words depends on the ability to recognize sound blends. B. The decoding of unfamiliar words depends on the ability to associate sounds with written letters. C. The development of reading fluency depends on the ability to connect letter names to sounds. D. The development of reading comprehension depends on the ability to identify written letters by name.

The decoding of unfamiliar words depends on the ability to associate sounds with written letters.

In an introductory lesson on the United States federal government, a second-grade teacher asks the students to compare the jobs of the school's principal and vice principal to the jobs of the president and vice president of the United States. The lesson best introduces which of the following concepts about the United States government? A. The three branches of the federal government B. The role of the executive branch of government C. The process by which elected representatives create laws D. The system of checks and balances

The role of the executive branch of government

A third-grade teacher starts a lesson on the first methods used to obtain goods and services to meet individual needs. Which of the following is the most appropriate classroom activity related to the topic? A. Trading goods with classmates without the use of currency B. Reading an informational article about world currencies independently C. Using an online currency converter to learn about exchange rates D. Estimating the cost of household goods during a specific time period

Trading goods with classmates without the use of currency

Which of the following lists contains words that can all be broken into distinct morphemes? A. People, water, gentle, pencils B. Unable, kids, playing, biggest C. Children, hope, happy, assertion D. Phone, believe, strengthen, ocean

Unable, kids, playing, biggest

A kindergarten teacher provides students with a family tree diagram containing large leaves to represent various family members. The teacher asks students to draw a picture of a family member in each leaf. The students then present their trees in class. Which TWO of the following best identify the purpose of the activity? A. Learning to play and share cooperatively B. Understanding family structures C. Understanding the roles of individuals in the community D. Learning to identify their family's ethnic backgrounds E. Understanding that everyone is part of a family

Understanding family structures Understanding that everyone is part of a family

A fifth-grade teacher asks students to create group presentations about the contributions of a classical civilization. One group wants to do their project on ancient Rome. They plan to include the Coliseum, the Pantheon, aqueducts, and the Forum. They also want to wear Roman clothing while presenting to the class. Which of the following questions should the teacher ask the group to best help the students prevent factual errors? A. How do you plan to divide the work among the members of the group? B. Are you going to create the costumes or buy them? C. How do you plan to present the information to the class? D. What sources are you planning to consider for your research?

What sources are you planning to consider for your research?

Which of the following words is most appropriate to include on a list of spelling words that contain a silent consonant? A. Under B. Flower C. Switches D. Whistle

Whistle

Which of the following words is best classified as a high-frequency word for a kindergarten student? A. Across B. You C. Myself D. Since

You

The clouds rolled in very slowly that afternoon. In the sentence, the word "very" functions as Answer the question by selecting the correct response. A. a verb B. an adjective C. an adverb D. a noun

an adverb

To increase comprehension, a reading teacher suggests that a student read a selection from a text repeatedly while focusing on proper intonation. The intervention is appropriate for helping the student A. self-monitor for meaning B. decode unknown words C. avoid reading through punctuation D. avoid substituting an incorrect word

avoid reading through punctuation

Which TWO of the following words contain a closed syllable? Answer the question by selecting the correct responses. A. bat B. be C. go D. she E. top

bat top

Star *light*, star *bright*, First star I see *tonight*, I wish I may, I wish I *might*, Have this wish I wish *tonight*. This question refers to five highlighted portions of the poem. The highlighted words could be best used in a phonics lesson on A. open syllables B. r-controlled vowels C. irregular vowel families D. vowel-consonant-consonant-e words

irregular vowel families

A teacher writes the following sentence on the board. Although sales can be a lucrative career, if you can't keep your customers, you can lose a lot of money. To best help students determine the meaning of the word "lucrative" in the preceding sentence, the teacher should have the students analyze the A. sentence structure to highlight the contrast B. sentence structure to highlight the analogy C. word structure to identify the root word and prefix D. word structure to identify both parts of the compound word

sentence structure to highlight the contrast