Praxis Reading/language

1. How many phonemes are in the word "ball"? (A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4

1. . The correct answer is (C). The word structure is /b/ /a/ /l/. "ll" is a blend so therefore makes only one sound.

1. The teacher from Nebraska displayed Native American artifacts to her class. 2. The teacher displayed Native American artifacts from Nebraska to her class. 10. The meaning of sentence 1 differs from that of sentence 2 in that the (A) sentences do not have the same simple predicate (B) adjective phrase "from Nebraska" modifies different nouns (C) subject of sentence 1 is "teacher," while the subject of sentence 2 is "artifacts" (D) first sentence ends in a prepositional phrase, while the second sentence does not

10. The correct answer is (B). The meaning of the two sentences differs because in sentence 1 the teacher is from Nebraska, while in sentence 2 the Native American artifacts are from Nebraska. Thus, the placement of the adjective phrase "from Nebraska" after two different nouns changes the meaning of the sentences.

11. A student whose writing shows an awareness of spacing (though spaces between words are not even), makes sporadic use of proper capitalization, and contains some invented spelling is most likely functioning at which of the following stages of developmental writing? (A) Emergent (B) Transitional (C) Conventional (D) Proficient

11. The correct answer is (B). Students at a transitional level are beginning to have a more formal sense of print conventions, letters, words, and sentences. The characteristics in the list describe a student performing at the transitional level.

12. Which of the following technology-based tools best facilitates both personal writing and written discussion about the writing? (A) Blogging programs (B) Interactive gaming (C) Slide-share programs (D) Interactive whiteboards

12. The correct answer is (A). Blogging programs facilitate personal writing and typically have open forums that encourage readers to respond to the writing with written discussion.

13. Which of the following is considered a reliable source for research? (A) A wiki encyclopedia entry (B) An online discussion forum (C) A famous scientist's personal blog (D) An educational institution's Web site

13. The correct answer is (D). An educational institution's Web site is likely to be unbiased and contain accurate information.

Leave me, O love which reaches but to dust; And thou, my mind, aspire to higher things; Grow rich in that which never taketh rust, Whatever fades but fading pleasure brings. 14. In line 1 "dust" serves as a metaphor for (A) ignorance (B) death (C) loneliness (D) confusion

14. The correct answer is (B). A metaphor is a type of figurative language in which one image or idea is connected with another. In literature, the word "dust" is often associated with death because life forms decay into soil after death.

15. The lines above comment on the speaker's desire to (A) seek out immediate pleasures (B) enrich himself (C) reject that which is transitory (D) revive the past

15. The correct answer is (C). The word "transitory" refers to change, and the speaker mentions a desire to reject things that turn to dust, acquire dust, and start to fade. These are all types of change.

16. Manuel is the tallest of the two boys. Which of the following statements about the sentence is true? (A) The sentence is written correctly. (B) The subject and verb do not agree. (C) The word "boys" should be possessive. (D) "Tallest" modifies Manuel incorrectly.

16. The correct answer is (D). "Tallest" is in the superlative degree, which is used when comparing more than two things. "Taller" is the correct word to use, since it is in the comparative degree.

17. Original Sentence The sailor viewed the sky to determine how the trip would go. Revision The mariner surveyed the clouds to predict the trip's success. The revised sentence reflects an improvement in of which of the following aspects of writing? (A) Conventions (B) Organization (C) Sentence fluency (D) Word choice

17. The correct answer is (D). Sentence quality is enhanced by choosing words that provide specificity and clarity of meaning.

18. Two hamsters sat in the cage side by side; a furtive, timid one and a glossy, bold one watched each other warily. The sentence above is an example of a (A) simple sentence (B) compound sentence (C) complex sentence (D) compound-complex sentence

18. The correct answer is (B). A simple sentence contains only one independent clause. This sentence has two independent clauses joined by a semicolon, including one independent clause with a compound subject. Without dependent clauses, the sentence cannot be characterized as either complex or compound-complex.

19. Which of the following is most typically included in the conclusion of an oral presentation? (A) An expansion of the thesis (B) A summarization of the main points (C) An attempt to build rapport with the audience (D) A move to gain the audience's attention

19. The correct answer is (B). The conclusion of an oral presentation usually contains a clear summary of the main points to reinforce the presentation's goal.

2. An English-language learner who is capable of matching pictures with words and phrases from a story but cannot yet use those pictures to recreate the sequence of a story is functioning at which of the following language proficiency levels? (A) Entering (B) Developing (C) Expanding (D) Bridging

2. The correct answer is (A). English-language learners at the Entering stage of language proficiency can process and produce the English needed to successfully engage in the reading activities mentioned but cannot yet identify main ideas or sequence pictures from oral stories. These skills come later, appearing first while the student is in the Developing level. Once they have reached the Expanding and Bridging proficiency levels, English-language learners possess even more advanced skills, such as finding details that support main ideas.

20. In a student discussion about whether the school cafeteria should stop selling junk food, which of the following statements best demonstrates active listening? (A) "In my opinion, it would be a mistake to remove junk food from the cafeteria because no one would eat there anymore." (B) "Raul thinks that our health should come before eating what we love, but Lacey argues that the schools should not take away our right to choose." (C) "How many of you would actually buy lunch if the cafeteria stopped selling junk food?" (D) "What if we write a formal complaint to the superintendent to voice our opinion on the food in the cafeteria?"

20. The correct answer is (B). The statement demonstrates paraphrasing of others' statements. An active listener spends more time listening than talking, which paraphrasing demonstrates.

3. Which TWO of the following syllable types are present in the word "remarkable"? (A) Open (B) Closed (C) Vowel team (D) R-controlled

3. The correct answers are (A) and (D). (A) is correct because the syllable "re" is an open syllable. An open syllable ends in a long vowel sound produced by a single vowel. (D) is correct because the syllable "mar" is an r-controlled syllable. The "r" controls the vowel sound, causing the "a" to have a unique sound.

4. Which of the following is the most appropriate strategy for using easy books to increase fluency in a nonfluent student? (A) Providing opportunities for the nonfluent student to read self-selected easy books to a younger student (B) Asking a younger, more fluent reader to read an easy book aloud to the nonfluent student (C) Assigning an easy-to-read nonfiction book to the nonfluent student for independent reading (D) Encouraging other students to interrupt and correct when the nonfluent student is reading easy books aloud

4. The best answer is (A). Fluency refers to reading smoothly, quickly, and with expression. (A) offers the nonfluent student opportunities to engage in meaningful literary experiences while gaining courage and self esteem, while also experiencing ownership.

5. Which of the following is most commonly used in digital text to give a reader access to additional information about a topic? (A) A citation (B) A hyperlink (C) An index (D) A glossary

5. The correct answer is (B). The reader can follow the link provided to easily seek more information.

6. Mike loves playing football. He is the quarterback for his team, and he knows when to call the right plays. He hates having to miss a practice, and his teammates are frustrated when he's not there. They always say, "Where is Mike? We are lost without him." The team usually has a good practice even if he is not there, but they miss out on practicing key plays. Which of the following best explains how the reader knows that the passage is from a third- person narrative? (A) The narrator is only an observer of the action in the passage. (B) The narrator is participating in the dialogue in the passage. (C) The narrator discloses only his or her thoughts and feelings in the passage. (D) The narrator uses the present tense to discuss the conflict in the passage.

6. The correct answer is (A). The narrator of the passage is an observer, not a participant, in the action and dialogue of the passage. This is characteristic of a third- person narrative.

7. Which of the following statements best describes how graphic novels promote inferencing? (A) Readers rely on characters' dialogue to tell the story. (B) Readers are given graphic organizers to facilitate understanding. (C) Readers can summarize the stories' beginning, middle, and end. (D) Readers use the pictures to interpret the text.

7. The correct answer is (D). The images in a graphic novel provide information not included within the text, such as character attributes. In a graphic novel, the combination of text and images is required to produce the complete story.

8. Which of the following is true of qualitative measures of text complexity? (A) They describe statistical measurements of a text. (B) They rely on computer algorithms to describe text. (C) They involve attributes that can be measured only by human readers. (D) They account for the different motivational levels readers bring to texts.

8. The correct answer is (C). The qualitative attributes are subjective and can only be evaluated by a human reader (i.e. "predictability of text").

9. Which TWO of the following can be classified as expository writing? (A) A short story (B) A technical speech (C) A personal diary (D) A scientific report (E) An editorial commentary

9. The correct answers are (B) and (D). A technical speech and a research report both require that information be collected and synthesized.