FTCE Professional Education Practice Test 1
With Complete Solutions
A teacher is working with his class when he realizes that Katlin, one of his brightest
students, seems completely out of it. When he is finally alone with Katlin, she starts to
tell him about a situation where some girls are giving her a hard time at school. To keep
Katlin telling him about the situation, the teacher should
A. immediately tell Katlin to stand up to the bullies
B. listen with an expression of concern and interrupt minimally
C. show empathy to Katlin by relating incidents when he had been victimized by bullies
during his school days.
D. avoid maintaining eye contact with Katlin as this can make her feel uncomfortable. -
ANSWER B
A social studies teacher asks students to read a summary of the three branches of
government and how they work. Then, the teacher displays the following transparency
on the overhead projector:
BALANCE OF POWER
In your own words, describe what you think this phrase means.
This learning activity will prove most beneficial to students by
A. addressing their multiple learning styles.
B. having them deliberate on issues concerning their interests.
C. memorization of key terms.
D. questioning them on higher-order thinking. - ANSWER D
The history teacher is concerned that her students are not getting high grades. She
,believes the reason for low grades is essentially due to a lack of interest and enthusiasm
on the part of the students in the history class. Which one of the following
assessment-related measures would most motivate students to get better grades in
history class?
A. reducing tests, quizzes, and homework assignments given
B. providing reports to students and parents that include comments about improvement
C. providing feedback weeks after a test has been given
D. utilizing a lower grading scale - ANSWER B
The 3-second wait time recommended to student responses to questions is generally
not able to be implemented by the teachers in the classrooms during discussions. Which
of the following does experts say is the primary reason?
A. Teachers believe that silence can create a disturbance in the momentum of their
lessons.
B. Teachers are the victim of the strong norm in American culture for the avoidance of
empty silence.
C. Silence, teachers feel, may lead to misbehavior by the students.
D. Teachers believe that students' achievement will suffer. - ANSWER B
Which of the following teacher behaviors would be LEAST likely to promote students'
thinking skills?
A. teaching for deeper understanding of concepts
B. stressing that students need to memorize a lot of facts and formulas
C. asking students to explain the reasoning behind their conclusions
D. giving explicit instruction in critical thinking - ANSWER B
Students in high school should be given homework mainly for which of the following
purposes?
A. improve their academic achievement
B. help them develop good study habits
C. foster in them positive attitudes toward school
,D. enhance their self-discipline - ANSWER A
A high school geography class is studying interrelationships between people and their
environment. During an outside tour around their school, the students are dismayed
about the amount of trash they see. Back in class, a discussion about how to dispose of
trash arises. Maria then asks, "Is there going to be room for us with all this trash in the
world?" The teacher asks the whole class the following question, "What do you think
about Maria's concern?" An example of this type of question to the whole class based on
Maria's question above is A. making a point using the student's contribution B.
paraphrasing the student's contribution C. using the student's contribution as an
example
D. by using a student's contribution to encourage further discussion. - ANSWER D
A second-grade teacher is having students work with a computer simulation activity as
part of a social studies lesson. A significant benefit for students related to engaging in a
computer simulation activity in social studies is that it
A. serves as an efficient way to record and then analyze data
B. increases student skill in mapping
C. provides an opportunity for students to make decisions within a non-threatening
environment
D. promotes the mastery of basic skills among low-achieving students. - ANSWER C
Ms. Curl is a brand-new third-grade teacher who is very excited about her first year
teaching. She can't wait to meet her students and she has lots of plans for them. First
day of class, Ms. Curl introduces herself and lets the students in on some of her ideas
for the classroom. Being a new teacher, Ms. Curl must be cognizant of which of the
following?
A. Teachers should teach students explicit procedures during the first days of school
about how to move from group to group, ask for help, and get the materials they need.
B. If teachers want to avoid problems later in the year, they should make sure discipline
gets inculcated into their classrooms by being heavy with timeouts during the first days
of school.
C. Classroom management will be easier during the first several days of school if the
teacher is able to work with individual students to explain classroom rules and
procedures.
, D. Teachers should establish an warm and caring environ- ANSWER A
A humanities teacher in a high school has observed in her class a gap between the
achievements of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and those coming from
middle-class families. The teacher's observation relates to the finding of studies
indicating that students from low socioeconomic backgrounds usually
A. Do better in school than children from middle-class backgrounds
B. Do about as well as children from middle-class backgrounds
C. Fare worse in school compared to children from middle-class backgrounds
D. Start school behind but catch up to middle-class students during high school -
ANSWER C
In a classroom, the teacher asks a question of the class and then calls only on students
who raise their hand. What type of recognition of response does this teacher use?
A. Positive, because when a teacher does not call on shy students who do not know the
answer, this student will not be embarrassed in front of the whole class.
B. Positive, because this process is far more effective than when teachers call on
students through some random process.
C. Limited, as some students may miss an opportunity to become actively engaged in
the lesson due to not volunteering themselves.
D. Positive, because volunteers give a higher proportion of correct responses from
which all might benefit - ANSWER C
A teacher eager to use cooperative learning strategies in his classroom during the
school year, is busy planning group activities which he can use with his students. Which
of the following is a characteristic of cooperative learning?
A. The use of cooperative learning activities releases the teacher from monitoring
student work
B. When cooperative learning activities are used, students' rewards should be
interdependently determined
C. Cooperative learning activities free the teacher from having to use strict grading
policies
D. When using cooperative learning, group size should not be predetermined. -
With Complete Solutions
A teacher is working with his class when he realizes that Katlin, one of his brightest
students, seems completely out of it. When he is finally alone with Katlin, she starts to
tell him about a situation where some girls are giving her a hard time at school. To keep
Katlin telling him about the situation, the teacher should
A. immediately tell Katlin to stand up to the bullies
B. listen with an expression of concern and interrupt minimally
C. show empathy to Katlin by relating incidents when he had been victimized by bullies
during his school days.
D. avoid maintaining eye contact with Katlin as this can make her feel uncomfortable. -
ANSWER B
A social studies teacher asks students to read a summary of the three branches of
government and how they work. Then, the teacher displays the following transparency
on the overhead projector:
BALANCE OF POWER
In your own words, describe what you think this phrase means.
This learning activity will prove most beneficial to students by
A. addressing their multiple learning styles.
B. having them deliberate on issues concerning their interests.
C. memorization of key terms.
D. questioning them on higher-order thinking. - ANSWER D
The history teacher is concerned that her students are not getting high grades. She
,believes the reason for low grades is essentially due to a lack of interest and enthusiasm
on the part of the students in the history class. Which one of the following
assessment-related measures would most motivate students to get better grades in
history class?
A. reducing tests, quizzes, and homework assignments given
B. providing reports to students and parents that include comments about improvement
C. providing feedback weeks after a test has been given
D. utilizing a lower grading scale - ANSWER B
The 3-second wait time recommended to student responses to questions is generally
not able to be implemented by the teachers in the classrooms during discussions. Which
of the following does experts say is the primary reason?
A. Teachers believe that silence can create a disturbance in the momentum of their
lessons.
B. Teachers are the victim of the strong norm in American culture for the avoidance of
empty silence.
C. Silence, teachers feel, may lead to misbehavior by the students.
D. Teachers believe that students' achievement will suffer. - ANSWER B
Which of the following teacher behaviors would be LEAST likely to promote students'
thinking skills?
A. teaching for deeper understanding of concepts
B. stressing that students need to memorize a lot of facts and formulas
C. asking students to explain the reasoning behind their conclusions
D. giving explicit instruction in critical thinking - ANSWER B
Students in high school should be given homework mainly for which of the following
purposes?
A. improve their academic achievement
B. help them develop good study habits
C. foster in them positive attitudes toward school
,D. enhance their self-discipline - ANSWER A
A high school geography class is studying interrelationships between people and their
environment. During an outside tour around their school, the students are dismayed
about the amount of trash they see. Back in class, a discussion about how to dispose of
trash arises. Maria then asks, "Is there going to be room for us with all this trash in the
world?" The teacher asks the whole class the following question, "What do you think
about Maria's concern?" An example of this type of question to the whole class based on
Maria's question above is A. making a point using the student's contribution B.
paraphrasing the student's contribution C. using the student's contribution as an
example
D. by using a student's contribution to encourage further discussion. - ANSWER D
A second-grade teacher is having students work with a computer simulation activity as
part of a social studies lesson. A significant benefit for students related to engaging in a
computer simulation activity in social studies is that it
A. serves as an efficient way to record and then analyze data
B. increases student skill in mapping
C. provides an opportunity for students to make decisions within a non-threatening
environment
D. promotes the mastery of basic skills among low-achieving students. - ANSWER C
Ms. Curl is a brand-new third-grade teacher who is very excited about her first year
teaching. She can't wait to meet her students and she has lots of plans for them. First
day of class, Ms. Curl introduces herself and lets the students in on some of her ideas
for the classroom. Being a new teacher, Ms. Curl must be cognizant of which of the
following?
A. Teachers should teach students explicit procedures during the first days of school
about how to move from group to group, ask for help, and get the materials they need.
B. If teachers want to avoid problems later in the year, they should make sure discipline
gets inculcated into their classrooms by being heavy with timeouts during the first days
of school.
C. Classroom management will be easier during the first several days of school if the
teacher is able to work with individual students to explain classroom rules and
procedures.
, D. Teachers should establish an warm and caring environ- ANSWER A
A humanities teacher in a high school has observed in her class a gap between the
achievements of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and those coming from
middle-class families. The teacher's observation relates to the finding of studies
indicating that students from low socioeconomic backgrounds usually
A. Do better in school than children from middle-class backgrounds
B. Do about as well as children from middle-class backgrounds
C. Fare worse in school compared to children from middle-class backgrounds
D. Start school behind but catch up to middle-class students during high school -
ANSWER C
In a classroom, the teacher asks a question of the class and then calls only on students
who raise their hand. What type of recognition of response does this teacher use?
A. Positive, because when a teacher does not call on shy students who do not know the
answer, this student will not be embarrassed in front of the whole class.
B. Positive, because this process is far more effective than when teachers call on
students through some random process.
C. Limited, as some students may miss an opportunity to become actively engaged in
the lesson due to not volunteering themselves.
D. Positive, because volunteers give a higher proportion of correct responses from
which all might benefit - ANSWER C
A teacher eager to use cooperative learning strategies in his classroom during the
school year, is busy planning group activities which he can use with his students. Which
of the following is a characteristic of cooperative learning?
A. The use of cooperative learning activities releases the teacher from monitoring
student work
B. When cooperative learning activities are used, students' rewards should be
interdependently determined
C. Cooperative learning activities free the teacher from having to use strict grading
policies
D. When using cooperative learning, group size should not be predetermined. -
