TExES STR 293 Exam 2025/2026 Science of
Teaching Reading Study Guide | Practice
Questions & Verified Answers Teacher
Certification Prep PDF
TExES STR 293 Science of Teaching Reading Study Guide | 200 Practice
Questions
DOCUMENT OVERVIEW
• This comprehensive practice exam contains 200 multiple-choice questions
designed to prepare teacher candidates for the TExES STR 293 Science of Teaching
Reading certification exam, covering all essential topics tested on the actual
examination.
• Use this material by completing questions in sections, reviewing EXPERT
RATIONALE for both correct and incorrect answers, and targeting weak areas for
focused study before your certification test.
QUESTIONS
QUESTION 1
Which of the following best describes phonemic awareness?
A) The ability to recognize written letters and their corresponding sounds
B) The ability to identify, recognize, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken
words
C) The skill of reading words accurately and quickly
D) The knowledge of vocabulary words and their meanings
E) The capacity to understand sentence structure in written text
CORRECT ANSWER: B
,EXPERT RATIONALE: Phonemic awareness is the foundational skill of identifying
and manipulating phonemes (individual sounds) in spoken words, distinct from
phonics which involves written letters. This is a critical precursor to reading
development.
QUESTION 2
A kindergarten teacher wants to develop phonemic awareness in her
students. Which activity would be most effective?
A) Having students trace letters on worksheets
B) Having students clap once for each sound they hear in the word "cat"
C) Having students read picture books silently
D) Having students copy words from the board
E) Having students watch videos about letters
CORRECT ANSWER: B
EXPERT RATIONALE: Clapping to isolate phonemes in words is a direct, oral
phonemic awareness activity that requires students to attend to and manipulate
individual sounds without visual letter support, making it most effective for
developing this skill.
QUESTION 3
Which sequence represents the correct developmental order of phonemic
awareness skills?
A) Segmentation, blending, deletion, substitution
B) Blending, segmentation, substitution, deletion
C) Blending, deletion, segmentation, substitution
D) Deletion, blending, segmentation, substitution
,E) Substitution, blending, deletion, segmentation
CORRECT ANSWER: A
EXPERT RATIONALE: Research shows that children typically develop phonemic
awareness skills in this order: initial sound recognition, blending sounds,
segmenting words into sounds, and finally more complex manipulations like
deletion and substitution.
QUESTION 4
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of alphabetic knowledge?
A) Understanding letter names
B) Recognizing letter shapes and forms
C) Knowing letter sounds
D) Understanding the meaning of texts
E) Understanding letter-sound correspondences
CORRECT ANSWER: D
EXPERT RATIONALE: Alphabetic knowledge focuses on letters, their names,
shapes, sounds, and correspondences. Understanding text meaning relates to
comprehension, not alphabetic knowledge itself.
QUESTION 5
A second-grade student confuses the letters "b" and "d" consistently. What is
the most likely underlying issue?
A) Dyslexia requiring special education
B) Poor vision that needs correction
C) A difficulty with letter discrimination and directionality, which is developmentally
normal at this age
, D) Lack of instruction in phonics
E) Low intelligence
CORRECT ANSWER: C
EXPERT RATIONALE: Confusing reversible letters like b/d is developmentally
normal during early elementary years as children master directional awareness and
fine motor control. This doesn't indicate dyslexia or intelligence issues and is
expected during letter learning.
QUESTION 6
What is the primary purpose of teaching phonics in reading instruction?
A) To help students memorize sight words
B) To teach students the relationships between letters and sounds so they can
decode unfamiliar words
C) To improve students' spelling only
D) To teach students to read by sight
E) To develop handwriting skills
CORRECT ANSWER: B
EXPERT RATIONALE: Phonics instruction explicitly teaches letter-sound
relationships, enabling students to decode and read unfamiliar words
independently—a foundational reading skill that supports decoding and fluency
development.
QUESTION 7
Which approach to phonics instruction teaches sound-symbol relationships
within words rather than in isolation?
A) Analytic phonics
Teaching Reading Study Guide | Practice
Questions & Verified Answers Teacher
Certification Prep PDF
TExES STR 293 Science of Teaching Reading Study Guide | 200 Practice
Questions
DOCUMENT OVERVIEW
• This comprehensive practice exam contains 200 multiple-choice questions
designed to prepare teacher candidates for the TExES STR 293 Science of Teaching
Reading certification exam, covering all essential topics tested on the actual
examination.
• Use this material by completing questions in sections, reviewing EXPERT
RATIONALE for both correct and incorrect answers, and targeting weak areas for
focused study before your certification test.
QUESTIONS
QUESTION 1
Which of the following best describes phonemic awareness?
A) The ability to recognize written letters and their corresponding sounds
B) The ability to identify, recognize, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken
words
C) The skill of reading words accurately and quickly
D) The knowledge of vocabulary words and their meanings
E) The capacity to understand sentence structure in written text
CORRECT ANSWER: B
,EXPERT RATIONALE: Phonemic awareness is the foundational skill of identifying
and manipulating phonemes (individual sounds) in spoken words, distinct from
phonics which involves written letters. This is a critical precursor to reading
development.
QUESTION 2
A kindergarten teacher wants to develop phonemic awareness in her
students. Which activity would be most effective?
A) Having students trace letters on worksheets
B) Having students clap once for each sound they hear in the word "cat"
C) Having students read picture books silently
D) Having students copy words from the board
E) Having students watch videos about letters
CORRECT ANSWER: B
EXPERT RATIONALE: Clapping to isolate phonemes in words is a direct, oral
phonemic awareness activity that requires students to attend to and manipulate
individual sounds without visual letter support, making it most effective for
developing this skill.
QUESTION 3
Which sequence represents the correct developmental order of phonemic
awareness skills?
A) Segmentation, blending, deletion, substitution
B) Blending, segmentation, substitution, deletion
C) Blending, deletion, segmentation, substitution
D) Deletion, blending, segmentation, substitution
,E) Substitution, blending, deletion, segmentation
CORRECT ANSWER: A
EXPERT RATIONALE: Research shows that children typically develop phonemic
awareness skills in this order: initial sound recognition, blending sounds,
segmenting words into sounds, and finally more complex manipulations like
deletion and substitution.
QUESTION 4
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of alphabetic knowledge?
A) Understanding letter names
B) Recognizing letter shapes and forms
C) Knowing letter sounds
D) Understanding the meaning of texts
E) Understanding letter-sound correspondences
CORRECT ANSWER: D
EXPERT RATIONALE: Alphabetic knowledge focuses on letters, their names,
shapes, sounds, and correspondences. Understanding text meaning relates to
comprehension, not alphabetic knowledge itself.
QUESTION 5
A second-grade student confuses the letters "b" and "d" consistently. What is
the most likely underlying issue?
A) Dyslexia requiring special education
B) Poor vision that needs correction
C) A difficulty with letter discrimination and directionality, which is developmentally
normal at this age
, D) Lack of instruction in phonics
E) Low intelligence
CORRECT ANSWER: C
EXPERT RATIONALE: Confusing reversible letters like b/d is developmentally
normal during early elementary years as children master directional awareness and
fine motor control. This doesn't indicate dyslexia or intelligence issues and is
expected during letter learning.
QUESTION 6
What is the primary purpose of teaching phonics in reading instruction?
A) To help students memorize sight words
B) To teach students the relationships between letters and sounds so they can
decode unfamiliar words
C) To improve students' spelling only
D) To teach students to read by sight
E) To develop handwriting skills
CORRECT ANSWER: B
EXPERT RATIONALE: Phonics instruction explicitly teaches letter-sound
relationships, enabling students to decode and read unfamiliar words
independently—a foundational reading skill that supports decoding and fluency
development.
QUESTION 7
Which approach to phonics instruction teaches sound-symbol relationships
within words rather than in isolation?
A) Analytic phonics
