EX A M P R EPA R AT I ON | 2 0 2 6 /2 0 2 7 ED I T I ON
CALT Exam Prep
Complete Solutions
Comprehensive practice examination aligned with ALTA
Competency Exam standards and IDA Knowledge and Practice
Standards for Dyslexia Education. 150 verified questions with
expert-graded rationales covering all domains of academic
language therapy.
Verified From Experts
Aligned with ALTA Competency Exam & IDA Standards
A C A D E M I C L A N G U A G E T H E R A P Y A S S O C I AT I O N
, CALT Exam Prep Complete Solutions 2026/2027 | 150 Questions | Verified From Experts
Section 1: Domains of Language - PPOSS/U/M Framework
Questions 1-30 | Covers Pragmatics, Phonology, Orthography, Semantics, Syntax, and Morphology organized as FORM,
USE, and MEANING.
Q1: A CALT is working with a student who struggles to understand sarcasm and idiomatic expressions during
classroom discussions, despite having strong decoding skills. Which domain of the PPOSS/U/M framework is
most directly implicated?
A. Phonology
B. Syntax
C. Pragmatics [CORRECT]
D. Orthography
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Pragmatics (USE) governs the social use of language in context, including understanding figurative language such
as metaphors, similes, and idioms, as well as conversational skills like turn-taking and topic contingency. Phonology relates to
the sound system, Syntax to grammatical structure, and Orthography to the writing system; none of these specifically address
the social and contextual interpretation of language that this student lacks.
Q2: Which language domain is classified under FORM (Structure) and involves the grammatical arrangement
of words and the rules governing sentence construction?
A. Semantics
B. Syntax [CORRECT]
C. Pragmatics
D. Morphology
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Syntax (FORM) is defined as the grammatical structure of language, encompassing word order, sentence structure,
and grammar rules used in both oral and written language. Semantics is classified under MEANING, Pragmatics under USE,
and Morphology, while also a FORM domain, specifically deals with the smallest units of meaning rather than grammatical
arrangement of sentences.
Q3: A student can identify individual speech sounds but has significant difficulty mapping those sounds to their
corresponding written letter patterns. Which two language domains are most directly involved in this
challenge?
A. Phonology and Pragmatics
B. Phonology and Orthography [CORRECT]
C. Semantics and Morphology
D. Syntax and Orthography
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Phonology (FORM) involves the sound system of language and the production of speech sounds at the oral level,
while Orthography (FORM) involves the writing system, including sound-symbol correspondence and letter patterns at the
written level. The difficulty in connecting oral sounds to written symbols bridges both domains. Pragmatics, Semantics, and
Syntax are not directly related to sound-symbol mapping.
Q4: In the PPOSS/U/M framework, which domain begins at the oral level and focuses on the smallest units of
meaning in language, including affixes, base words, roots, and combining forms?
A. Phonology
B. Orthography
C. Morphology [CORRECT]
1
, D. Pragmatics
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Morphology (FORM) is the study of the smallest units of meaning in language, including prefixes, suffixes, infixes,
base words, roots, and combining forms, and it begins at the oral level. Phonology focuses on sounds, Orthography begins at the
written level, and Pragmatics addresses the social use of language rather than meaning units.
Q5: A middle school student reads fluently but cannot explain the relationships between synonyms and
antonyms in a passage. According to the PPOSS/U/M framework, which domain requires targeted
intervention?
A. Phonology
B. Semantics [CORRECT]
C. Syntax
D. Orthography
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Semantics (MEANING) encompasses vocabulary knowledge, word meanings, understanding relationships between
words (such as synonyms and antonyms), and text comprehension. This student demonstrates strong decoding
(Phonology/Orthography) but lacks the semantic knowledge to understand word relationships, making Semantics the correct
domain for intervention.
Q6: Which of the following correctly maps the PPOSS/U/M domains to their organizational categories of
FORM, USE, and MEANING?
A. FORM: Phonology, Orthography; USE: Pragmatics; MEANING: Semantics, Syntax, Morphology
B. FORM: Phonology, Orthography, Syntax, Morphology; USE: Pragmatics; MEANING: Semantics
[CORRECT]
C. FORM: Syntax, Morphology; USE: Phonology, Orthography; MEANING: Semantics, Pragmatics
D. FORM: Phonology, Pragmatics; USE: Syntax, Morphology; MEANING: Orthography, Semantics
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The PPOSS/U/M framework organizes the six domains as follows: FORM (Structure) includes Phonology,
Orthography, Syntax, and Morphology; USE (Social) includes Pragmatics; and MEANING (Content) includes Semantics. This
categorization is fundamental to the ALTA exam and reflects how language structure, social application, and content meaning
form the foundation of academic language therapy.
Q7: A therapist observes that a student produces speech sounds accurately in isolation but struggles with the
sequencing and combination of sounds within words during connected speech. Which language domain is
primarily responsible for this difficulty?
A. Orthography
B. Semantics
C. Phonology [CORRECT]
D. Pragmatics
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Phonology (FORM) governs how speech sounds operate, combine, and contrast within language. While producing
individual sounds (phonemes) in isolation may be intact, the challenge of sequencing and combining those sounds within words
falls squarely within phonological processing. Orthography relates to written language, Semantics to meaning, and Pragmatics
to social language use.
Q8: An evaluator notes that a student uses appropriate grammar rules in oral language but demonstrates
inconsistent application of those same rules in written compositions. Which FORM domain shows this
oral-written discrepancy?
A. Phonology
B. Morphology
C. Syntax [CORRECT]
2
, D. Pragmatics
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Syntax (FORM) encompasses the grammatical structure of language including word order, grammar rules, and
sentence structure in both oral and written language. The observation that this student applies grammar correctly orally but not
in writing reveals a syntactic deficit at the written level. Phonology and Morphology deal with sounds and meaning units
respectively, while Pragmatics is a USE domain.
Q9: Which language domain would a CALT assess when evaluating a student who cannot identify the prefix
"un-" in the word "unhappy" or explain how it changes the base word meaning?
A. Semantics
B. Syntax
C. Morphology [CORRECT]
D. Orthography
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Morphology (FORM) specifically addresses affixes (prefixes, suffixes, infixes), base words, roots, and combining
forms, including understanding their meaning and usage. Identifying the prefix "un-" and understanding its function in changing
meaning is a morphological task. While Semantics relates to word meaning broadly, the structural analysis of word parts falls
under Morphology.
Q10: During a classroom discussion, a student with dyslexia consistently interrupts peers and fails to take turns
appropriately, despite understanding the academic content being discussed. Which PPOSS/U/M domain is most
relevant for intervention planning?
A. Phonology
B. Pragmatics [CORRECT]
C. Morphology
D. Orthography
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Pragmatics (USE) involves conversational skills including requesting, turn-taking, and topic contingency, which are
the social use of language in context. The student demonstrates difficulty with the social conventions of conversation
(turn-taking), which is a pragmatic deficit even though their academic content understanding may be intact. Phonology,
Morphology, and Orthography are all FORM domains unrelated to social language conventions.
Q11: A student demonstrates strong oral vocabulary and comprehension but struggles with reading irregular
words that do not follow predictable phonetic patterns. Which FORM domain requires targeted instruction?
A. Phonology
B. Syntax
C. Morphology
D. Orthography [CORRECT]
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Orthography (FORM) encompasses the writing system, including common letter patterns, irregular/high-frequency
words that do not follow regular phonetic patterns, and sound-symbol correspondence. While Phonology addresses the sound
system at the oral level, the challenge of reading irregular written words that violate typical letter-sound patterns is an
orthographic deficit. This distinction between oral phonological skills and written orthographic knowledge is critical in CALT
practice.
Q12: According to the PPOSS/U/M framework, which domain serves as the bridge between oral language
sounds and their written representations and begins at the written level?
A. Phonology
B. Orthography [CORRECT]
C. Semantics
D. Pragmatics
3
CALT Exam Prep
Complete Solutions
Comprehensive practice examination aligned with ALTA
Competency Exam standards and IDA Knowledge and Practice
Standards for Dyslexia Education. 150 verified questions with
expert-graded rationales covering all domains of academic
language therapy.
Verified From Experts
Aligned with ALTA Competency Exam & IDA Standards
A C A D E M I C L A N G U A G E T H E R A P Y A S S O C I AT I O N
, CALT Exam Prep Complete Solutions 2026/2027 | 150 Questions | Verified From Experts
Section 1: Domains of Language - PPOSS/U/M Framework
Questions 1-30 | Covers Pragmatics, Phonology, Orthography, Semantics, Syntax, and Morphology organized as FORM,
USE, and MEANING.
Q1: A CALT is working with a student who struggles to understand sarcasm and idiomatic expressions during
classroom discussions, despite having strong decoding skills. Which domain of the PPOSS/U/M framework is
most directly implicated?
A. Phonology
B. Syntax
C. Pragmatics [CORRECT]
D. Orthography
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Pragmatics (USE) governs the social use of language in context, including understanding figurative language such
as metaphors, similes, and idioms, as well as conversational skills like turn-taking and topic contingency. Phonology relates to
the sound system, Syntax to grammatical structure, and Orthography to the writing system; none of these specifically address
the social and contextual interpretation of language that this student lacks.
Q2: Which language domain is classified under FORM (Structure) and involves the grammatical arrangement
of words and the rules governing sentence construction?
A. Semantics
B. Syntax [CORRECT]
C. Pragmatics
D. Morphology
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Syntax (FORM) is defined as the grammatical structure of language, encompassing word order, sentence structure,
and grammar rules used in both oral and written language. Semantics is classified under MEANING, Pragmatics under USE,
and Morphology, while also a FORM domain, specifically deals with the smallest units of meaning rather than grammatical
arrangement of sentences.
Q3: A student can identify individual speech sounds but has significant difficulty mapping those sounds to their
corresponding written letter patterns. Which two language domains are most directly involved in this
challenge?
A. Phonology and Pragmatics
B. Phonology and Orthography [CORRECT]
C. Semantics and Morphology
D. Syntax and Orthography
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Phonology (FORM) involves the sound system of language and the production of speech sounds at the oral level,
while Orthography (FORM) involves the writing system, including sound-symbol correspondence and letter patterns at the
written level. The difficulty in connecting oral sounds to written symbols bridges both domains. Pragmatics, Semantics, and
Syntax are not directly related to sound-symbol mapping.
Q4: In the PPOSS/U/M framework, which domain begins at the oral level and focuses on the smallest units of
meaning in language, including affixes, base words, roots, and combining forms?
A. Phonology
B. Orthography
C. Morphology [CORRECT]
1
, D. Pragmatics
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Morphology (FORM) is the study of the smallest units of meaning in language, including prefixes, suffixes, infixes,
base words, roots, and combining forms, and it begins at the oral level. Phonology focuses on sounds, Orthography begins at the
written level, and Pragmatics addresses the social use of language rather than meaning units.
Q5: A middle school student reads fluently but cannot explain the relationships between synonyms and
antonyms in a passage. According to the PPOSS/U/M framework, which domain requires targeted
intervention?
A. Phonology
B. Semantics [CORRECT]
C. Syntax
D. Orthography
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Semantics (MEANING) encompasses vocabulary knowledge, word meanings, understanding relationships between
words (such as synonyms and antonyms), and text comprehension. This student demonstrates strong decoding
(Phonology/Orthography) but lacks the semantic knowledge to understand word relationships, making Semantics the correct
domain for intervention.
Q6: Which of the following correctly maps the PPOSS/U/M domains to their organizational categories of
FORM, USE, and MEANING?
A. FORM: Phonology, Orthography; USE: Pragmatics; MEANING: Semantics, Syntax, Morphology
B. FORM: Phonology, Orthography, Syntax, Morphology; USE: Pragmatics; MEANING: Semantics
[CORRECT]
C. FORM: Syntax, Morphology; USE: Phonology, Orthography; MEANING: Semantics, Pragmatics
D. FORM: Phonology, Pragmatics; USE: Syntax, Morphology; MEANING: Orthography, Semantics
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The PPOSS/U/M framework organizes the six domains as follows: FORM (Structure) includes Phonology,
Orthography, Syntax, and Morphology; USE (Social) includes Pragmatics; and MEANING (Content) includes Semantics. This
categorization is fundamental to the ALTA exam and reflects how language structure, social application, and content meaning
form the foundation of academic language therapy.
Q7: A therapist observes that a student produces speech sounds accurately in isolation but struggles with the
sequencing and combination of sounds within words during connected speech. Which language domain is
primarily responsible for this difficulty?
A. Orthography
B. Semantics
C. Phonology [CORRECT]
D. Pragmatics
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Phonology (FORM) governs how speech sounds operate, combine, and contrast within language. While producing
individual sounds (phonemes) in isolation may be intact, the challenge of sequencing and combining those sounds within words
falls squarely within phonological processing. Orthography relates to written language, Semantics to meaning, and Pragmatics
to social language use.
Q8: An evaluator notes that a student uses appropriate grammar rules in oral language but demonstrates
inconsistent application of those same rules in written compositions. Which FORM domain shows this
oral-written discrepancy?
A. Phonology
B. Morphology
C. Syntax [CORRECT]
2
, D. Pragmatics
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Syntax (FORM) encompasses the grammatical structure of language including word order, grammar rules, and
sentence structure in both oral and written language. The observation that this student applies grammar correctly orally but not
in writing reveals a syntactic deficit at the written level. Phonology and Morphology deal with sounds and meaning units
respectively, while Pragmatics is a USE domain.
Q9: Which language domain would a CALT assess when evaluating a student who cannot identify the prefix
"un-" in the word "unhappy" or explain how it changes the base word meaning?
A. Semantics
B. Syntax
C. Morphology [CORRECT]
D. Orthography
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Morphology (FORM) specifically addresses affixes (prefixes, suffixes, infixes), base words, roots, and combining
forms, including understanding their meaning and usage. Identifying the prefix "un-" and understanding its function in changing
meaning is a morphological task. While Semantics relates to word meaning broadly, the structural analysis of word parts falls
under Morphology.
Q10: During a classroom discussion, a student with dyslexia consistently interrupts peers and fails to take turns
appropriately, despite understanding the academic content being discussed. Which PPOSS/U/M domain is most
relevant for intervention planning?
A. Phonology
B. Pragmatics [CORRECT]
C. Morphology
D. Orthography
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Pragmatics (USE) involves conversational skills including requesting, turn-taking, and topic contingency, which are
the social use of language in context. The student demonstrates difficulty with the social conventions of conversation
(turn-taking), which is a pragmatic deficit even though their academic content understanding may be intact. Phonology,
Morphology, and Orthography are all FORM domains unrelated to social language conventions.
Q11: A student demonstrates strong oral vocabulary and comprehension but struggles with reading irregular
words that do not follow predictable phonetic patterns. Which FORM domain requires targeted instruction?
A. Phonology
B. Syntax
C. Morphology
D. Orthography [CORRECT]
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Orthography (FORM) encompasses the writing system, including common letter patterns, irregular/high-frequency
words that do not follow regular phonetic patterns, and sound-symbol correspondence. While Phonology addresses the sound
system at the oral level, the challenge of reading irregular written words that violate typical letter-sound patterns is an
orthographic deficit. This distinction between oral phonological skills and written orthographic knowledge is critical in CALT
practice.
Q12: According to the PPOSS/U/M framework, which domain serves as the bridge between oral language
sounds and their written representations and begins at the written level?
A. Phonology
B. Orthography [CORRECT]
C. Semantics
D. Pragmatics
3
