ETS SLP Praxis Exam Questions with All
Correct Answers
Which of the following types of cerebral palsy is characterized by low muscle tone,
impaired balance, and tremor?
(A) Ataxic
(B) Spastic
(C) Athetoid (D) Hemiplegic - Answer-(A) is correct. Ataxic cerebral palsy is
characterized by low muscle tone, impaired balance, and tremors. The other types do
not have these characteristics. (B) is incorrect. Spastic cerebral palsy involves jerky,
uncontrolled movements and high muscle tone. (C) is incorrect. Athetoid cerebral palsy
is characterized by slow, arrhythmic, writhing, involuntary movements of the extremities.
(D) is incorrect because "Hemiplegic" specifies the body part affected, not to the type of
movement pattern.
Ms. March, age 70, receives speech-language treatment at her assisted living facility for
aphasia secondary to a stroke (CVA). Medicare is reimbursing a home health agency
that visits the facility for Ms. March's treatment following submission of an evaluation
and treatment plan from the SLP employed by the home health agency. To ensure that
reimbursement for treatment continues, the SLP must:
(A) administer a standardized aphasia battery weekly to assess progress
(B) include recommendations for family participation in the treatment plan
(C) secure the physician's endorsement of treatment continuation on a schedule
dictated by Medicare
(D) initiate treatment within six months of Ms. March's hospitalization for the stroke -
Answer-(C) is correct. Medicare will only authorize continued treatment with physician
approval. (A), (B), and (D) are incorrect because they are not used as a basis for
treatment eligibility
An intervention to improve receptive vocabulary involves a computer program that
presents three pictures on the screen and requests that the child point to the picture that
the computer indicates via digitized speech. The child's intervention goal is 80 percent
correct responding. A response rate of 30 percent correct most likely indicates that the
(A) software has been moderately effective in helping the child reach his goal
(B) child's visual discrimination surpasses his auditory discrimination
(C) child's responses are essentially random
(D) child is ready to progress to an on-screen array of four pictures - Answer-(C) is
correct. Because there are three pictures, a response rate close to 33 percent (one-
third) is at the level of chance. (A) is incorrect because the child's performance is only at
chance levels, indicating no trend toward successful performance. (B) is incorrect
because no conclusion about the superiority of one modality over another can be
determined from the limited information provided. (D) is incorrect because the difficulty
, level of the task should only be increased when performance at the easier level is
satisfactory.
What type of reinforcement results in the most rapid learning of new behavior?
(A) Fixed-ratio
(B) Fixed-interval (C) Continuous
(D) Variable-interval - Answer-(C) is correct. The primary reason is because in
continuous reinforcement the desired behavior is reinforced every time it occurs. This
schedule is generally best during the initial stages of learning to create a strong
association between the behavior and the response. (A), (B), and (D) are incorrect
because they represent partial reinforcement schemes in which the correct response is
reinforced only part of the time. Learned behaviors are acquired more slowly with partial
reinforcement.
Intervention from a speech-language pathologist for a nursing home resident who
experiences advanced dementia would most effectively focus on
(A) conversational turn-taking
(B) expressive vocabulary
(C) interpretation of facial expression
(D) simplification of the communication environment - Answer-(D) is correct. The
primary reason is because appropriate intervention for an individual with advanced
dementia is geared toward simplifying the individual's communication environment. (A),
(B), and (C) are incorrect because an individual with advanced dementia is not likely to
benefit significantly from intervention targeting improved communication skills.
Melodic intonation therapy (MIT) is generally considered most appropriate for a client
with which of the following?
(A) (B) (C) (D)
Broca's aphasia
Conduction aphasia Transcortical sensory aphasia Global aphasia - Answer-(A) is
correct. MIT is a process in which SLPs sing or hum phrases to individuals with the goal
of having individuals tap, sing, or hum the phrase back to the SLP. Research has shown
MIT to be successful with people diagnosed with Broca's aphasia, because their
comprehension is better than their expression and they retain the ability to repeat. (B) is
incorrect. Individuals with conduction aphasia have extreme difficulty repeating , so MIT
would not be beneficial. (C) and (D) are incorrect. Individuals with transcortical sensory
aphasia and global aphasia have auditory comprehension skills which are extremely
impaired so they are not likely to benefit from MIT as the approach requires ability to
comprehend what the speaker is saying and to appreciate their own productions in
order to repeat.
Which of the following characteristics is most likely characteristic of a client with
childhood apraxia of speech?
(A) Low muscle tone in the lips, tongue, and jaw
(B) Echolalic response patterns
(C) Decreased ability to perform diadokokinesis
Correct Answers
Which of the following types of cerebral palsy is characterized by low muscle tone,
impaired balance, and tremor?
(A) Ataxic
(B) Spastic
(C) Athetoid (D) Hemiplegic - Answer-(A) is correct. Ataxic cerebral palsy is
characterized by low muscle tone, impaired balance, and tremors. The other types do
not have these characteristics. (B) is incorrect. Spastic cerebral palsy involves jerky,
uncontrolled movements and high muscle tone. (C) is incorrect. Athetoid cerebral palsy
is characterized by slow, arrhythmic, writhing, involuntary movements of the extremities.
(D) is incorrect because "Hemiplegic" specifies the body part affected, not to the type of
movement pattern.
Ms. March, age 70, receives speech-language treatment at her assisted living facility for
aphasia secondary to a stroke (CVA). Medicare is reimbursing a home health agency
that visits the facility for Ms. March's treatment following submission of an evaluation
and treatment plan from the SLP employed by the home health agency. To ensure that
reimbursement for treatment continues, the SLP must:
(A) administer a standardized aphasia battery weekly to assess progress
(B) include recommendations for family participation in the treatment plan
(C) secure the physician's endorsement of treatment continuation on a schedule
dictated by Medicare
(D) initiate treatment within six months of Ms. March's hospitalization for the stroke -
Answer-(C) is correct. Medicare will only authorize continued treatment with physician
approval. (A), (B), and (D) are incorrect because they are not used as a basis for
treatment eligibility
An intervention to improve receptive vocabulary involves a computer program that
presents three pictures on the screen and requests that the child point to the picture that
the computer indicates via digitized speech. The child's intervention goal is 80 percent
correct responding. A response rate of 30 percent correct most likely indicates that the
(A) software has been moderately effective in helping the child reach his goal
(B) child's visual discrimination surpasses his auditory discrimination
(C) child's responses are essentially random
(D) child is ready to progress to an on-screen array of four pictures - Answer-(C) is
correct. Because there are three pictures, a response rate close to 33 percent (one-
third) is at the level of chance. (A) is incorrect because the child's performance is only at
chance levels, indicating no trend toward successful performance. (B) is incorrect
because no conclusion about the superiority of one modality over another can be
determined from the limited information provided. (D) is incorrect because the difficulty
, level of the task should only be increased when performance at the easier level is
satisfactory.
What type of reinforcement results in the most rapid learning of new behavior?
(A) Fixed-ratio
(B) Fixed-interval (C) Continuous
(D) Variable-interval - Answer-(C) is correct. The primary reason is because in
continuous reinforcement the desired behavior is reinforced every time it occurs. This
schedule is generally best during the initial stages of learning to create a strong
association between the behavior and the response. (A), (B), and (D) are incorrect
because they represent partial reinforcement schemes in which the correct response is
reinforced only part of the time. Learned behaviors are acquired more slowly with partial
reinforcement.
Intervention from a speech-language pathologist for a nursing home resident who
experiences advanced dementia would most effectively focus on
(A) conversational turn-taking
(B) expressive vocabulary
(C) interpretation of facial expression
(D) simplification of the communication environment - Answer-(D) is correct. The
primary reason is because appropriate intervention for an individual with advanced
dementia is geared toward simplifying the individual's communication environment. (A),
(B), and (C) are incorrect because an individual with advanced dementia is not likely to
benefit significantly from intervention targeting improved communication skills.
Melodic intonation therapy (MIT) is generally considered most appropriate for a client
with which of the following?
(A) (B) (C) (D)
Broca's aphasia
Conduction aphasia Transcortical sensory aphasia Global aphasia - Answer-(A) is
correct. MIT is a process in which SLPs sing or hum phrases to individuals with the goal
of having individuals tap, sing, or hum the phrase back to the SLP. Research has shown
MIT to be successful with people diagnosed with Broca's aphasia, because their
comprehension is better than their expression and they retain the ability to repeat. (B) is
incorrect. Individuals with conduction aphasia have extreme difficulty repeating , so MIT
would not be beneficial. (C) and (D) are incorrect. Individuals with transcortical sensory
aphasia and global aphasia have auditory comprehension skills which are extremely
impaired so they are not likely to benefit from MIT as the approach requires ability to
comprehend what the speaker is saying and to appreciate their own productions in
order to repeat.
Which of the following characteristics is most likely characteristic of a client with
childhood apraxia of speech?
(A) Low muscle tone in the lips, tongue, and jaw
(B) Echolalic response patterns
(C) Decreased ability to perform diadokokinesis
