LATEST PRAXIS MIDDLE SCHOOL
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS (5047)
BY ETS CERTIFICATION EXAM |
Q&A WITH RATIONALES
1. Set in the American Civil War, the novel concerns
a young soldier's first encounter with battle and the
psychological changes that he undergoes. Published
in 1895, the novel had a great influence on 20th-
century fiction. The novel discussed is:
A) Andrea Davis Pinkney's Silent Thunder
B) Gary Paulsen's Soldier's Heart
C) Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage
D) Carolyn Reeder's Shades of Gray
Correct answer: C
Rationale: The Red Badge of Courage, published in
1895 by Stephen Crane, follows a young soldier's
psychological journey during the Civil War and is
considered a landmark of American literature.
,2. _____ is a narrative that takes abstract ideas of
behavior—good or bad, wise or foolish—and
attempts to make them concrete and striking. The
chief actor in these stories is usually an animal or
inanimate object that behaves like a human and
engages in a single significant act intended to teach
a moral lesson. Which of the following will correctly
complete the preceding passage?
A) A myth
B) A fable
C) An epic
D) A legend
Correct answer: B
Rationale: A fable is a short narrative, typically with
animal characters, that conveys a moral lesson. This
description matches the defining characteristics of
the fable genre.
3. In a haiku, which of the following is a defining
structural characteristic?
A) Composed of 5 lines of verse
B) Often has a nonsensical theme
,C) Composed of 17 syllables
D) Follows a strict rhyme scheme
Correct answer: C
Rationale: A traditional haiku is composed of 17
syllables, typically arranged in a 5-7-5 pattern across
three lines. Limericks have five lines, often
nonsensical themes, and strict rhyme schemes.
4. RUTH. Well—(She waits a long time and then with
resignation starts to put away the laundry.) I guess I
might as well go on to bed—(more or less to herself) I
don't know where we lost it—but we have... —
Lorraine Hansberry, from A Raisin in the Sun. Which
portion of the excerpted text provides an example of
an aside?
A) "Well—"
B) "I guess I might as well go on to bed—"
C) "(more or less to herself)"
D) "I don't know where we lost it—but we have..."
Correct answer: C
Rationale: An aside is a dramatic device where a
character speaks to the audience or to themselves,
, not meant to be heard by other characters. The
stage direction "(more or less to herself)" indicates
Ruth is speaking an aside.
5. Which of the following interpretations best applies
to both Emily Brontë's "Spellbound" and William
Carlos Williams's "Approach of Winter"?
A) They portray winter as a time of waiting for the
first signs of spring.
B) They liken the coming of winter to the shock of
sudden death.
C) They describe acts of resistance against the
powerful force of winter.
D) They relate the harshness of winter to the
darkness of night.
Correct answer: C
Rationale: Both poems depict a struggle against
winter's force—Brontë's speaker is "spellbound" yet
resists, while Williams's leaves "refuse to let go"
against the wind. Both describe resistance rather
than passive waiting or death.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS (5047)
BY ETS CERTIFICATION EXAM |
Q&A WITH RATIONALES
1. Set in the American Civil War, the novel concerns
a young soldier's first encounter with battle and the
psychological changes that he undergoes. Published
in 1895, the novel had a great influence on 20th-
century fiction. The novel discussed is:
A) Andrea Davis Pinkney's Silent Thunder
B) Gary Paulsen's Soldier's Heart
C) Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage
D) Carolyn Reeder's Shades of Gray
Correct answer: C
Rationale: The Red Badge of Courage, published in
1895 by Stephen Crane, follows a young soldier's
psychological journey during the Civil War and is
considered a landmark of American literature.
,2. _____ is a narrative that takes abstract ideas of
behavior—good or bad, wise or foolish—and
attempts to make them concrete and striking. The
chief actor in these stories is usually an animal or
inanimate object that behaves like a human and
engages in a single significant act intended to teach
a moral lesson. Which of the following will correctly
complete the preceding passage?
A) A myth
B) A fable
C) An epic
D) A legend
Correct answer: B
Rationale: A fable is a short narrative, typically with
animal characters, that conveys a moral lesson. This
description matches the defining characteristics of
the fable genre.
3. In a haiku, which of the following is a defining
structural characteristic?
A) Composed of 5 lines of verse
B) Often has a nonsensical theme
,C) Composed of 17 syllables
D) Follows a strict rhyme scheme
Correct answer: C
Rationale: A traditional haiku is composed of 17
syllables, typically arranged in a 5-7-5 pattern across
three lines. Limericks have five lines, often
nonsensical themes, and strict rhyme schemes.
4. RUTH. Well—(She waits a long time and then with
resignation starts to put away the laundry.) I guess I
might as well go on to bed—(more or less to herself) I
don't know where we lost it—but we have... —
Lorraine Hansberry, from A Raisin in the Sun. Which
portion of the excerpted text provides an example of
an aside?
A) "Well—"
B) "I guess I might as well go on to bed—"
C) "(more or less to herself)"
D) "I don't know where we lost it—but we have..."
Correct answer: C
Rationale: An aside is a dramatic device where a
character speaks to the audience or to themselves,
, not meant to be heard by other characters. The
stage direction "(more or less to herself)" indicates
Ruth is speaking an aside.
5. Which of the following interpretations best applies
to both Emily Brontë's "Spellbound" and William
Carlos Williams's "Approach of Winter"?
A) They portray winter as a time of waiting for the
first signs of spring.
B) They liken the coming of winter to the shock of
sudden death.
C) They describe acts of resistance against the
powerful force of winter.
D) They relate the harshness of winter to the
darkness of night.
Correct answer: C
Rationale: Both poems depict a struggle against
winter's force—Brontë's speaker is "spellbound" yet
resists, while Williams's leaves "refuse to let go"
against the wind. Both describe resistance rather
than passive waiting or death.
