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ACADEMIC LANGUAGE THERAPY
ASSOCIATION (ALTA) CERTIFICATION
EXAMINATION STUDY GUIDE | LATEST
UPDATE 2026/2027 | PRACTICE QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS WITH DETAILED RATIONALES
| EXAM REVIEW
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Foundations of Language Structure
2. Phonology and Phonological Awareness
3. Morphology and Word Structure
4. Orthography and Spelling
5. Syntax and Grammar
6. Semantics and Vocabulary
7. Reading Development and Dyslexia
8. Assessment Tools and Interpretation
9. Instructional Strategies and MSL Approaches
10. History and Research Foundations
11. Special Education Law and Ethics
12. Professional Communication and Collaboration
, Page 2 of 103
Question 1: A student in a multisensory structured language program consistently
substitutes voiced for voiceless consonants in final position (e.g., "bag" for "back"). This
error pattern most directly indicates a deficit in which area of phonological processing?
A) Phonemic awareness
B) Phonological memory
C) Phonological retrieval
D) Phonological sensitivity to voicing distinctions
Correct Answer: Phonological sensitivity to voicing distinctions
The substitution of voiced for voiceless consonants in final position reflects a difficulty with
phonological sensitivity to voicing contrasts, which is a subcomponent of phonological
processing. This error pattern suggests the student has not fully internalized the distinctive
feature of voicing that differentiates cognate pairs such as /k/ and /g/. Targeted instruction
should include minimal pair discrimination activities to strengthen the student's awareness of
voicing distinctions.
Question 2: According to the Simple View of Reading, reading comprehension is the product
of which two primary components?
A) Phonological awareness and orthographic knowledge
B) Decoding and linguistic comprehension
C) Fluency and vocabulary
D) Word recognition and morphological awareness
Correct Answer: Decoding and linguistic comprehension
The Simple View of Reading, proposed by Gough and Tunmer, posits that reading
comprehension is the product of decoding (word recognition) and linguistic comprehension
(listening comprehension). Neither component alone is sufficient for skilled reading; both are
necessary. This model has important implications for assessment, as difficulties in either
component can result in reading comprehension failure.
, Page 3 of 103
Question 3: A student who can accurately and automatically recognize words but struggles
significantly with understanding connected text most likely has a deficit in which component
of the Simple View of Reading?
A) Decoding
B) Linguistic comprehension
C) Orthographic processing
D) Phonological awareness
Correct Answer: Linguistic comprehension
When decoding is intact but reading comprehension is impaired, the deficit lies in linguistic
comprehension, which encompasses vocabulary knowledge, background knowledge, and
inferential skills. This profile is sometimes referred to as "specific comprehension deficit" or
"hyperlexia." Instruction should target language comprehension strategies, vocabulary
development, and text structure knowledge.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes the alphabetic principle?
A) The understanding that spoken words are composed of individual sounds
B) The understanding that letters represent sounds in a systematic way
C) The ability to recognize words by sight without decoding
D) The understanding that print carries meaning
Correct Answer: The understanding that letters represent sounds in a systematic way
The alphabetic principle is the understanding that letters and letter combinations represent
the sounds of spoken language in a systematic, predictable way. This principle is
foundational to learning to read and spell in alphabetic writing systems such as English.
Instruction in the alphabetic principle typically begins with letter-sound correspondences and
progresses to more complex phonics patterns.
Question 5: A teacher asks a student to say the word "cat" and then say it again without the
/k/ sound. The student responds correctly with "at." This task assesses which skill?
, Page 4 of 103
A) Phoneme isolation
B) Phoneme deletion
C) Phoneme blending
D) Phoneme segmentation
Correct Answer: Phoneme deletion
Phoneme deletion requires the student to identify and remove a specific phoneme from a
spoken word, which is a more advanced phonological awareness skill than isolation or
blending. This task demands that the student hold the word in phonological memory, isolate
the target sound, and manipulate the remaining sounds to produce a new word. Phoneme
deletion is a strong predictor of later reading success.
Question 6: Which of the following is an example of a minimal pair?
A) "Cat" and "bat"
B) "Cat" and "cats"
C) "Cat" and "kitten"
D) "Cat" and "catalog"
Correct Answer: "Cat" and "bat"
A minimal pair consists of two words that differ by only one phoneme, such as "cat" and
"bat," which differ in the initial consonant. Minimal pairs are used in phonological
awareness and articulation instruction to help students discriminate between similar sounds.
They are also useful in assessing phonemic awareness and speech perception skills.
Question 7: A student consistently reads "was" as "saw" and "on" as "no." This error pattern
most likely reflects difficulty with which skill?
A) Phoneme blending
B) Phoneme segmentation
C) Phoneme sequencing
D) Phoneme isolation
Correct Answer: Phoneme sequencing
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE THERAPY
ASSOCIATION (ALTA) CERTIFICATION
EXAMINATION STUDY GUIDE | LATEST
UPDATE 2026/2027 | PRACTICE QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS WITH DETAILED RATIONALES
| EXAM REVIEW
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Foundations of Language Structure
2. Phonology and Phonological Awareness
3. Morphology and Word Structure
4. Orthography and Spelling
5. Syntax and Grammar
6. Semantics and Vocabulary
7. Reading Development and Dyslexia
8. Assessment Tools and Interpretation
9. Instructional Strategies and MSL Approaches
10. History and Research Foundations
11. Special Education Law and Ethics
12. Professional Communication and Collaboration
, Page 2 of 103
Question 1: A student in a multisensory structured language program consistently
substitutes voiced for voiceless consonants in final position (e.g., "bag" for "back"). This
error pattern most directly indicates a deficit in which area of phonological processing?
A) Phonemic awareness
B) Phonological memory
C) Phonological retrieval
D) Phonological sensitivity to voicing distinctions
Correct Answer: Phonological sensitivity to voicing distinctions
The substitution of voiced for voiceless consonants in final position reflects a difficulty with
phonological sensitivity to voicing contrasts, which is a subcomponent of phonological
processing. This error pattern suggests the student has not fully internalized the distinctive
feature of voicing that differentiates cognate pairs such as /k/ and /g/. Targeted instruction
should include minimal pair discrimination activities to strengthen the student's awareness of
voicing distinctions.
Question 2: According to the Simple View of Reading, reading comprehension is the product
of which two primary components?
A) Phonological awareness and orthographic knowledge
B) Decoding and linguistic comprehension
C) Fluency and vocabulary
D) Word recognition and morphological awareness
Correct Answer: Decoding and linguistic comprehension
The Simple View of Reading, proposed by Gough and Tunmer, posits that reading
comprehension is the product of decoding (word recognition) and linguistic comprehension
(listening comprehension). Neither component alone is sufficient for skilled reading; both are
necessary. This model has important implications for assessment, as difficulties in either
component can result in reading comprehension failure.
, Page 3 of 103
Question 3: A student who can accurately and automatically recognize words but struggles
significantly with understanding connected text most likely has a deficit in which component
of the Simple View of Reading?
A) Decoding
B) Linguistic comprehension
C) Orthographic processing
D) Phonological awareness
Correct Answer: Linguistic comprehension
When decoding is intact but reading comprehension is impaired, the deficit lies in linguistic
comprehension, which encompasses vocabulary knowledge, background knowledge, and
inferential skills. This profile is sometimes referred to as "specific comprehension deficit" or
"hyperlexia." Instruction should target language comprehension strategies, vocabulary
development, and text structure knowledge.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes the alphabetic principle?
A) The understanding that spoken words are composed of individual sounds
B) The understanding that letters represent sounds in a systematic way
C) The ability to recognize words by sight without decoding
D) The understanding that print carries meaning
Correct Answer: The understanding that letters represent sounds in a systematic way
The alphabetic principle is the understanding that letters and letter combinations represent
the sounds of spoken language in a systematic, predictable way. This principle is
foundational to learning to read and spell in alphabetic writing systems such as English.
Instruction in the alphabetic principle typically begins with letter-sound correspondences and
progresses to more complex phonics patterns.
Question 5: A teacher asks a student to say the word "cat" and then say it again without the
/k/ sound. The student responds correctly with "at." This task assesses which skill?
, Page 4 of 103
A) Phoneme isolation
B) Phoneme deletion
C) Phoneme blending
D) Phoneme segmentation
Correct Answer: Phoneme deletion
Phoneme deletion requires the student to identify and remove a specific phoneme from a
spoken word, which is a more advanced phonological awareness skill than isolation or
blending. This task demands that the student hold the word in phonological memory, isolate
the target sound, and manipulate the remaining sounds to produce a new word. Phoneme
deletion is a strong predictor of later reading success.
Question 6: Which of the following is an example of a minimal pair?
A) "Cat" and "bat"
B) "Cat" and "cats"
C) "Cat" and "kitten"
D) "Cat" and "catalog"
Correct Answer: "Cat" and "bat"
A minimal pair consists of two words that differ by only one phoneme, such as "cat" and
"bat," which differ in the initial consonant. Minimal pairs are used in phonological
awareness and articulation instruction to help students discriminate between similar sounds.
They are also useful in assessing phonemic awareness and speech perception skills.
Question 7: A student consistently reads "was" as "saw" and "on" as "no." This error pattern
most likely reflects difficulty with which skill?
A) Phoneme blending
B) Phoneme segmentation
C) Phoneme sequencing
D) Phoneme isolation
Correct Answer: Phoneme sequencing
