MTEL ESL (54) Practice Test Questions With
Correct Answers
Which |of |the |following |examples |provides |the |strongest |support |for |the |nativist |notion |that |all
|children |are |born |with |an |innate |sense |of |universal |language |principles |that |can |be |applied |to
|the |acquisition |of |any |language? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-A |child |can |produce |structurally |
complex |novel |utterances |at |a |very |young |age.
An |ESL |teacher |is |designing |a |listening |lesson |for |6th |grade |intermediate-level |English |
language |learners. |Which |of |the |following |guidelines |should |the |teacher |follow |in |order |to |
align |the |lesson |with |the |comprehensible |input |hypothesis? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-Choose |
an |aural |selection |that |is |slightly |above |the |students' |comprehension |level.
Which |of |the |following |situations |best |illustrates |James |Cummin's |theory |of |Common |
Underlying |Proficiency |(CUP)? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-An |English |language |learner |who |has |
knowledge |of |an |academic |concept |in |the |1st |language |quickly |introduced |in |English.
Which |of |the |following |types |of |instructional |activities |would |be |most |appropriate |for |ELLs |at |
advanced |stages |of |English |language |development? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-Frequent |
opportunities |for |the |student |to |use |English |in |challenging, |authentic |situations.
Which |of |the |following |utterances |would |be |most |typical |of |an |ELL |who |is |in |the |early |
production |stage |of |language |acquisition? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-Want |crayon.
Which |of |the |following |vocabulary-learning |activities |most |clearly |involves |metacognition? |- |
CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-Identifying |unfamiliar |words |in |a |reading |passage.
Student: |(pointing |to |word |in |a |book) |What |does |it |mean |invisible?
,Teacher: |Look |at |the |parts |of |the |word.
Student: |I |know |in- |means |"not" |and |vis |is |like |"visual," |something |you |see |with |the |eyes. |I |
remember |-ible |is |like |-able, |right?
Teacher: |Right. |Now |look |at |the |sentence.
Student: |(reading) |"The |creature |was |practically |invisible, |hidden |in |the |dense |foliage."
|"Hidden" |is |like |to |hide. |I |guess |if |it |is |invisible, |it |means |you're |not |able |to |see |it |because |it |is
|hiding.
This |student's |performance |most |clearly |demonstrates |which |of |the |following |cognitive |
processes |involved |in |language |acquisition? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-Elaboration |and |inference
An |ELL |overgenerates |the |regular |past |tense |-ed |to |irregular |verbs, |such |as |holded |or |held. |
This |student |is |most |likely |demonstrating: |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-The |process |of |internalizing
|a |grammatical |rule.
An |ELL |is |extroverted |and |enjoys |interacting |with |others. |He |is |not |afraid |to |try |to |
communicate |even |when |he |is |uncertain |of |the |accuracy |of |his |speech. |These |personality |
traits |are |likely |to |affect |this |student's |English |language |acquisition |in |which |of |the |following |
ways? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-Facilitating |language |acquisition |by |promoting |his |willingness |
to |take |risks |and |his |motivation |to |integrate |into |the |new |culture.
Which |of |the |following |factors |is |likely |to |have |the |most |significant |impact |on |the |degree |to |
which |an |ELL |is |able |to |acquire |native-like |pronunciation |in |English? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-
The |age |at |which |the |student |begins |learning |English.
An |ESL |teacher |asks |an |ELL, |"Where |is |your |pencil?" |The |student |replies, |"He |is |on |my |desk." |
, Which |of |the |following |best |explains |this |error |in |the |student's |use |of |the |personal |pronoun |
he |to |refer |to |an |object? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-The |student |speaks |a |1st |language |in |which |
inanimate |objects |are |marked |for |gender.
An |ELL |is |at |an |advanced |stage |of |English |language |acquisition. |However, |the |student |
continues |to |make |certain |consistent |syntactic |errors |despite |a |general |level |of |proficiency. |
This |phenomenon |can |best |be |explained |as: |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-Fossilization |of |
interlanguage |structures.
Which |of |the |following |English |words |is |most |commonly |pronounced |with |the |vowel |sound
|/e(upside-down)/ |(i.e., |schwa)? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-What
An |ELL |has |difficulty |distinguishing |between |the |sounds |/b/ |and |/v/ |in |English |words |(e.g., |
bet/vet, |boat/vote) |because |in |the |student's |first |language |the |sounds |/b/ |and |/v/ |are |spoken |
interchangeably |in |words. |
Which |of |the |following |provides |the |most |accurate |explanation |of |this |linguistic |phenomenon?
|- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-The |sounds |/b/ |and |/v/ |are |distinct |phonemes |in |English, |while |they |
are |allophones |of |the |same |phoneme |in |the |student's |1st |language.
"This |remarkable |species |of |lichen |makes |its |home |in |the |inhospitable |terrain |of |the |Atacama |
Desert." |(remarkable/inhospitable)
Knowing |the |usage |of |the |suffix |-able |in |the |words |remarkable |and |inhospitable |would |best |
help |a |student |identify: |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-The |grammatical |function |of |the |words.
Which |of |the |following |words |consists |of |a |root |word |and |inflectional |suffix? |- |CORRECT |
ANSWER✔✔-Hopping. |(-ing, |-s, |-ed, |-en, |-est, |-n't)
Which |of |the |following |sentences |contains |errors |in |syntax? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-Every |day
|my |brother |older |eats |at |home |lunch. |(simple)
"As |soon |as |they |got |to |school," |the |students |fed |the |fish |in |the |classroom's |aquarium.
Correct Answers
Which |of |the |following |examples |provides |the |strongest |support |for |the |nativist |notion |that |all
|children |are |born |with |an |innate |sense |of |universal |language |principles |that |can |be |applied |to
|the |acquisition |of |any |language? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-A |child |can |produce |structurally |
complex |novel |utterances |at |a |very |young |age.
An |ESL |teacher |is |designing |a |listening |lesson |for |6th |grade |intermediate-level |English |
language |learners. |Which |of |the |following |guidelines |should |the |teacher |follow |in |order |to |
align |the |lesson |with |the |comprehensible |input |hypothesis? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-Choose |
an |aural |selection |that |is |slightly |above |the |students' |comprehension |level.
Which |of |the |following |situations |best |illustrates |James |Cummin's |theory |of |Common |
Underlying |Proficiency |(CUP)? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-An |English |language |learner |who |has |
knowledge |of |an |academic |concept |in |the |1st |language |quickly |introduced |in |English.
Which |of |the |following |types |of |instructional |activities |would |be |most |appropriate |for |ELLs |at |
advanced |stages |of |English |language |development? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-Frequent |
opportunities |for |the |student |to |use |English |in |challenging, |authentic |situations.
Which |of |the |following |utterances |would |be |most |typical |of |an |ELL |who |is |in |the |early |
production |stage |of |language |acquisition? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-Want |crayon.
Which |of |the |following |vocabulary-learning |activities |most |clearly |involves |metacognition? |- |
CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-Identifying |unfamiliar |words |in |a |reading |passage.
Student: |(pointing |to |word |in |a |book) |What |does |it |mean |invisible?
,Teacher: |Look |at |the |parts |of |the |word.
Student: |I |know |in- |means |"not" |and |vis |is |like |"visual," |something |you |see |with |the |eyes. |I |
remember |-ible |is |like |-able, |right?
Teacher: |Right. |Now |look |at |the |sentence.
Student: |(reading) |"The |creature |was |practically |invisible, |hidden |in |the |dense |foliage."
|"Hidden" |is |like |to |hide. |I |guess |if |it |is |invisible, |it |means |you're |not |able |to |see |it |because |it |is
|hiding.
This |student's |performance |most |clearly |demonstrates |which |of |the |following |cognitive |
processes |involved |in |language |acquisition? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-Elaboration |and |inference
An |ELL |overgenerates |the |regular |past |tense |-ed |to |irregular |verbs, |such |as |holded |or |held. |
This |student |is |most |likely |demonstrating: |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-The |process |of |internalizing
|a |grammatical |rule.
An |ELL |is |extroverted |and |enjoys |interacting |with |others. |He |is |not |afraid |to |try |to |
communicate |even |when |he |is |uncertain |of |the |accuracy |of |his |speech. |These |personality |
traits |are |likely |to |affect |this |student's |English |language |acquisition |in |which |of |the |following |
ways? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-Facilitating |language |acquisition |by |promoting |his |willingness |
to |take |risks |and |his |motivation |to |integrate |into |the |new |culture.
Which |of |the |following |factors |is |likely |to |have |the |most |significant |impact |on |the |degree |to |
which |an |ELL |is |able |to |acquire |native-like |pronunciation |in |English? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-
The |age |at |which |the |student |begins |learning |English.
An |ESL |teacher |asks |an |ELL, |"Where |is |your |pencil?" |The |student |replies, |"He |is |on |my |desk." |
, Which |of |the |following |best |explains |this |error |in |the |student's |use |of |the |personal |pronoun |
he |to |refer |to |an |object? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-The |student |speaks |a |1st |language |in |which |
inanimate |objects |are |marked |for |gender.
An |ELL |is |at |an |advanced |stage |of |English |language |acquisition. |However, |the |student |
continues |to |make |certain |consistent |syntactic |errors |despite |a |general |level |of |proficiency. |
This |phenomenon |can |best |be |explained |as: |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-Fossilization |of |
interlanguage |structures.
Which |of |the |following |English |words |is |most |commonly |pronounced |with |the |vowel |sound
|/e(upside-down)/ |(i.e., |schwa)? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-What
An |ELL |has |difficulty |distinguishing |between |the |sounds |/b/ |and |/v/ |in |English |words |(e.g., |
bet/vet, |boat/vote) |because |in |the |student's |first |language |the |sounds |/b/ |and |/v/ |are |spoken |
interchangeably |in |words. |
Which |of |the |following |provides |the |most |accurate |explanation |of |this |linguistic |phenomenon?
|- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-The |sounds |/b/ |and |/v/ |are |distinct |phonemes |in |English, |while |they |
are |allophones |of |the |same |phoneme |in |the |student's |1st |language.
"This |remarkable |species |of |lichen |makes |its |home |in |the |inhospitable |terrain |of |the |Atacama |
Desert." |(remarkable/inhospitable)
Knowing |the |usage |of |the |suffix |-able |in |the |words |remarkable |and |inhospitable |would |best |
help |a |student |identify: |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-The |grammatical |function |of |the |words.
Which |of |the |following |words |consists |of |a |root |word |and |inflectional |suffix? |- |CORRECT |
ANSWER✔✔-Hopping. |(-ing, |-s, |-ed, |-en, |-est, |-n't)
Which |of |the |following |sentences |contains |errors |in |syntax? |- |CORRECT |ANSWER✔✔-Every |day
|my |brother |older |eats |at |home |lunch. |(simple)
"As |soon |as |they |got |to |school," |the |students |fed |the |fish |in |the |classroom's |aquarium.
