praxis reading language arts 5002 practice test

A series of tests developed by ETS to assess the skills and knowledge of prospective teachers.

I got my parrot Rosie last year, she is green and yellow and can talk. The sentence contains which of the following errors?
  • A. Misplaced modifier
  • B. Comma splice
  • C. Unclear pronoun reference
  • D. Inconsistent verb tense
Correct Answer & Rationale
Correct Answer: B

The sentence contains a comma splice, which occurs when two independent clauses are improperly joined by a comma without a coordinating conjunction. In this case, the phrases "I got my parrot Rosie last year" and "she is green and yellow and can talk" should be connected with a conjunction or separated into distinct sentences. Option A, misplaced modifier, is incorrect as the modifiers accurately describe the subject. Option C, unclear pronoun reference, does not apply here since "she" clearly refers to "Rosie." Option D, inconsistent verb tense, is also not an issue; both clauses maintain a consistent past and present tense.

Other Related Questions

Which of the following parts of speech expresses emotion?
  • A. A verb
  • B. An interjection
  • C. An adverb
  • D. A pronoun
Correct Answer & Rationale
Correct Answer: B

Interjections are unique parts of speech specifically designed to express emotions or sudden feelings, such as joy, surprise, or frustration (e.g., "Wow!" or "Oh no!"). In contrast, verbs indicate actions or states of being but do not inherently express emotions. Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, providing context rather than emotion. Pronouns serve to replace nouns and do not convey feelings directly. Thus, interjections stand out as the only option that directly embodies emotional expression.
A group of students work together at a literacy center where the individual letters "p," "i," and "g" are printed on card stock. One student puts the three letters together and says, "I made 'pig'!" The activity best supports which of the following reading skills?
  • A. Building words with onsets
  • B. Dividing words using syllabication
  • C. Blending phonemes to make words
  • D. Segmenting phonemes to make words
Correct Answer & Rationale
Correct Answer: C

The activity involves combining individual letters to form the word "pig," which directly supports blending phonemes. Blending is the skill of merging individual sounds to create a complete word, exemplified by the student saying "I made 'pig'." Option A, building words with onsets, focuses specifically on the initial consonant sounds, which is not the primary skill demonstrated here. Option B, dividing words using syllabication, pertains to breaking words into syllables, while this activity emphasizes merging sounds instead. Option D, segmenting phonemes, involves breaking words into their individual sounds, which is the opposite of what the student is doing in this scenario.
The organizers of the fund-raiser expected that at least 500 people would attend, that the keynote speaker would be well received, and to raise twice the amount of money as they did last year. Which of the following revisions successfully corrects the sentence?
  • A. The organizers of the fund-raiser expected that at least 500 people would attend, that the keynote speaker would be well received, and that they would raise twice the amount of money as they did last year.
  • B. The organizers of the fund-raiser expected that at least 500 people would attend, that the keynote speaker would be well received, and raising twice the amount of money as they did last year.
  • C. The organizers of the fund-raiser expected that at least 500 people would attend, that the keynote speaker would be well received, and, consequently, to raise twice the amount of money as they did last year.
  • D. The organizers of the fund-raiser expected that at least 500 people would attend; that the keynote speaker would be well received; and to raise twice the amount of money as they did last year.
Correct Answer & Rationale
Correct Answer: A

Option A effectively maintains parallel structure by ensuring all elements in the list follow the same grammatical form: "that at least 500 people would attend, that the keynote speaker would be well received, and that they would raise twice the amount of money." This consistency enhances clarity and coherence. Option B disrupts parallelism by changing "to raise" to "raising," which creates a grammatical inconsistency in the series. Option C introduces "consequently," which unnecessarily complicates the sentence and breaks the parallel structure. Option D uses semicolons incorrectly, as they should separate independent clauses, not items in a list, leading to confusion.
Which of the following best describes the cognitive processes in which a reader must engage to summarize informational text effectively?
  • A. Evaluating the completeness and accuracy of the information in the text
  • B. Analyzing the structure of the passage and the stylistic features of the genre
  • C. Making judgments about what is important and what is not
  • D. Interpreting an author's perspective and purpose for writing on a topic
Correct Answer & Rationale
Correct Answer: C

Effective summarization of informational text requires a reader to discern key ideas and determine which information is essential. This process involves prioritizing content, allowing the reader to distill the main points without extraneous details. Option A, while important for critical reading, focuses on assessing information rather than summarizing it. Option B emphasizes structural analysis and stylistic features, which are less relevant to the act of summarization. Option D, interpreting perspective and purpose, is crucial for comprehension but does not directly address the summarization process. Thus, prioritizing what is important is key to summarizing effectively.