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Praxis Middle School Language Arts

Subjects : praxis, english
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. A figure of speech in which a comparison is implied but not stated - such as 'This winter is a bear.'






2. A word that gives more information about a noun or pronoun. Ex. Sue runs very fast - very describes the ____ fast and gives information about how fast Sue runs.






3. A rhythmical pattern in verse that is made up of stressed and unstressed syllables.






4. The study of the orgin of words






5. Narrative fiction that involves gods and heroes or has a theme that expresses a culture's ideology. Examples of Greek ______ include Zeus and the Olympians and The Trojan War. Roman ______ include Hercules - Apollo - and Venus.






6. A verb form that usually ends in - ing or - ed.






7. A kind of adjective which is always used with and gives some information about a noun. There are only two _____ a and the.






8. A word which describes or gives more information about a noun or pronoun. Ex. The lazy dog sat on the rug - the word lazy is an ____ which gives more information about the noun dog.






9. ' U






10. A suspenseful story that deals with a puzzling crime. Examples include Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Murder in Rue Morgue' and Charles Dickens' The Mystery of Edwin Drood.






11. The flaw that leads to the downfall of a tragic hero; this term comes from the Greek word hybris - which means 'excessive pride.'






12. Meter that is composed of feet that are short - short - long or unaccented - unaccented - accented - usually used in light or whimsical poetry - such as limerick.






13. A narrative form - such as an epic - legend - myth - song - poem - or fable - that has been retold within a culture for generations. Examples include The People Couldn't Fly retold by Virginia Hamilton and And Green Grass Grew All Around by Alvin Sch






14. The most specific or direct meaning of a word - in contrast to its figurative or associated meanings.






15. Language widely considered crude - disgusting - and oftentimes offensive.






16. A story in which people (or things or actions) represent an idea or a generalization about life. Usually have a strong lesson or moral.






17. During the mid -19th century in New England - several writers and intellectuals worked together to write - translate works - and publish. Their philosophy focused on protesting the Puritan ethic and materialism. They valued individualism - freedom -






18. The perspective from which the story is told - four choices: first person; 3rd person (dramatic - objective); 3rd person omniscient; 3rd person limited omniscient.






19. A variation of a language used by people who live in a particular geographical area.






20. A phrase that consists of two contradictory terms






21. A brief story that illustrates or makes a point.






22. Old - fashioned words that are no longer used in common speech - such as thee - thy - and thou.






23. A novel set in the western U.S. featuring the experiences of cowboys and frontiersmen. Examples include Zane Grey's Riders of the Purple Sage and Trail Driver - Larry McMurty's Lonesome Dove - Conrad Richter's The Sea of Grass - Fran Striker's The Lo






24. Language that shows disrespect for others or something sacred.






25. A method by which trained readers evaluate a piece of writing for its overall quality. There is no focus on one aspect of the writing.






26. A metrical ______ is defined as one stressed syllable and a number of unstressed syllables (from zero to as many as four). Stressed syllables are indicated by the ? symbol. Unstressed syllables are indicated by the ? symbol. There are four possible t






27. Two or more words in sequence that form a syntactic unit that is less than a complete sentence.






28. The analysis of how sounds function in a language or dialect.






29. The overall feeling created by an author's use of words.






30. Narrative fiction that is set in some earlier time and often contains historically authentic people - places - or events






31. Distinctive features of a person's speech and speech patterns.






32. The main character or hero of a written work.






33. Occurs when there are two or more possible meanings to a word or phrase.






34. A contradictory statement that makes sense






35. Deals with current or future development of technological advances. Examples are Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse - Five - George Orwell's 1984 - Aldous Huxley's Brave New World - and Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.






36. The feeling a text evokes in the reader - such as sadness - tranquility - or elation.






37. The outcome or resolution of plot in a story.






38. Verse that contains an irregular metrical pattern and line length; also known as vers libre.






39. A person who opposes or competes with the main character (protagonist); often the villain in the story.






40. A person's account of his or hew own life.






41. Also known as a run - on line in poetry - _____ occurs when one line ends and continues onto the next line to complete meaning. For example the first line in Thoreau's poem 'My life has been the poem I would have writ -' and the second line completes






42. The story is told by someone outside the story.






43. The writer says one thing and means another






44. Fiction that is intended to frighten - unsettle - or scare the reader. Often overlaps with fantasy and science fiction. Examples include Stephen King's The Shining - Mary Shelley's Frankenstein - and Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes.






45. A comparison of objects or ideas that appear to be different but are alike in some important way.






46. Informal language used by a particular group of people among themselves.






47. A literary technique in which the author gives hints or clues about what is to come at some point later in the story.






48. The perspective from which a story is told.






49. The use of a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of its literal or expected meaning. There are three types....Dramatic - Verbal - Situation.






50. A variety of a language used by people from a particular geographic area.