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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 phrase that consists of two contradictory terms






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






3. 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






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






5. The set of associations implied by a word in addition to its literal meaning.






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






7. A group of words containing a subject and a predicate and forming part of a compound or complex sentence.






8. An expression that has been used so often that it loses its expressive power






9. 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






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






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






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






13. The repetition of a line or phrase of a poem at regular intervals - particularly at the end of each stanza.






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






15. A long narrative poem detailing a hero's deeds. Examples include The Aenied by Vergil - The Illiad and The Odyssey by Homer - Beowulf - Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes - War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy - Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - and Hiawath






16. Opposing elements or characters in a plot.






17. The narrator shares the thoughts and feelings of all the characters.






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






19. 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.






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






21. ' U






22. A word which names a person - place or thing. Ex. boy - river - friend - Mexico - triangle - day - school - truth - university - idea - John F. Kennedy - movie






23. A humorous verse form of five anapestic (Composed of feet that are short - short - long or unaccented - unaccented - accented) lines with rhyme scheme of aabba.






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






25. The purpose of a particular action differs greatly from the result






26. A fourteen - line poem - usually written in iambic pentameter - with a varied rhyme scheme. Two main types are Petrarchan (or Italian) and the Shakespearean (or English). A Petrarchan opens with an octave that states a proposition and ends with a ses






27. A word which shows action or state of being. Ex. In the sentence The dog bit the man - bit is the ____.






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






29. A pair of lines of poetic verse written in iambic pentameter.






30. A break in the rhythm of language - particularly a natural pause in a in a line of verse - maked in prosody by a double vertical line ( || ). Ex. Arma virumque cano - || Troiae qui primus ab oris .






31. 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.






32. An expository piece written with eloquence that becomes part of the recognized literature of an era. Often reveal historical facts - the social mores of the times - and the thoughts and personality of the author. Some have recorded and influenced the






33. 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.






34. An author's choice of words based on their clearness - conciseness - effectiveness - and authenticity.






35. A brief fictional prose narrative. Examples include Shirley Jackson's 'The Lottery -' Washington Irving's 'Rip van Winkle' D.H. Lawrence's 'The Horse Dealer's Daughter -' Arthur Conan Doyle's 'Hound of the Baskervilles -' and Dorothy Parker's 'Big Bl






36. Specialized language used in a particular field or content area






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






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






39. A novel comprised of idealized events far removed from everyday life. This genre includes the subgenres of gothic ____ and medieval ____. Examples include Mary Shelly's Frankenstein - William Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida - and King Horn (anonym






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






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






42. Expressions that are usually accepted in informal situations or regions - such as 'wicked awesome.'






43. U '






44. The study of the sounds of language and their physical properties.






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






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






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






48. A short poem about personal feelings and emotions.






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






50. A socially accepted word or phrase used to replace unacceptable language - such as expressions for bodily functions or body parts. Also used as substitutes for straightforward words to tactfully conceal or falsify meaning. Ex. My grandmother passed a