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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 pair of lines of poetic verse written in iambic pentameter.






2. 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 -






3. A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect - as in I could sleep for a year or this book weighs a ton.






4. A phrase that consists of two contradictory terms






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






6. A comparison of two unlike things - usually including the word like or as.






7. A category of literature defined by its style - form - and content.






8. A repetition of the same sound in words close to one another






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






10. An extended fictional prose narrative.






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






12. The structure of a work of literature; the sequence of events.






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






14. 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.






15. A figure of speech in which a comparison is implied but not stated - such as 'This winter is a bear.'






16. A literacy device in which the author jumps back in time in the chronology of narrative.






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






18. A wise saying - usually short and written.






19. A stanza made up of two rhyming lines.






20. The specialized language of a particular group or culture. Ex. in the field of education...rubric - tuning protocol - and deskilling.






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






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






23. 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






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






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






26. 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.






27. A narrative about human actions that is perceived by both the teller and the listeners to have taken place within human history and that possesses certain qualities that give the tale the appearance of truth or reality. Washington Irvin's The Legend






28. 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.






29. 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 .






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






31. A word which shows relationships among other words in the sentence. The relationships include direction - place - time - cause - manner and amount Ex. In the sentence He came by bus - 'by' is a _____ which shows manner.






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






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






34. The use of words to create pictures in the reader's mind.






35. 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






36. A type of Japanese poem that is written in 17 syllables with three lines of five - seven - and five syllables - respectively. Expresses a single thought.






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






38. 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






39. 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.






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






41. ' U






42. 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






43. 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






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






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






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






47. 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






48. The study of the orgin of words






49. A division of poetry named for the number of lines it contains...Couplet: Two - lines - Triplet: Three - lines - Quatrain: Four - lines - Quintet: Five - lines - Sestet: Six- lines - Septet: Seven - lines - Octave: Eight - lines.






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






Can you answer 50 questions in 15 minutes?



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