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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 narrative technique in which the main story is composed primarily for the purpose of organizing a set of shorter stories - each of which is a story within a story. Examples include Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales - Ovid's Metamorphoses - and Em






2. 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.






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






4. A short poem - often written by an anonymous author - comprised of short verses intended to be sung or recited.






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






6. The repetition of initial consonant sounds in words - such a 'Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.'






7. 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






8. ' U U






9. The study of the structure of words.






10. The study of the meaning in language.






11. A contradictory statement that makes sense






12. An extended fictional prose narrative.






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






14. Rhyming of the ends of lines of verse.






15. A wise saying - usually short and written.






16. 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






17. A metric line of poetry. Its name is based on the kind and number of feet composing it ('foot').






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






19. The study of the structure of sentences.






20. The narrator records the actions from his or her point of view - unaware of any of the other characters' thoughts or feelings. Also known as the objective view.






21. 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.






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






23. A person or thing working against the hero of a literary work (the protagonist).






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






25. The narrator shares the thoughts and feelings of one (or a few) character(s).






26. A phrase that consists of two contradictory terms






27. A lesson a work of literature is teaching.






28. 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.






29. A turn from the general audience to address a specific group of persons (or a personified abstraction) who is present of absent. For example - in a recent performance of Shakespeare's Hamlet - Hamlet turned to the audience and spoke directly to one w






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






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






32. A word which can be used instead of a noun. Ex instead of saying John is a student - the ____ he can be used in place of the noun John and the sentence becomes He is a student.






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






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






35. The time and place in which the action of a story takes place.






36. 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.






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






38. 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.






39. The use of sound words to suggest meaning - as in buzz - click - or vroom.






40. Literature that makes fun of social conventions or conditions - usually to evoke change.






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






42. A short poem about personal feelings and emotions.






43. Repetition of the final consonant sound in words containing different vowels






44. 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






45. Literature - often drama - ending in a catastrophic event for the protagonist(s) after he or she faces several problems or conflicts.






46. A short narrative - usually between 50 and 100 pages long. Examples include George Orwell's Animal Farm and Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis.






47. The reader sees a character's errors - but the character does not






48. 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 .






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






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