Test your basic knowledge |

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. 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






2. A contradictory statement that makes sense






3. 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






4. A type of pun - or play on words - that results when two words become mixed up in the speaker's mind






5. The telling of a story.






6. 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.






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






8. A word that connects other words or groups of words. Ex. In the sentence Bob and Dan are friends - the _____ 'and' connects two nouns and in the sentence.






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






10. An extended fictional prose narrative.






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






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






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






14. 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 -






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






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






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






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






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






20. A stanza made up of two rhyming lines.






21. A short poem about personal feelings and emotions.






22. 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






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






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






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 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.






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






28. Opposing elements or characters in a plot.






29. A method an author uses to let readers know more about the characters and their personal traits.






30. The study of the meaning in language.






31. 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.






32. 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.






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






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






35. 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.






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. The perspective from which a story is told.






38. The time and place in which a story occurs.






39. The study of the structure of sentences.






40. A person or being in a narrative






41. The main section of a long poem.






42. 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.






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






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






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






46. 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.






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






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






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






50. ' U