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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. ' U U






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






3. 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






4. 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.






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






6. 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.






7. 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






8. The study of the structure of words.






9. A contradictory statement that makes sense






10. Unrhymed verse - often occurring in iambic pentameter.






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






12. The main section of a long poem.






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






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






15. 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 .






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






17. A short story or folktale that contains a moral - which may be expressed explicitly at the end as a maxim. Examples include The Country Mouse and the Town Mouse - The Tortoise and the Hare - and The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.






18. 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.






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






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






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






22. U '






23. The story is told from the point of view of one character.






24. 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






25. A wise saying - usually short and written.






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






27. 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.






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






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






30. 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.






31. 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.






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






33. The writer says one thing and means another






34. Opposing elements or characters in a plot.






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






36. 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.






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






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






39. 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 -






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






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






42. The telling of a story.






43. 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.






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






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






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






47. 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.






48. 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.






49. U U '






50. 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