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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. The role of context in the interpretation of meaning.






2. 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.






3. The study of the structure of sentences.






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






5. 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.






6. The study of the meaning in language.






7. A suspenseful story that deals with a puzzling crime. Examples include Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Murder in Rue Morgue' and Charles Dickens' The Mystery of Edwin Drood.






8. 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






9. The study of the structure of words.






10. 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






11. 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 -






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






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






14. A document organized in paragraph form that can be long or short and can be in the form of a letter - dialogue - or discussion. Examples include Politics and the English Language by George Orwell - The American Scholar by Ralph Waldo Emerson - and Mo






15. Rhyming of the ends of lines of verse.






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






17. 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.






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






19. A wise saying - usually short and written.






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






21. Language that is intended to be evasive or to conceal. Ex. 'downsized' actually means fired or loss of job.






22. 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.






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






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






25. 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.






26. The act or an example of substituting a mild - indirect - or vague term for one considered harsh - blunt - or offensive.






27. A phrase that consists of two contradictory terms






28. A narrative that is made up of fantastic characters and creatures - such as witches - goblins - and fairies - and usually begins with the phrase 'Once upon a time...' Examples include Rapunzel - Cinderella - Sleeping Beauty - and Little Red Riding Ho






29. Simple - compound (conjunctions) - complex (subordination) - compound - complex (conjunctions and subordination).






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






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






32. U '






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






34. 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






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






36. The perspective from which a story is told.






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






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






39. 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






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






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






42. A genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot - theme - and/or setting. Examples include J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings - C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia - and William Morris' The Well at the World's E






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






44. 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






45. A poem that is a mournful lament for the dead. Examples include William Shakespeare's 'Eligy' from Cymbeline - Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Requiem -' and Alfred Lord Tennysone's 'In Memoriam.'






46. U U '






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






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






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






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