Free English Language Arts: Content Knowledge Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the English Language Arts: Content Knowledge practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1In a poem, the repeated initial consonant sounds in the phrase 'silver streams slide' primarily exemplify which device?

   1. A.Assonance
   2. B.AlliterationCorrect answer: B
   3. C.Consonance at line endings
   4. D.End rhyme

   Explanation: The glossary defines alliteration as "The repetition of initial stressed, consonant sounds in a series of words within a phrase or verse line." The repeated initial /s/ sound creates that pattern; shared vowels or line endings are not its basis.

   Reference: Glossary of Poetic Terms — Poetry Foundation — Glossary of Poetic Terms, Alliteration

2. 2Which verb correctly completes this sentence in standard edited English? The editor, together with two reviewers, ___ ready to meet.

   1. A.are
   2. B.isCorrect answer: B
   3. C.were
   4. D.have been

   Explanation: Purdue states that expressions such as together with "do not change the number of the subject." The singular editor requires is.

   Reference: Making Subjects and Verbs Agree — Purdue OWL — Making Subjects and Verbs Agree, rule 11

3. 3A composition develops an imagined experience through characters and a structured sequence of events. Which mode primarily governs it?

   1. A.Argumentative
   2. B.Informative
   3. C.Descriptive
   4. D.NarrativeCorrect answer: D

   Explanation: The standards describe narratives as developing "real or imagined experiences or events". Characters and an event sequence organize the experience into a story.

   Reference: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy — p. 46, W.9–10.3

4. 4A poem describes a modern business leader as opening Pandora's box, without retelling the myth. Which device connects the leader's action to the myth?

   1. A.Anachronism
   2. B.Apostrophe
   3. C.AllusionCorrect answer: C
   4. D.Allegory

   Explanation: An allusion is "A brief, indirect reference to a person, place, event, or literary work." The brief reference invokes the myth to suggest unintended troubles; it does not sustain a whole allegorical narrative.

   Reference: Glossary of Poetic Terms — Poetry Foundation — Glossary of Poetic Terms, Allusion

5. 5Choose the correct present-tense verb: Neither the principal nor the teachers ___ available.

   1. A.is
   2. B.was
   3. C.has been
   4. D.areCorrect answer: D

   Explanation: For mixed subjects joined by nor, Purdue says the verb should agree with "the part of the subject that is nearer the verb." Teachers is plural and nearer the verb.

   Reference: Making Subjects and Verbs Agree — Purdue OWL — Making Subjects and Verbs Agree, rule 3

6. 6A writer's main purpose is to explain how public libraries organize digital collections, using definitions and examples without advocating a disputed position. Which mode best fits?

   1. A.Narrative
   2. B.Informative/explanatoryCorrect answer: B
   3. C.Argumentative
   4. D.Personal reflective

   Explanation: The standards describe informative/explanatory texts as conveying "complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately". Definitions and examples develop understanding of the topic.

   Reference: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy — p. 45, W.9–10.2

7. 7A narrative gives characters names such as Greed and Mercy and uses their journey to develop a sustained moral meaning. Which description best identifies its overall method?

   1. A.An allegory embodying abstract ideasCorrect answer: A
   2. B.An allusion briefly invoking another work
   3. C.An apostrophe addressing an absent person
   4. D.An anachronism combining different eras

   Explanation: Allegory is "An extended metaphor in which the characters, places, and objects in a narrative carry figurative meaning." Here the characters and sustained journey embody moral ideas rather than merely referring to another work.

   Reference: Glossary of Poetic Terms — Poetry Foundation — Glossary of Poetic Terms, Allegory

8. 8Which revision makes the list grammatically parallel? The workshop emphasizes planning, revising, and how to edit.

   1. A.The workshop emphasizes planning, revising, and editing.Correct answer: A
   2. B.The workshop emphasizes planning, to revise, and editing.
   3. C.The workshop emphasizes how to plan, revising, and to edit.
   4. D.The workshop emphasizes to plan, revision, and how to edit.

   Explanation: Purdue advises, "Be sure to keep all the elements in a list in the same form." Three gerunds produce the required parallel structure.

   Reference: Parallel Structure — Purdue OWL — Parallel Structure, Lists After a Colon

9. 9What most clearly distinguishes an academic argument from an unsupported statement of preference?

   1. A.Use of a first-person narrator throughout
   2. B.A chronological account of the writer’s experience
   3. C.Support for a claim through valid reasoning and relevant evidenceCorrect answer: C
   4. D.An emphasis on sensory description rather than explanation

   Explanation: The standards call for arguments "using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence." A stated preference alone does not provide that support.

   Reference: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy — p. 45, W.9–10.1

10. 10A speaker turns from describing a departed friend to addressing that friend directly: 'Come back, my friend, and hear this song.' Which device marks this change?

    1. A.Antithesis
    2. B.Anaphora
    3. C.Anachronism
    4. D.ApostropheCorrect answer: D

    Explanation: The glossary describes apostrophe as "An address to a dead or absent person, or personification as if he or she were present." The direct address to the departed friend supplies the defining condition.

    Reference: Glossary of Poetic Terms — Poetry Foundation — Glossary of Poetic Terms, Apostrophe