GLA Content Focus Areas 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A GLA passage describes the pros and cons of social media use among teenagers. Which reading strategy is MOST important for analyzing this text?
- Reading only the first and last paragraphs
- Identifying the central argument and counterclaims (Correct answer)
- Counting the number of sentences per paragraph
- Focusing only on unfamiliar vocabulary
Correct answer: Identifying the central argument and counterclaims
A pros-and-cons structure signals argumentative text, where identifying the central claim and counterclaims is essential.
Question 2: Which GLA content focus area is practiced when a student summarizes a nonfiction article in their own words?
- Narrative writing
- Informational reading and comprehension (Correct answer)
- Phonological awareness
- Punctuation rules
Correct answer: Informational reading and comprehension
Summarizing nonfiction requires comprehending and restating key informational content, a direct GLA literacy focus.
Question 3: A student must determine whether a source used in a research report is credible. Which GLA content focus area does this reflect?
- Literary character analysis
- Critical evaluation of informational sources (Correct answer)
- Narrative point of view
- Figurative language identification
Correct answer: Critical evaluation of informational sources
Evaluating source credibility is a key informational literacy skill tested on the GLA.
Question 4: On the GLA, which literary element is most often analyzed to understand a character's motivation?
- The publication date of the text
- The character's actions, dialogue, and thoughts (Correct answer)
- The length of the chapter
- The title of the story
Correct answer: The character's actions, dialogue, and thoughts
Character motivation is revealed through actions, dialogue, and internal thoughts, all standard GLA literary analysis targets.
Question 5: A GLA constructed-response question asks students to explain how two texts address the same theme differently. Which skill does this require?
- Spelling and mechanics only
- Cross-text analysis and synthesis (Correct answer)
- Narrative plotting
- Decoding multisyllabic words
Correct answer: Cross-text analysis and synthesis
Comparing how two texts treat a theme requires cross-text analysis and synthesis, a high-level GLA literacy skill.
Question 6: Which sentence best demonstrates effective use of transition words, a writing skill assessed on the GLA?
- The weather was bad. We stayed home.
- Because the storm intensified, we decided to stay home; consequently, we missed the event. (Correct answer)
- Staying home was our choice. The storm happened.
- We stayed. Storm. Home.
Correct answer: Because the storm intensified, we decided to stay home; consequently, we missed the event.
Transition words like 'because' and 'consequently' create logical connections between ideas, a key GLA writing convention.
Question 7: A GLA informational passage includes a graph alongside the text. What skill is required to fully comprehend this passage?
- Only reading the text and ignoring the graph
- Integrating information from both the text and the visual data (Correct answer)
- Memorizing the numbers in the graph
- Identifying figurative language in the caption
Correct answer: Integrating information from both the text and the visual data
Integrating information from text and graphics is a tested GLA informational literacy skill.
GLA Content Focus Areas 3
A GLA passage describes the pros and cons of social media use among teenagers.
Which reading strategy is MOST important for analyzing this text?