GMAS English Language Arts (ELA) Domains 2

Question 1

A student reads a passage and must determine the author's purpose. Which question best helps identify the author's purpose?

Accepted Answer

What does the author want the reader to think, feel, or do?

Answer

How many paragraphs does the passage have?

Answer

Who are the main characters in the passage?

Answer

What is the setting of the passage?

Question 2

When comparing two informational texts on the same topic, a student should look for—

Accepted Answer

similarities and differences in the authors' claims and supporting evidence

Answer

which text has more pages and illustrations

Answer

which author uses longer sentences and more complex vocabulary

Answer

how many facts are repeated in both texts

Question 3

Which type of figurative language is used in the sentence: 'The thunder grumbled like an unhappy giant'?

Accepted Answer

Simile

Answer

Metaphor

Answer

Personification

Answer

Hyperbole

Question 4

In an argumentative essay, what is the primary role of a counterclaim?

Accepted Answer

To acknowledge an opposing viewpoint before refuting it

Answer

To restate the writer's main claim in different words

Answer

To provide additional evidence supporting the main claim

Answer

To introduce a new topic unrelated to the argument

Question 5

A student encounters the word 'benevolent' in a passage. Which context clue strategy is MOST reliable for determining its meaning?

Accepted Answer

Looking for nearby words or phrases that describe the character's kind actions

Answer

Counting how many times the word appears in the text

Answer

Replacing the word with a random synonym and rereading

Answer

Skipping the word and continuing to read the passage

Question 6

Which sentence uses a colon correctly?

Accepted Answer

She packed three things for the trip: a map, a compass, and snacks.

Answer

She packed: three things for the trip a map a compass and snacks.

Answer

She packed three things: for the trip a map, a compass, and snacks.

Answer

She: packed three things for the trip a map, a compass, and snacks.

Question 7

What does it mean when a text has a 'first-person' point of view?

Accepted Answer

The narrator is a character in the story and uses 'I' and 'we'

Answer

The story is told by an all-knowing narrator outside the story

Answer

The reader is addressed directly using 'you'

Answer

The story switches between multiple characters' perspectives