M.Ed English Language Arts 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which text structure signal word indicates a cause-and-effect relationship?
- Furthermore
- In contrast
- Consequently (Correct answer)
- Similarly
Correct answer: Consequently
'Consequently' signals that what follows is a result or effect of what was previously stated.
Question 2: A teacher notices students struggle to infer unstated ideas. Which practice most directly builds inferential comprehension?
- Increasing the number of literal recall questions on tests
- Teaching students to combine text clues with prior knowledge to draw conclusions (Correct answer)
- Having students copy passages from the textbook
- Requiring students to read only grade-level texts
Correct answer: Teaching students to combine text clues with prior knowledge to draw conclusions
Inference requires combining explicit textual information with background knowledge, so explicit instruction in this process directly builds the skill.
Question 3: Which literary device involves attributing human qualities to non-human entities?
- Alliteration
- Personification (Correct answer)
- Hyperbole
- Allusion
Correct answer: Personification
Personification assigns human characteristics or emotions to animals, objects, or abstract concepts.
Question 4: A student's narrative essay lacks a coherent sequence of events. Which revision strategy should the teacher recommend first?
- Rewrite the essay from scratch on a new topic
- Read only the concluding paragraph for errors
- Use a story-mapping graphic organizer to outline events before revising (Correct answer)
- Focus exclusively on correcting spelling errors
Correct answer: Use a story-mapping graphic organizer to outline events before revising
A story map helps students visualize and reorganize their narrative structure before making line-level revisions.
Question 5: In the 'gradual release of responsibility' model, which phase directly precedes independent student practice?
- Modeling ('I do')
- Guided practice ('We do') (Correct answer)
- Assessment ('You show')
- Direct instruction overview
Correct answer: Guided practice ('We do')
In the gradual release model, guided collaborative practice ('We do') serves as a bridge between teacher modeling and independent practice.
Question 6: Which approach to vocabulary instruction has the strongest research support for building deep word knowledge?
- Assigning students to copy dictionary definitions
- Providing brief, one-time exposures to new words during reading
- Teaching words in semantic clusters with multiple exposures across contexts (Correct answer)
- Requiring students to memorize 20 new words per week for a Friday quiz
Correct answer: Teaching words in semantic clusters with multiple exposures across contexts
Research supports teaching words in meaningful groups with repeated, varied exposures to build lasting, flexible vocabulary knowledge.
Question 7: A teacher uses 'think-alouds' during reading instruction. What is the primary purpose of this strategy?
- To entertain students with expressive oral reading
- To make the teacher's invisible cognitive processes visible to students (Correct answer)
- To check whether students are paying attention
- To replace the need for student independent reading
Correct answer: To make the teacher's invisible cognitive processes visible to students
Think-alouds externalize a skilled reader's internal reasoning, allowing students to observe and eventually internalize expert comprehension strategies.
M.Ed English Language Arts 3
Which text structure signal word indicates a cause-and-effect relationship?