MTEL MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills 3

Question 1

Which of the following best describes the purpose of a topic sentence in a body paragraph?

Accepted Answer

To introduce the main idea of the paragraph

Answer

A topic sentence states the central idea of its paragraph, orienting readers to what that paragraph will discuss.

Question 2

A passage states: 'Enrollment dropped sharply after the policy change; however, test scores rose significantly.' What is the relationship between the two clauses?

Accepted Answer

Contrast

Answer

'However' signals a contrast between the enrollment decline and the rise in test scores.

Question 3

Which punctuation correctly sets off a nonrestrictive (nonessential) clause?

Accepted Answer

Commas

Answer

Nonrestrictive clauses, which provide extra information not essential to the sentence's meaning, are set off with commas.

Question 4

A candidate reads: 'The results were not inconclusive.' What does this double negative communicate?

Accepted Answer

The results were definitive

Answer

Two negatives ('not' and 'in-') cancel each other, making the statement mean the results were conclusive (definitive).

Question 5

Which sentence uses parallel structure correctly?

Accepted Answer

She likes hiking, swimming, and running.

Answer

Parallel structure requires that items in a series use the same grammatical form; 'hiking, swimming, and running' are all gerunds.

Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure Practice Test

Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure Practice Test

MTEL MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills 3