Stanford Achievement Test Stanford Achievement (Language Arts) 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence uses an apostrophe correctly?
- The dogs bone was buried in the yard.
- The dog's bone was buried in the yard. (Correct answer)
- The dogs' bone was buried in the yard.
- The dogs bone's was buried in the yard.
Correct answer: The dog's bone was buried in the yard.
An apostrophe followed by 's' shows singular possession; 'dog's' means the bone belongs to one dog.
Question 2: Which of the following is an example of figurative language using personification?
- The river was as wide as a football field.
- The river swallowed the fallen leaves whole. (Correct answer)
- The river ran for three hundred miles.
- The river had crystal-clear water.
Correct answer: The river swallowed the fallen leaves whole.
Personification gives human qualities to a non-human thing; 'swallowed' attributes a human action to the river.
Question 3: What does the root word 'aud' mean in the word 'auditory'?
- see
- touch
- hear (Correct answer)
- speak
Correct answer: hear
The Latin root 'aud' means 'to hear,' as seen in words like auditorium, audience, and auditory.
Question 4: Which sentence correctly uses a semicolon?
- I studied hard; but I still failed.
- I studied hard; I still failed. (Correct answer)
- I studied hard, I still failed.
- I studied hard: I still failed.
Correct answer: I studied hard; I still failed.
A semicolon joins two related independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.
Question 5: A reader encounters an unfamiliar word. Which strategy should she try FIRST?
- Skip the word and keep reading
- Look up the word in the glossary
- Use surrounding sentences to figure out its meaning (Correct answer)
- Ask the teacher immediately
Correct answer: Use surrounding sentences to figure out its meaning
Using context clues from surrounding text is the most immediate and practical strategy for determining word meaning.
Question 6: Which sentence contains a misplaced modifier?
- She served sandwiches to the children on paper plates. (Correct answer)
- On paper plates, she served sandwiches to the children.
- She served the children sandwiches on paper plates.
- The children ate sandwiches on paper plates.
Correct answer: She served sandwiches to the children on paper plates.
In the first sentence, 'on paper plates' is placed next to 'children,' making it seem the children are on the plates, not the sandwiches.
Question 7: Which of these is NOT a type of nonfiction text structure?
- Cause and effect
- Compare and contrast
- Flashback and foreshadowing (Correct answer)
- Problem and solution
Correct answer: Flashback and foreshadowing
Flashback and foreshadowing are narrative techniques used in fiction, not organizational structures of nonfiction text.
Stanford Achievement Test Stanford Achievement (Language Arts) 3
Which sentence uses an apostrophe correctly?