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Alberta PAT study materials
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Alberta PAT practice questions

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Question 1English Language Arts and Literature

Which option is a sentence fragment?

  1. The storm finally ended after midnight.
  2. After the storm, we went outside.
  3. We waited for the storm to end.
  4. After the long storm finally ended. Correct answer.

Explanation

A complete sentence needs a subject, a verb, and an independent clause that can stand alone. The first option contains a subject and verb inside a dependent clause introduced by 'After,' so it cannot stand alone. The other options each express a complete thought.

Question 2English Language Arts and Literature

What figure of speech is used in the sentence 'The classroom was a zoo after recess'?

  1. Hyperbole exaggerating for comic effect
  2. A simile comparing two things using like or as
  3. Personification giving human traits to an object
  4. A metaphor stating that one thing is another Correct answer.

Explanation

A metaphor directly states that one thing is another without using 'like' or 'as.' Saying the classroom 'was a zoo' asserts an identity between the two, which is the defining feature of a metaphor. A simile would require an explicit comparison word.

Question 3English Language Arts and Literature

A narrator who knows the private thoughts and feelings of every character is using which point of view?

  1. Third-person limited
  2. Second-person narration
  3. Third-person omniscient Correct answer.
  4. First-person narration

Explanation

The prefix 'omni-' means all, and an omniscient narrator has access to the minds of all characters. A limited narrator stays inside one character's perspective, and first-person narration is told by a participant using 'I.'

Question 4English Language Arts and Literature

In the sentence 'The runner crossed the finish line quickly,' what part of speech is the word 'quickly'?

  1. A noun
  2. A pronoun
  3. An adverb Correct answer.
  4. An adjective

Explanation

An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb, and many adverbs end in '-ly.' Here 'quickly' tells how the runner crossed, so it modifies the verb 'crossed.' Adjectives, by contrast, modify nouns.

Question 5English Language Arts and Literature

The turning point of a story, where the main conflict reaches its greatest intensity, is called the

  1. climax Correct answer.
  2. rising action
  3. exposition
  4. resolution

Explanation

Plot structure moves through exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. The climax is the peak moment of tension where the central conflict turns. The resolution comes afterward, once the conflict is settled.

Question 6English Language Arts and Literature

Which sentence uses the apostrophe correctly?

  1. The dog's are barking loudly.
  2. The dogs are bowl's empty.
  3. The dogs' bowls are empty. Correct answer.
  4. The dogs bowl's are empty.

Explanation

An apostrophe after the final 's' forms the possessive of a plural noun ending in 's,' so 'dogs'' correctly shows that the bowls belong to multiple dogs. Apostrophes never form ordinary plural nouns or verbs.

Question 7English Language Arts and Literature

Choose the sentence with correct subject-verb agreement.

  1. The box of old letters were in the attic.
  2. The box of old letters were sitting in the attic.
  3. The boxes of old letters was in the attic.
  4. The box of old letters was in the attic. Correct answer.

Explanation

The verb must agree with the simple subject, not with a noun in a prepositional phrase. Here the subject is the singular 'box,' so the singular verb 'was' is required even though 'letters' appears nearby.

Question 8English Language Arts and Literature

Which word correctly completes the sentence: '_____ going to the library after school.'?

  1. Their
  2. Theirs
  3. They're Correct answer.
  4. There

Explanation

'They're' is the contraction of 'they are,' which fits because the sentence needs a subject and verb before 'going.' 'Their' is a possessive adjective, 'there' indicates place, and 'theirs' is a possessive pronoun.

Question 9English Language Arts and Literature

In a short story, a fire station burns to the ground. This is an example of

  1. verbal irony
  2. situational irony Correct answer.
  3. dramatic irony
  4. foreshadowing

Explanation

Situational irony occurs when an outcome is the opposite of what is expected, as when a place built to prevent fires is destroyed by one. Verbal irony involves words, and dramatic irony involves a gap between the audience's knowledge and a character's.

Question 10English Language Arts and Literature

Which sentence is written in the active voice?

  1. The goal was scored in the final minute.
  2. The goal was scored by the captain.
  3. The captain scored the goal. Correct answer.
  4. The goal, scored by the captain, was cheered.

Explanation

In active voice the subject performs the action: 'the captain' does the scoring. In passive voice the subject receives the action and often appears in a 'by' phrase or is omitted entirely.

Question 11English Language Arts and Literature

The sentence 'Walking to school, the rain soaked us' contains a dangling modifier. Which revision fixes it?

  1. Walking to school, the rain began to fall.
  2. The rain soaked us walking to school.
  3. Walking to school, we were soaked by the rain. Correct answer.
  4. Walking to school, the rain was soaking.

Explanation

An introductory participial phrase must describe the subject of the main clause. In the revision, 'we' is the subject, and it is 'we' who were walking. The original sentence illogically makes the rain the thing walking to school.

Question 12English Language Arts and Literature

Which sentence uses the semicolon correctly?

  1. I packed; a lunch, a water bottle, and a map.
  2. I packed a lunch; and a water bottle.
  3. I packed a lunch; because the trip was long.
  4. I packed a lunch; I also packed a water bottle. Correct answer.

Explanation

A semicolon joins two independent clauses that are closely related and not already joined by a coordinating conjunction. Both halves of the correct sentence can stand alone as complete sentences.

Question 13English Language Arts and Literature

Which statement is the best example of a theme rather than a main idea?

  1. People often grow through hardship. Correct answer.
  2. A girl learns to sail during a summer storm.
  3. The story takes place in a small coastal town.
  4. The narrator describes her grandmother's boat.

Explanation

A theme is a broad message or insight about life that the text conveys, rather than a summary of events or setting. The correct option states a general idea about human experience that could apply beyond the story.

Question 14English Language Arts and Literature

An author writes, 'When the teacher called his name, Malik stared at his desk and said nothing.' This is an example of

  1. indirect characterization Correct answer.
  2. an unreliable narrator
  3. direct characterization
  4. third-person omniscient narration

Explanation

Indirect characterization reveals personality through a character's actions, speech, thoughts, and appearance rather than through labels. Readers must infer Malik's shyness or discomfort from his behaviour, not from a stated trait.

Question 15English Language Arts and Literature

Which word carries the most negative connotation when describing someone who saves money carefully?

  1. careful
  2. stingy Correct answer.
  3. thrifty
  4. frugal

Explanation

Connotation is the emotional shading a word carries beyond its literal meaning. 'Stingy' suggests meanness and unwillingness to share, whereas 'thrifty,' 'frugal,' and 'careful' suggest sensible management.

Question 16English Language Arts and Literature

Choose the best transition: 'The experiment failed twice. _____, the team refused to give up.'

  1. Similarly
  2. For example
  3. Nevertheless Correct answer.
  4. Therefore

Explanation

The two sentences contrast: repeated failure would normally lead to quitting, but the team persisted. 'Nevertheless' signals contrast or concession, which matches that relationship. Cause-and-effect and example transitions would misrepresent the logic.

Question 17English Language Arts and Literature

Which sentence uses the correct pronoun case?

  1. The coach gave the extra tickets to Ava and I.
  2. The coach gave the extra tickets to Ava and myself.
  3. Me and Ava got the extra tickets from the coach.
  4. The coach gave the extra tickets to Ava and me. Correct answer.

Explanation

A pronoun following a preposition must be in the object case, so 'me' is correct after 'to.' The subject case 'I' is used only for subjects, and reflexive pronouns like 'myself' require an antecedent earlier in the same clause.

Question 18English Language Arts and Literature

Which sentence uses parallel structure correctly?

  1. She likes to hike, swimming, and bike riding.
  2. She likes hiking, swimming, and to ride bikes.
  3. She likes hiking, to swim, and riding bikes.
  4. She likes hiking, swimming, and riding bikes. Correct answer.

Explanation

Items in a series should share the same grammatical form. The correct sentence uses three gerunds ('hiking,' 'swimming,' 'riding'), creating a balanced list, while the others mix gerunds with infinitives or nouns.

Question 19English Language Arts and Literature

Read this sentence: 'The speaker's vociferous tone startled the audience, who had expected a quiet, measured voice.' What does 'vociferous' most likely mean?

  1. quiet and hesitant
  2. calm and reassuring
  3. confused and rambling
  4. loud and insistent Correct answer.

Explanation

The contrast clue in the sentence is decisive: the audience expected a 'quiet, measured voice,' so the actual tone must be its opposite. 'Vociferous' therefore means loud and forceful.

Question 20English Language Arts and Literature

Which sentence would work best as a thesis statement for a persuasive essay about school start times?

  1. In this essay I will discuss school start times.
  2. Some students ride the bus to school each day.
  3. Later start times would improve student health and focus. Correct answer.
  4. Many schools begin classes before eight in the morning.

Explanation

A thesis must make a debatable claim that the essay can defend, not merely report a fact or announce a topic. The correct option takes a clear position that could be supported with evidence and could reasonably be argued against.

Question 21English Language Arts and Literature

A student is researching climate policy. Which source is most likely to be biased?

  1. A government report with cited statistics
  2. A textbook chapter reviewed by experts
  3. An oil company's campaign advertisement Correct answer.
  4. A peer-reviewed article in a science journal

Explanation

Bias is most likely when a source has a strong financial or political stake in the conclusion and lacks independent review. Advertising produced by an interested industry is persuasive by design, whereas peer-reviewed, cited, and expert-reviewed sources include checks on accuracy.

Question 22English Language Arts and Literature

Which detail most strongly suggests that a narrator is unreliable?

  1. The narrator describes the setting in great detail.
  2. The narrator's account contradicts known facts. Correct answer.
  3. The narrator uses figurative language throughout.
  4. The narrator addresses the reader directly.

Explanation

A narrator is unreliable when the account cannot be trusted, and contradiction of established facts is direct evidence of that. Detailed description, figurative language, and direct address are stylistic choices that do not by themselves undermine credibility.

Question 23English Language Arts and Literature

Which sentence uses the subjunctive mood correctly?

  1. She acts as if she was the team captain.
  2. I wish I was able to attend the concert.
  3. If I was taller, I would play basketball.
  4. If I were the coach, I would change the lineup. Correct answer.

Explanation

The subjunctive mood expresses wishes, hypotheticals, and conditions contrary to fact, and it uses 'were' for all subjects. Because the speaker is not actually the coach, 'If I were' is the correct form. The other sentences use the indicative 'was' in contrary-to-fact contexts.

Question 24English Language Arts and Literature

Read this sentence: 'The plan, hastily assembled and barely funded, was praised by the board as a model of efficiency.' The tone is best described as

  1. mild sarcasm Correct answer.
  2. playful humor
  3. sincere admiration
  4. open anger

Explanation

Tone grows out of the gap between the details chosen and the label applied. Describing a rushed, underfunded plan as a 'model of efficiency' creates a dry, ironic gap that signals mild sarcasm rather than genuine praise or outright fury.

Question 25English Language Arts and Literature

Which sentence contains a misplaced modifier?

  1. Sam, wearing his raincoat, washed the dog.
  2. Sam washed the dog wearing his raincoat. Correct answer.
  3. Wearing his raincoat, Sam washed the dog.
  4. Sam washed the dog while wearing his raincoat.

Explanation

A modifier should sit next to the word it describes. In the first sentence the phrase 'wearing his raincoat' follows 'dog,' so it appears to describe the dog rather than Sam. The other versions place the phrase clearly next to Sam.

Question 26English Language Arts and Literature

Read this sentence: "I have told you a million times to close the gate." Which figure of speech is used?

  1. metaphor
  2. hyperbole Correct answer.
  3. simile
  4. personification

Explanation

Hyperbole is a deliberate exaggeration that is not meant to be taken literally, and "a million times" is an impossible number used for emphasis. The other figures named all depend on comparison or on giving human traits to non-human things, and neither occurs here.

Question 27English Language Arts and Literature

Which sentence places commas correctly?

  1. After the storm ended we found a broken branch, on the roof.
  2. After the storm ended, we found a broken branch on the roof. Correct answer.
  3. After the storm, ended we found a broken branch on the roof.
  4. After the storm ended we found, a broken branch on the roof.

Explanation

An introductory word group is separated from the main clause by a comma, and no second comma is required because the rest of the sentence contains neither a list nor a non-essential interruption. The comma belongs immediately after the opening phrase, at the point where the main clause begins.

Question 28English Language Arts and Literature

Which word group is a complete sentence rather than a fragment?

  1. Even though the bus arrived late again this morning.
  2. The bus arrived late again this morning. Correct answer.
  3. Because the bus arrived late again this morning.
  4. Running down the hallway with a stack of papers.

Explanation

A complete sentence needs a subject, a finite verb, and a thought that can stand on its own. "The bus arrived late again this morning" supplies all three, while the other options are built around a subordinating word or a verb form that leaves the thought unfinished.

Question 29English Language Arts and Literature

A student giving a speech about school start times says: "As a nurse with twenty years of experience, I have seen what sleep loss does to teenagers." Which rhetorical appeal does this sentence rely on?

  1. Pathos, because it asks the audience to imagine being exhausted.
  2. Ethos, because it establishes the speaker's credibility and experience. Correct answer.
  3. Kairos, because it stresses that the issue must be solved immediately.
  4. Logos, because it presents a statistic about attendance.

Explanation

Ethos is the appeal to the speaker's character, authority, or trustworthiness. Citing twenty years of nursing experience gives the audience a reason to trust the speaker's judgment rather than offering data or stirring emotion.

Question 30English Language Arts and Literature

Read this passage: "The committee studied the proposal for six weeks. They ordered new letterhead, booked a larger room, and scheduled three more meetings. The proposal itself was never opened." Which word best describes the tone?

  1. admiring
  2. anxious
  3. mocking Correct answer.
  4. nostalgic

Explanation

The passage piles up busy, official-looking activity and then reveals that none of it involved the proposal itself. That gap between effort and result makes the committee look foolish, which produces a mocking tone.

Question 31English Language Arts and Literature

Read this excerpt: "Delia watched the driveway, certain her sister would come. Across town, unaware that the letter had arrived, her sister was still asleep." The narrator is best described as

  1. third-person omniscient Correct answer.
  2. first person
  3. second person
  4. third-person limited

Explanation

The narrator reports the private situation of a second character that Delia could not possibly know, which is the defining feature of an omniscient narrator. An omniscient narrator can move freely among characters' thoughts and circumstances.

Question 32English Language Arts and Literature

Which sentence contains a comma splice?

  1. The power went out; we played cards by candlelight.
  2. When the power went out, we played cards by candlelight.
  3. The power went out, so we played cards by candlelight.
  4. The power went out, we played cards by candlelight. Correct answer.

Explanation

A comma splice joins two independent clauses with nothing but a comma. "The power went out" and "we played cards by candlelight" can each stand alone, so the comma is not enough to connect them.

Question 33English Language Arts and Literature

Which sentence uses a colon correctly?

  1. She packed three things, a notebook: a pen, and a flashlight.
  2. She packed three things: a notebook, a pen, and a flashlight. Correct answer.
  3. She packed: a notebook, a pen, and a flashlight.
  4. She packed three things: and she also brought a notebook, a pen, and a flashlight.

Explanation

A colon must follow a complete independent clause and then introduce whatever explains or lists what came before. "She packed three things" is a full clause, and the list that follows itemizes the three things.

Question 34English Language Arts and Literature

Read this sentence: "By the time the bell rang, the students had finished the experiment and were cleaning their tables." Which statement about the verbs is accurate?

  1. "were cleaning" is written in the future tense.
  2. "had finished" should be changed to "have finished" to match "rang".
  3. "had finished" marks an action completed before another past action. Correct answer.
  4. "had finished" describes an action that will happen later.

Explanation

The past perfect tense ("had" plus a past participle) places one past action earlier than another past action. Finishing the experiment came before the bell rang, so past perfect is exactly what the sentence needs; the past progressive "were cleaning" then describes what was already under way.

Question 35English Language Arts and Literature

A student is researching the 2013 Alberta floods and wants a primary source. Which source best fits that requirement?

  1. a chapter about Alberta disasters in a history textbook
  2. an encyclopedia article written five years after the flood
  3. a magazine summary of flood research published last month
  4. a photograph taken by a resident on the day of the flood Correct answer.

Explanation

A primary source is first-hand evidence created at the time of the event by someone who witnessed or took part in it. A resident's photograph from the day of the flood is an original record, whereas the other choices are later interpretations or summaries.

Question 36English Language Arts and Literature

An article explains how a community builds an emergency plan, moving from the first public meeting through each stage to the final practice drill. Which organizational pattern does the article mainly use?

  1. sequence Correct answer.
  2. cause and effect
  3. comparison and contrast
  4. problem and solution

Explanation

Sequence organization arranges information in the order in which steps or events occur, usually signalled by words such as "first", "next", and "finally". The article follows the stages of building a plan from beginning to end, which is sequence.

Question 37English Language Arts and Literature

Which revision of this sentence is most concise without changing its meaning? "Due to the fact that the team was in possession of no evidence, they made the decision to postpone the review."

  1. Due to the fact that the team had no evidence, they decided to postpone the review.
  2. Because the team had no evidence, they postponed the review. Correct answer.
  3. In view of the fact that there was no evidence, the review was postponed by the team.
  4. The team, which was not in possession of any evidence, made the decision to postpone the review.

Explanation

Concise writing replaces wordy phrases with direct ones: "because" for "due to the fact that", "had" for "was in possession of", and "postponed" for "made the decision to postpone". The result keeps the original cause-and-result meaning in the fewest words.

Question 38English Language Arts and Literature

Read these sentences: "The hallway was crowded with cardboard boxes, stacked chairs, and posters curling at the corners. The door was open." The short final sentence mainly

  1. explains what caused the clutter in the hallway.
  2. summarizes everything described in the first sentence.
  3. introduces a new setting for the next scene.
  4. shifts the pace sharply to create emphasis. Correct answer.

Explanation

After a long, list-filled sentence, a very short one slows the reader down and throws weight onto a single detail. Writers use this shift in sentence length deliberately to make a plain statement feel significant.

Question 39English Language Arts and Literature

Read this sentence: "The report, which the committee had requested months earlier and which ran to nearly three hundred pages, was summarized in a single sentence." The contrast between the report and the summary mainly suggests that

  1. the report turned out to be shorter than expected.
  2. the summary dismisses a long, detailed report. Correct answer.
  3. the writer is impressed by the report.
  4. the committee valued the report's length.

Explanation

The sentence sets a lengthy, long-awaited report against a one-sentence summary, and the deliberate mismatch implies that the summary cannot do the report justice. The contrast is a comment on how the report was treated, not on how long it was or how the writer feels about it.

Question 40English Language Arts and Literature

Which sentence maintains parallel structure throughout its series?

  1. The internship taught her how to file the weekly reports, schedule meetings with clients, and proofreading contracts.
  2. The internship taught her how to file weekly reports, scheduling client meetings, and proofreading contracts.
  3. The internship taught her to file weekly reports, to schedule client meetings, and to proofread contracts. Correct answer.
  4. The internship taught her filing weekly reports, scheduling meetings with clients, and to proofread contracts.

Explanation

Items joined in a series must share the same grammatical form, so each element here is an infinitive phrase ("to file," "to schedule," "to proofread"). Mixing an infinitive with a gerund or a "how to" clause breaks the pattern and makes the sentence unbalanced.

Question 41Français langue première et littérature / French Immersion Language Arts and Literature

Complétez : « Il ___ décidé de partir ___ midi. »

  1. à / a
  2. à / à
  3. a / à Correct answer.
  4. a / a

Explanation

« a » est le verbe avoir à la 3e personne du singulier ; « à » est une préposition qui introduit un complément. La phrase contient donc le verbe puis la préposition devant l'heure.

Question 42Français langue première et littérature / French Immersion Language Arts and Literature

Quel est le pluriel du nom « cheval » ?

  1. chevaus
  2. chevales
  3. chevaux Correct answer.
  4. chevals

Explanation

Les noms terminés en -al font généralement leur pluriel en -aux. « Cheval » devient donc « chevaux ».

Question 43Français langue première et littérature / French Immersion Language Arts and Literature

Complétez : « Elle porte des chaussures ___. »

  1. noirs
  2. noires Correct answer.
  3. noire
  4. noir

Explanation

L'adjectif s'accorde en genre et en nombre avec le nom « chaussures », féminin pluriel. Il prend donc la marque -es.

Question 44Français langue première et littérature / French Immersion Language Arts and Literature

Complétez : « Ils ___ arrivés en retard. »

  1. son
  2. sont Correct answer.
  3. s'ont
  4. sons

Explanation

« Sont » est le verbe être à la 3e personne du pluriel, ce qui convient au sujet « Ils ». « Son » est un déterminant possessif qui accompagnerait un nom.

Question 45Français langue première et littérature / French Immersion Language Arts and Literature

Quel signe de ponctuation termine une phrase interrogative directe ?

  1. Le point-virgule
  2. Le point d'exclamation
  3. Le point d'interrogation Correct answer.
  4. Les deux-points

Explanation

La phrase interrogative directe se termine par un point d'interrogation. Les autres signes ont des fonctions différentes : séparer, introduire ou marquer l'exclamation.

Question 46Français langue première et littérature / French Immersion Language Arts and Literature

Quel mot est un synonyme de « joyeux » ?

  1. content Correct answer.
  2. fatigué
  3. triste
  4. inquiet

Explanation

« Content » partage le sens de « joyeux », qui exprime la gaieté. Les autres mots renvoient à des émotions différentes.

Question 47Français langue première et littérature / French Immersion Language Arts and Literature

Quel mot est l'antonyme de « rapide » ?

  1. agile
  2. vite
  3. pressé
  4. lent Correct answer.

Explanation

« Lent » exprime le contraire de « rapide » en ce qui concerne la vitesse. « Vite » est un synonyme, « agile » et « pressé » ont d'autres sens.

Question 48Français langue première et littérature / French Immersion Language Arts and Literature

Complétez : « ___ école est fermée aujourd'hui. »

  1. La
  2. L' Correct answer.
  3. Le
  4. Un

Explanation

Devant un nom féminin singulier commençant par une voyelle, l'article défini « la » s'élide en « l' ». On écrit donc « l'école ».

Question 49Français langue première et littérature / French Immersion Language Arts and Literature

Complétez au passé composé : « Elle ___ partie tôt ce matin. »

  1. avait
  2. était
  3. est Correct answer.
  4. a

Explanation

Le verbe « partir » se conjugue avec l'auxiliaire être au passé composé. Le participe passé s'accorde alors avec le sujet féminin « Elle » : « est partie ».

Question 50Français langue première et littérature / French Immersion Language Arts and Literature

Complétez : « Les fleurs que j'ai ___ sont fanées. »

  1. cueillie
  2. cueillies Correct answer.
  3. cueilli
  4. cueillis

Explanation

Avec l'auxiliaire avoir, le participe passé s'accorde avec le COD placé avant lui. « Les fleurs » est ce COD, féminin pluriel, d'où « cueillies ».