I85PREP
⌘ K
NBPTS EA/ELA study materials
NBPTS EA/ELA study resources

NBPTS EA/ELA practice questions

One question at a time. Build your NBPTS EA/ELA understanding.

First 50 of 200 questions. Each one lists the choices, the correct answer, and an explanation. The checker at the top of this page saves progress in this browser when it is available.

Continue in the practice tool above to load more questions, 50 at a time.

Question 1Content Knowledge

Which term describes a brief, indirect reference within a literary work to a well-known person, event, or earlier text?

  1. Allegory
  2. Allusion Correct answer.
  3. Apostrophe
  4. Anecdote

Explanation

An allusion is a passing reference that depends on the reader's shared cultural or literary knowledge; it does not explain the referenced material. It differs from devices that structure an entire work or address an absent listener.

Question 2Content Knowledge

Which sentence has a subject that agrees with its verb?

  1. The list of supplies were posted online.
  2. The list of supplies have been posted online.
  3. The list of supplies was posted online. Correct answer.
  4. The list of supplies are posted online.

Explanation

The simple subject is 'list,' which is singular, so the verb must be the singular 'was.' The prepositional phrase 'of supplies' sits between subject and verb but does not change the subject's number.

Question 3Content Knowledge

A fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter with a fixed rhyme scheme is best described as a

  1. haiku
  2. limerick
  3. ballad
  4. sonnet Correct answer.

Explanation

The sonnet is defined by its fourteen lines, iambic pentameter, and a conventional rhyme scheme such as the Shakespearean or Petrarchan pattern. Length alone separates it from the other fixed forms named here.

Question 4Content Knowledge

A narrator who is a character in the story and refers to himself or herself as 'I' is using which point of view?

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

Explanation

First-person narration is marked by the pronoun 'I,' which places the teller inside the story's action. The narrator's knowledge is therefore limited to what that character experiences or learns.

Question 5Content Knowledge

In the sentence 'The arid soil cracked in the sun,' the word 'arid' most likely means

  1. frozen
  2. fertile
  3. flooded
  4. dry Correct answer.

Explanation

Context clues in the sentence, especially soil that cracks under the sun, point to a lack of moisture. Readers confirm an unfamiliar word by testing it against the surrounding details.

Question 6Content Knowledge

Which word correctly completes the sentence: 'The team played well, and ___ coach praised the players'?

  1. it's
  2. its'
  3. their's
  4. its Correct answer.

Explanation

The sentence needs a possessive determiner modifying 'coach,' and the possessive form of 'it' is 'its,' written without an apostrophe. Apostrophes with 'it' belong only to the contraction 'it's,' meaning 'it is' or 'it has.'

Question 7Content Knowledge

An author explains how a volcanic eruption occurs by presenting the events in the order they happen. Which text structure is the author using?

  1. cause and effect
  2. compare and contrast
  3. problem and solution
  4. chronological order Correct answer.

Explanation

Chronological order arranges information by time sequence, using steps or stages that follow one another. Signal words such as 'first,' 'next,' and 'finally' typically mark this structure.

Question 8Content Knowledge

Which sentence is written in the active voice?

  1. The choir sang the song. Correct answer.
  2. The song was sung by the choir.
  3. Mistakes were made by the committee.
  4. The cake was eaten quickly.

Explanation

In the active voice the subject performs the action, as in 'The choir sang the song.' Passive constructions make the receiver of the action the grammatical subject and typically add a form of 'to be' plus a past participle.

Question 9Content Knowledge

A short story describes a fire station that catches fire and burns to the ground. This event is an example of

  1. stream of consciousness
  2. extended metaphor
  3. personification
  4. situational irony Correct answer.

Explanation

Situational irony occurs when an outcome sharply contradicts what the circumstances lead readers to expect, such as a firefighting facility destroyed by fire. The effect depends on the gap between expectation and event, not on wordplay or symbolism.

Question 10Content Knowledge

The Latin root 'cred' in words such as 'credible' and 'incredulous' means

  1. hear
  2. believe Correct answer.
  3. write
  4. see

Explanation

The root 'cred' carries the sense of believing or trusting, so 'credible' means believable and 'incredulous' means disbelieving. Recognizing the root helps students infer the meanings of unfamiliar words in the same family, such as 'credential' and 'creed.'

Question 11Content Knowledge

Which sentence is the strongest thesis statement for an essay about school start times?

  1. There are many different opinions about what time schools should start in the morning, and people disagree.
  2. In this paper I will write about school start times and why it is an interesting topic to consider.
  3. High schools should start after 8:30 a.m. because adolescent sleep cycles shift later. Correct answer.
  4. School start times are a topic that affects students, parents, teachers, and bus drivers alike.

Explanation

A strong thesis states a debatable claim and previews the reasoning that will support it, which this sentence does by naming both a position and a cause. The other sentences announce a topic or note that opinions differ without committing to an argument.

Question 12Content Knowledge

Read the sentence: 'The classroom was a zoo after the fire drill.' The sentence is an example of

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

Explanation

A metaphor states that one thing is another, creating a direct comparison without 'like' or 'as.' Here the classroom is equated with a zoo to convey chaos.

Question 13Content Knowledge

Which word carries the most negative connotation?

  1. firm
  2. stubborn Correct answer.
  3. determined
  4. steady

Explanation

Connotation is the emotional shading a word carries beyond its literal meaning. 'Stubborn' describes the same trait as 'firm' or 'determined' but frames it as an unwillingness to listen.

Question 14Content Knowledge

A student copies a writer's exact sentence into a report without quotation marks but lists the source on the works-cited page. This practice is

  1. a valid summary
  2. plagiarism Correct answer.
  3. acceptable paraphrase
  4. fair use of an idea

Explanation

Quotation marks must enclose language taken verbatim from a source, even when a citation is provided. Using another writer's exact words without them presents the wording as the student's own and is therefore plagiarism.

Question 15Content Knowledge

Choose the transition that best completes the sentence: 'The hike was exhausting; ___, the view from the summit was worth it.'

  1. therefore
  2. for example
  3. however Correct answer.
  4. similarly

Explanation

The two clauses set up a contrast between hardship and reward, so a contrastive transition such as 'however' is appropriate. The semicolon already joins the clauses, and the transition signals the logical turn.

Question 16Content Knowledge

A first-person narrator repeatedly contradicts facts the story has already established and admits to lying to the reader. This narrator is best described as

  1. objective
  2. omniscient
  3. unreliable Correct answer.
  4. intrusive

Explanation

An unreliable narrator is one whose account readers cannot fully trust because of dishonesty, confusion, or limited understanding. The deliberate contradictions signal that the reader must read against the narrator's version of events.

Question 17Content Knowledge

A speaker argues that a proposed policy is bad because the person who proposed it is unpopular. This reasoning commits which fallacy?

  1. slippery slope
  2. straw man
  3. false dilemma
  4. ad hominem Correct answer.

Explanation

An ad hominem argument attacks the person making a claim instead of addressing the claim itself, so the policy is never actually evaluated. Assessing the proposal's merits would require evidence about its effects.

Question 18Content Knowledge

The repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words, as in 'the rain in Spain,' is called

  1. alliteration
  2. consonance
  3. assonance Correct answer.
  4. onomatopoeia

Explanation

Assonance is the echoing of vowel sounds inside words that sit close together, which is what links 'rain' and 'Spain.' It differs from consonant-based devices that repeat sounds at particular positions.

Question 19Content Knowledge

Which sentence uses a colon correctly?

  1. She packed a tent, a rope, and a flashlight: and a stove for cooking.
  2. She packed a tent: a rope, and a flashlight, and a stove for cooking.
  3. She packed three items: a tent, a rope, and a flashlight. Correct answer.
  4. She packed: a tent, a rope, and a flashlight, and a stove for cooking.

Explanation

A colon should follow an independent clause that is complete in itself and then introduce a list, explanation, or quotation. Here 'She packed three items' is a full sentence, so the colon properly announces the list.

Question 20Content Knowledge

An author places a labeled diagram of the water cycle beside an explanatory text. The main purpose of this feature is to

  1. persuade readers to accept the author's opinion on the topic
  2. provide a complete list of sources used by the author
  3. entertain readers with an amusing story about the water cycle
  4. help readers visualize how a process works Correct answer.

Explanation

Graphic features such as diagrams support comprehension by showing spatial or sequential relationships that prose describes only in words. They supplement the text rather than replace it or argue a position.

Question 21Content Knowledge

Which line is written in iambic pentameter?

  1. The woods are lovely, dark and deep
  2. Tyger Tyger, burning bright in the forests of the night
  3. Twinkle, twinkle, little star
  4. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Correct answer.

Explanation

Iambic pentameter consists of five iambic feet, ten syllables alternating unstressed and stressed. 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?' fits that pattern, while the other lines contain four or seven feet.

Question 22Content Knowledge

Which sentence maintains parallel structure throughout its series?

  1. The internship taught her to manage time, how to write reports, and collaborating with editors.
  2. The internship taught her to manage time, to write reports, and to collaborate with editors. Correct answer.
  3. The internship taught her time management, how to write reports, and collaborating with editors.
  4. The internship taught her managing time, writing reports, and how to collaborate with editors.

Explanation

Items in a series should use the same grammatical form, and this sentence repeats the infinitive phrase 'to' plus verb for each item. Mixed forms such as gerunds beside infinitives disrupt the rhythm and obscure the relationship among items.

Question 23Content Knowledge

Which characteristic is most typical of Romantic poetry?

  1. focus on nature and individual emotion Correct answer.
  2. celebration of urban industrial life
  3. emphasis on reason and wit
  4. strict adherence to heroic couplets and closed forms

Explanation

Romantic writers valued imagination, intense feeling, and the natural world, often setting individual experience against society and industry. Their formal range was broad, so rigid metrical prescription is not a defining trait.

Question 24Content Knowledge

In classical and Shakespearean tragedy, a protagonist's hamartia refers to

  1. the final speech
  2. a fatal error or flaw Correct answer.
  3. the reversal of fortune
  4. the moment of recognition

Explanation

Hamartia is the error, misjudgment, or flaw in the tragic hero that sets the disastrous action in motion. It is a cause of the fall rather than the fall itself or the moment when the hero understands it.

Question 25Content Knowledge

The word 'philanthropy' combines Greek roots that mean

  1. fear of strangers
  2. love of humanity Correct answer.
  3. study of the mind
  4. rule by the wealthy

Explanation

'Philanthropy' joins 'phil,' meaning love or fondness, with 'anthropos,' meaning human being, so the word denotes love of humankind expressed through generous action.

Question 26Content Knowledge

Which word correctly completes the sentence: "Neither of the two candidates ___ submitted the required form"?

  1. having
  2. has Correct answer.
  3. have
  4. had

Explanation

The indefinite pronoun "neither" is singular, so it takes a singular verb in the present perfect construction. The helping verb must agree with "neither," not with the plural noun that follows "of."

Question 27Content Knowledge

Which sentence uses the apostrophe correctly?

  1. The two brothers's bicycles were parked in the garage.
  2. The two brothers' bicycles were parked in the garage. Correct answer.
  3. The two brother's bicycles were parked in the garage.
  4. The two brothers bicycles' were parked in the garage.

Explanation

A plural noun ending in -s forms the possessive by adding only an apostrophe after the final s. "Brothers'" correctly shows that the bicycles belong to two brothers.

Question 28Content Knowledge

The sentence "The wind whispered secrets through the trees" is an example of which figure of speech?

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

Explanation

Personification gives human qualities to a nonhuman thing; here the wind is said to whisper and keep secrets. A simile would use "like" or "as," and a metaphor would state that one thing is another.

Question 29Content Knowledge

Read the sentence: "The mayor's remarks were succinct; she summarized the plan in three sentences." What does "succinct" most nearly mean?

  1. wordy
  2. lengthy
  3. vague
  4. concise Correct answer.

Explanation

The context clue "summarized the plan in three sentences" shows that the remarks were brief and to the point. "Concise" matches that meaning.

Question 30Content Knowledge

The prefix in words such as "benevolent" and "benefactor" means which of the following?

  1. together
  2. bad
  3. good Correct answer.
  4. before

Explanation

The Latin root "bene-" means "good" or "well," as in "benefactor," a person who does good. The other meanings come from different roots.

Question 31Content Knowledge

A cookbook includes a step-by-step recipe for baking bread. What is the primary purpose of the recipe?

  1. to describe a personal memory
  2. to instruct readers to perform a task Correct answer.
  3. to persuade readers to buy a product
  4. to entertain readers with a story

Explanation

A recipe gives directions that help a reader complete a task, so its main purpose is instructional. Narrative or persuasive purposes would call for different features.

Question 32Content Knowledge

Which statement from a movie review is an opinion rather than a fact?

  1. The director previously made two comedies.
  2. The film runs 118 minutes.
  3. The film's final scene is the most moving of the year. Correct answer.
  4. The film was released in 2019.

Explanation

An opinion expresses a judgment or evaluation that cannot be objectively verified. Calling a scene "the most moving of the year" is a personal assessment, while dates, runtimes, and film credits are verifiable facts.

Question 33Content Knowledge

Which of the following is a complete sentence rather than a fragment?

  1. After the concert ended at midnight.
  2. The bus arrived late because of the storm. Correct answer.
  3. Because the bus arrived late.
  4. Running down the street in the rain.

Explanation

A complete sentence needs a subject and a finite verb and must express a complete thought. "The bus arrived late because of the storm" has a subject and verb and can stand alone.

Question 34Content Knowledge

Read this passage: "Jordan smiled as he read the note, but inside he worried that his friends would discover his secret." Which point of view is used?

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

Explanation

The narrator uses third-person pronouns and reveals Jordan's inner thoughts, but no other character's thoughts are shown. That combination defines third-person limited point of view.

Question 35Content Knowledge

Which sentence contains a comma splice?

  1. The rain stopped. The players returned to the field.
  2. The rain stopped, the players returned to the field. Correct answer.
  3. The rain stopped, and the players returned to the field.
  4. The rain stopped; the players returned to the field.

Explanation

A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined by only a comma. "The rain stopped" and "the players returned to the field" are both independent clauses, so a comma alone is insufficient.

Question 36Content Knowledge

Which sentence corrects the dangling modifier in "Walking through the museum, the paintings impressed the students"?

  1. Walking through the museum, the paintings impressed the students.
  2. Impressed by the paintings, the museum was walked through by the students.
  3. The paintings were impressive while walking through the museum.
  4. Walking through the museum, the students were impressed by the paintings. Correct answer.

Explanation

A modifying phrase must describe the noun it is placed next to. In the corrected sentence, "walking through the museum" clearly describes "the students," the people who can actually walk.

Question 37Content Knowledge

A speech includes the line "Think of the children who go to bed hungry each night in our city." Which rhetorical appeal does this line primarily use?

  1. kairos
  2. ethos
  3. logos
  4. pathos Correct answer.

Explanation

Pathos is an appeal to emotion, and the line asks the audience to feel sympathy for hungry children. Logos would rely on evidence and reasoning, while ethos would emphasize the speaker's credibility.

Question 38Content Knowledge

Which statement best expresses a theme of a story in which a girl learns to accept help from friends while completing a difficult project?

  1. The girl is shy and dislikes group work.
  2. The story takes place in a busy school library.
  3. A girl struggles with a project and asks her friends for help.
  4. Friendship makes difficult tasks easier. Correct answer.

Explanation

A theme is a universal idea about life that a story conveys, not a summary of its plot. "Friendship makes difficult tasks easier" states a broad insight that the events could illustrate.

Question 39Content Knowledge

Which word correctly completes the sentence: "The new policy will ___ how students register for classes"?

  1. affect Correct answer.
  2. effect
  3. affective
  4. effectively

Explanation

"Affect" is usually a verb meaning to influence, which fits after "will." "Effect" is most often a noun meaning result.

Question 40Content Knowledge

A student concludes that all cafeteria food is terrible after trying one bad sandwich. Which logical fallacy does this reasoning illustrate?

  1. ad hominem
  2. slippery slope
  3. hasty generalization Correct answer.
  4. false dilemma

Explanation

A hasty generalization draws a broad conclusion from too little evidence. One bad sandwich is not enough to support a claim about all cafeteria food.

Question 41Content Knowledge

How many lines does a Shakespearean sonnet contain?

  1. 10
  2. 14 Correct answer.
  3. 12
  4. 13

Explanation

A Shakespearean sonnet has 14 lines, usually arranged in three quatrains and a concluding couplet. The form follows a set rhyme scheme and meter.

Question 42Content Knowledge

Which item is a primary source for a research project on the Civil Rights Movement?

  1. a textbook chapter about the movement
  2. a documentary film released in 2010
  3. a letter written by a participant in 1963 Correct answer.
  4. an encyclopedia entry on the movement

Explanation

A primary source is a firsthand record created by someone who participated in or witnessed the event. A letter written by a participant in 1963 provides direct evidence from that time.

Question 43Content Knowledge

Which sentence uses dashes correctly to set off an interrupting idea?

  1. The final decision a unanimous one-was made by the committee.
  2. The final decision-a unanimous one-was made by the committee. Correct answer.
  3. The final decision was made-by the committee-unanimous.
  4. The final decision-was made by the committee.

Explanation

A pair of dashes can enclose an interrupting phrase that adds information to the sentence. Both dashes must appear around the inserted idea, as in "-a unanimous one-."

Question 44Content Knowledge

Which sentence maintains consistent verb tense?

  1. She walked to school and carried her lunch. Correct answer.
  2. She walks to school and was carrying her lunch.
  3. She walked to school and carries her lunch.
  4. She walks to school and carried her lunch.

Explanation

Verb tense should stay consistent unless the meaning requires a shift. Both verbs in "walked ... carried" are in the simple past tense.

Question 45Content Knowledge

An author writes, "When the teacher announced the pop quiz, Marcus slid his notebook under his desk and avoided her eyes." This is an example of which technique?

  1. indirect characterization Correct answer.
  2. foreshadowing
  3. direct characterization
  4. symbolism

Explanation

Indirect characterization reveals a character's traits through actions, speech, thoughts, or appearance rather than direct statement. Marcus's actions suggest nervousness or guilt without the narrator naming that trait.

Question 46Content Knowledge

Which feature most clearly distinguishes an epic from a lyric poem?

  1. It presents a single insight in fourteen lines.
  2. It expresses a speaker's private feelings in a brief song.
  3. It narrates a hero's deeds across a wide setting. Correct answer.
  4. It records a dialogue between two shepherds.

Explanation

An epic is a long narrative poem that recounts the deeds of a heroic figure and often covers a broad setting. Lyric poetry, by contrast, tends to focus on personal emotion or a single moment.

Question 47Content Knowledge

In literary analysis, the term "foil" refers to which of the following?

  1. a recurring image that reinforces a theme
  2. a character who contrasts with another Correct answer.
  3. a statement that seems self-contradictory
  4. a moment of sudden realization

Explanation

A foil is a character whose traits highlight or contrast with those of another character, often the protagonist. The contrast helps readers notice qualities that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Question 48Content Knowledge

Which sentence uses the subjunctive mood correctly?

  1. If I was the principal, I would extend recess.
  2. If I were the principal, I would of extended recess.
  3. If I were the principal, I would extend recess. Correct answer.
  4. If I am the principal, I would extended recess.

Explanation

In formal English, a contrary-to-fact condition uses the subjunctive "were" rather than "was." The main clause then uses "would" plus the base verb.

Question 49Content Knowledge

A narrator describes a joyful wedding in flat, clinical language. Which word best describes the tone of the passage?

  1. celebratory
  2. nostalgic
  3. anxious
  4. detached Correct answer.

Explanation

Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject, revealed through word choice and style. Flat, clinical language applied to a joyful event creates a detached tone.

Question 50Content Knowledge

A researcher finds a website article about a medical treatment. Which detail most strongly suggests that the source may be unreliable?

  1. It lists the author's medical credentials.
  2. It offers patient testimonials but cites no research. Correct answer.
  3. It was updated recently by a hospital.
  4. It links to peer-reviewed studies.

Explanation

A reliable medical source should support claims with evidence and be accountable to expert review. Testimonials without cited research are weak evidence and are a warning sign of unreliability.