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TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (391) study materials
TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (391) study resources

TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (391) practice questions

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Question 1English Language Arts and Reading

A kindergarten teacher wants students to recognize that spoken words are made up of separate sounds. Which activity best targets this skill?

  1. Reading a decodable text aloud in a small group
  2. Counting the individual sounds in a spoken word like /s/ /u/ /n/ Correct answer.
  3. Matching pictures that begin with the same letter
  4. Writing the letter that begins each word on a worksheet

Explanation

Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. Counting the separate sounds in a spoken word directly exercises that auditory skill without relying on print.

Question 2English Language Arts and Reading

Which word contains a consonant digraph?

  1. Stop
  2. Blend
  3. Rake
  4. Chip Correct answer.

Explanation

A consonant digraph is two consonants that together represent one sound. In "chip," the letters c and h combine to make the single sound /ch/.

Question 3English Language Arts and Reading

A student reads the word "cat" as "/k/ /a/ /t/" and then blends the sounds to say "cat." This behavior shows the student is using which skill?

  1. Decoding Correct answer.
  2. Sight-word recognition
  3. Structural analysis
  4. Contextual guessing

Explanation

Decoding is the process of translating printed letters into sounds and blending them to pronounce a word. Sounding out each phoneme and blending demonstrates this process.

Question 4English Language Arts and Reading

Which of the following is an example of a word family that shares a common rime?

  1. Happy, sad, angry
  2. Book, page, read
  3. Light, night, fight Correct answer.
  4. Jump, run, skip

Explanation

A word family is a group of words that share the same rime, the vowel-and-consonant ending of a syllable. "Light," "night," and "fight" all share the rime -ight.

Question 5English Language Arts and Reading

A first-grade teacher reads a big book aloud and points to each word while reading. Which concept is the teacher primarily reinforcing?

  1. Concepts of print, such as left-to-right directionality Correct answer.
  2. Phoneme segmentation
  3. Vocabulary development through synonyms
  4. Syllabication rules

Explanation

Pointing to words while reading models concepts of print, including directionality, one-to-one matching of spoken to printed words, and return sweep. These foundational understandings support later reading.

Question 6English Language Arts and Reading

Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

  1. "Where are you going?" she asked. Correct answer.
  2. "Where are you going", she asked?
  3. "Where are you going? she asked."
  4. "Where are you going" she asked.

Explanation

A question inside quotation marks keeps its question mark, and the question mark goes inside the closing quotation mark. The dialogue tag follows outside the quotation marks.

Question 7English Language Arts and Reading

Which sentence uses the correct form of the verb to complete the sentence: "The box of old photographs ___ in the attic."

  1. are stored
  2. have been stored
  3. were stored
  4. is stored Correct answer.

Explanation

The subject of the sentence is "box," a singular noun; the prepositional phrase "of old photographs" does not change the subject. A singular subject requires the singular verb "is."

Question 8English Language Arts and Reading

Which of the following words is a synonym for "happy"?

  1. Tired
  2. Angry
  3. Joyful Correct answer.
  4. Hungry

Explanation

A synonym is a word with a meaning similar to another word. "Joyful" has a meaning close to "happy," making it the correct synonym.

Question 9English Language Arts and Reading

A student is asked to identify the main idea of a short informational paragraph. Which question should the student ask first?

  1. What is this paragraph mostly about? Correct answer.
  2. What does the first sentence say word for word?
  3. How many sentences are in the paragraph?
  4. Which word appears most often?

Explanation

Main idea is the central point the author wants readers to understand about the whole text. Asking what the paragraph is mostly about directs attention to the overall meaning rather than surface details.

Question 10English Language Arts and Reading

A reader can tell that a character is nervous even though the text never says so, based on the character's tapping foot and stammering speech. This is an example of:

  1. Making an inference Correct answer.
  2. Summarizing the plot
  3. Determining the author's purpose
  4. Identifying the setting

Explanation

An inference is a conclusion drawn by combining textual evidence with prior knowledge. The reader uses clues such as tapping and stammering to infer an unstated emotion.

Question 11English Language Arts and Reading

Which text structure is used in a paragraph that explains how a volcano erupts by describing the sequence of events that occur underground?

  1. Compare and contrast
  2. Cause and effect
  3. Problem and solution
  4. Chronological or sequential Correct answer.

Explanation

A text organized around the order in which steps or events occur uses a chronological or sequential structure. Describing the order of underground events fits that pattern.

Question 12English Language Arts and Reading

A teacher wants to help students understand an unfamiliar word while reading. Which strategy best supports students in using context clues?

  1. Rereading the surrounding sentences for hints about meaning Correct answer.
  2. Asking a classmate to say the word aloud
  3. Looking up every word in a dictionary before reading
  4. Skipping the word and continuing to read

Explanation

Context clues are hints in the surrounding text that help readers figure out an unfamiliar word's meaning. Rereading nearby sentences uses those clues directly.

Question 13English Language Arts and Reading

In a story, the events are told out of order, with the narrator recalling a childhood memory before describing the present. Which literary element does this primarily involve?

  1. Character motivation
  2. Plot structure and flashback Correct answer.
  3. Theme
  4. Point of view

Explanation

Plot structure refers to how events are arranged in a narrative. A flashback interrupts the present timeline to show earlier events, which is an arrangement of plot.

Question 14English Language Arts and Reading

Which sentence correctly uses a comma to separate an introductory phrase from the main clause?

  1. After the long hike we, rested by the stream.
  2. After, the long hike we rested by the stream.
  3. After the long hike, we rested by the stream. Correct answer.
  4. After the long hike we rested, by the stream.

Explanation

An introductory phrase that comes before the main clause is set off by a comma. The comma belongs directly after the introductory phrase and before the subject of the main clause.

Question 15English Language Arts and Reading

A student writes: "Me and my friend went to the store." Which revision corrects the pronoun usage?

  1. I and my friend went to the store.
  2. My friend and I went to the store. Correct answer.
  3. My friend and me went to the store.
  4. Me and my friend has gone to the store.

Explanation

A pronoun used as the subject of a sentence must be in the subjective case, so "I" is required. Convention also places the other person first, giving "My friend and I."

Question 16English Language Arts and Reading

A teacher is planning a writing lesson on narrative writing. Which element is most essential for students to include?

  1. A list of facts organized by topic
  2. A clearly stated opinion supported by reasons
  3. Step-by-step instructions for a task
  4. A sequence of events with characters and a setting Correct answer.

Explanation

Narrative writing tells a story, so it requires characters, a setting, and a sequence of events. These elements distinguish narrative from other text types.

Question 17English Language Arts and Reading

Which of the following best describes the purpose of a running record in reading assessment?

  1. To record a student's oral reading errors and fluency Correct answer.
  2. To assess a student's listening comprehension only
  3. To measure a student's spelling accuracy in isolation
  4. To evaluate a student's handwriting legibility

Explanation

A running record is an assessment in which the teacher records a student's oral reading, noting errors, self-corrections, and fluency. It provides information about decoding and reading behaviors in context.

Question 18English Language Arts and Reading

A student reads fluently but struggles to answer questions about what was read. Which area should the teacher target for instruction?

  1. Print concepts
  2. Reading comprehension strategies Correct answer.
  3. Letter-sound correspondence
  4. Phonological awareness

Explanation

When word reading is fluent but understanding is weak, the difficulty lies in comprehension. Instruction should target strategies such as questioning, summarizing, and monitoring meaning.

Question 19English Language Arts and Reading

Which sentence contains a dangling modifier?

  1. We washed the dishes after finishing dinner.
  2. The dishes were washed after we finished dinner.
  3. After finishing dinner, we washed the dishes.
  4. After finishing dinner, the dishes were washed by us. Correct answer.

Explanation

A dangling modifier occurs when the word it is meant to describe is missing or unclear. In the first sentence, "after finishing dinner" appears to describe "the dishes," not the people, creating the dangling construction.

Question 20English Language Arts and Reading

A teacher uses a graphic organizer to help students compare two animals. Which organizer is best suited to this task?

  1. A story map
  2. A Venn diagram Correct answer.
  3. A timeline
  4. A K-W-L chart

Explanation

A Venn diagram organizes similarities and differences between two or more items, which matches a comparison task. Each circle represents one item and the overlap shows shared traits.

Question 21English Language Arts and Reading

Which of the following is the most effective way for a teacher to build students' academic vocabulary in content-area reading?

  1. Providing repeated exposure to words in multiple contexts with discussion Correct answer.
  2. Testing students on spelling of new words only
  3. Assigning a weekly list of words to memorize silently
  4. Having students copy definitions from a dictionary

Explanation

Robust vocabulary instruction involves multiple exposures to words in varied contexts along with discussion and use. This builds deep understanding rather than surface memorization.

Question 22English Language Arts and Reading

A writer wants to revise a paragraph for cohesion. Which technique best improves the flow between sentences?

  1. Removing all punctuation
  2. Replacing all nouns with pronouns
  3. Adding transitional words that show relationships between ideas Correct answer.
  4. Increasing the length of each sentence

Explanation

Cohesion refers to how sentences connect and flow together. Transitional words signal relationships between ideas and help readers follow the logic of the text.

Question 23English Language Arts and Reading

A teacher notices a student consistently reads "was" for "saw" and "from" for "form." Which instructional focus best addresses this pattern?

  1. Teaching syllabication of multisyllabic words
  2. Building sight-word automaticity with high-frequency irregular words
  3. Practicing left-to-right tracking and letter-order attention Correct answer.
  4. Increasing oral reading speed through repeated readings

Explanation

Reversing letters within words suggests the reader is not attending carefully to letter order. Instruction that emphasizes left-to-right tracking and noticing each letter's position addresses this pattern.

Question 24English Language Arts and Reading

An author writes a text using vivid sensory language and figurative comparisons to describe a sunset. The primary purpose of this text is most likely to:

  1. Inform readers about the science of light
  2. Persuade readers to protect the environment
  3. Instruct readers in a procedure
  4. Entertain or evoke an aesthetic response Correct answer.

Explanation

Vivid sensory language and figurative comparisons are hallmarks of descriptive or literary writing meant to create an experience for the reader. Such writing aims to entertain or evoke an aesthetic response.

Question 25English Language Arts and Reading

A student's writing shows strong ideas but lacks organization, with events jumping between topics. Which revision focus would most improve the piece?

  1. Adding more descriptive adjectives to each sentence
  2. Correcting spelling errors throughout the draft
  3. Shortening the piece by removing details
  4. Reordering ideas into a logical sequence with clear transitions Correct answer.

Explanation

Organization concerns the logical order and connection of ideas. Reordering content into a clear sequence with transitions directly addresses the identified weakness.

Question 26English Language Arts and Reading

A kindergarten teacher wants to develop students' phonological awareness before introducing letters. Which activity most directly targets that goal?

  1. Copying a list of words that begin with the letter c
  2. Reading a decodable book containing short-vowel words
  3. Segmenting the spoken word "cat" into its individual sounds Correct answer.
  4. Writing the letter c several times on handwriting paper

Explanation

Phonological awareness is the ability to notice and manipulate the sounds of spoken language without reference to print. Segmenting a spoken word into phonemes is a purely oral task that builds this awareness. The other activities involve letters or text and therefore address phonics or writing rather than sound awareness.

Question 27English Language Arts and Reading

A first-grade student writes "I lik to play." Which statement best describes the error?

  1. The student omitted the final silent e in "like," a spelling pattern not yet mastered Correct answer.
  2. The student omitted a needed comma after the verb
  3. The student used incorrect subject-verb agreement
  4. The student confused two homophones that sound alike

Explanation

The word "like" follows a silent-e pattern in which the final e marks a long vowel sound. Omitting it produces a phonetic spelling typical of developing writers. No homophone confusion, agreement error, or punctuation error is present in the sentence.

Question 28English Language Arts and Reading

A teacher asks students to read a short passage and then retell it in their own words to a partner. Which comprehension skill does this task most directly assess?

  1. Decoding multisyllabic words accurately
  2. Recognizing the difference between fiction and nonfiction
  3. Summarizing key information from a text Correct answer.
  4. Identifying the author's use of rhythm

Explanation

Retelling requires a reader to select important information and restate it in condensed form, which is the essence of summarizing. Decoding concerns word recognition rather than comprehension, and rhythm and genre recognition are not the focus of a retelling task.

Question 29English Language Arts and Reading

Which word is formed by adding a prefix that means "before" to a base word?

  1. Viewer
  2. Preview Correct answer.
  3. Viewing
  4. Review

Explanation

The prefix pre- means "before," so "preview" means to view beforehand. The other options use suffixes or no prefix at all and therefore do not carry the "before" meaning.

Question 30English Language Arts and Reading

A student is asked to determine the meaning of the word "reluctant" from this sentence: "Although she was reluctant at first, Maria eventually agreed to sing in the talent show." Which context clue most helps the reader infer the meaning?

  1. The phrase "talent show"
  2. The proper noun "Maria"
  3. The contrast signaled by "although" and "eventually" Correct answer.
  4. The verb "agreed"

Explanation

The contrast structure signals that reluctance gave way to agreement over time, so "reluctant" must mean hesitant or unwilling. Signal words such as "although" and "eventually" frame that contrast. The other elements identify a person, an event, and an action but do not reveal the meaning of the target word.

Question 31English Language Arts and Reading

A writer wants to combine these sentences: "The dog barked. The mail carrier jumped." Which revision best shows a cause-and-effect relationship?

  1. The dog barked while the mail carrier jumped.
  2. The dog barked; the mail carrier jumped.
  3. The mail carrier jumped because the dog barked. Correct answer.
  4. The dog barked, and the mail carrier jumped.

Explanation

A cause-and-effect relationship requires a connective such as "because" that explicitly marks one event as the reason for the other. Coordination with "and," the subordinator "while," and a semicolon all indicate sequence or simultaneity rather than causation.

Question 32English Language Arts and Reading

In an expository essay, a student writes: "Recycling reduces landfill waste. It saves energy. Communities benefit." Which revision best improves sentence fluency?

  1. Recycling reduces landfill waste, it saves energy, communities benefit.
  2. Recycling reduces landfill waste; it saves energy; communities benefit.
  3. Recycling reduces landfill waste, saves energy, and benefits communities. Correct answer.
  4. Recycling reduces landfill waste. It saves energy. Communities benefit.

Explanation

Combining short, choppy sentences into a parallel series with a shared subject improves fluency and clarity. The coordinated verbs "reduces," "saves," and "benefits" create parallelism. The other options either leave the choppiness intact or create punctuation errors.

Question 33English Language Arts and Reading

A teacher wants students to analyze how an author reveals a character's personality. Which instructional approach best supports this objective?

  1. Having students list the setting details from each chapter
  2. Asking students to count the number of pages in the story
  3. Asking students to memorize the names of all characters in the story
  4. Having students collect evidence of the character's words, actions, and others' reactions Correct answer.

Explanation

Characterization is revealed through speech, actions, thoughts, and the responses of other characters, so gathering this evidence supports analysis. Memorizing names, listing setting details, and counting pages do not require students to interpret personality traits.

Question 34English Language Arts and Reading

A teacher is selecting a text for a small-group lesson focused on identifying an author's point and reasons. Which text type is best suited for this purpose?

  1. An opinion article that states a claim and supports it with evidence Correct answer.
  2. A fictional story with a surprise ending
  3. A rhyming poem about the seasons
  4. A wordless picture book

Explanation

Identifying a point and the reasons that support it requires an argumentative or opinion text with an explicit claim and evidence. Wordless books, poems, and fictional narratives do not typically present a claim with supporting reasons.

Question 35English Language Arts and Reading

A second grader reads "The rabbit ran fast" as "The rabbit ran fast" but reads "The rabbit ran last" as "The rabbit ran fast." Which word-recognition skill should the teacher target?

  1. Improving comprehension of story structure
  2. Attending to ending sounds and letter-sound correspondences in similar words Correct answer.
  3. Building background knowledge about rabbits
  4. Increasing reading rate for fluency

Explanation

Substituting "fast" for "last" shows the student is not attending closely to the initial sound or the letter that distinguishes the words. Instruction should focus on careful analysis of letter-sound correspondences in visually and phonetically similar words. Rate, background knowledge, and story structure do not address this word-level error.

Question 36English Language Arts and Reading

A student's persuasive essay includes this sentence: "Everyone knows that school should start later, and anybody who disagrees is wrong." Which revision best strengthens the argument?

  1. School should start later because that is what I believe.
  2. Research shows that later start times improve adolescent attendance and focus. Correct answer.
  3. Everyone knows that school should start later, and anybody who disagrees is wrong.
  4. I think school should start later because I am always tired.

Explanation

Strong persuasive writing supports claims with credible evidence rather than sweeping assertions or personal attacks. Citing research on attendance and focus provides objective support. The other options rely on unsupported opinion or personal preference.

Question 37English Language Arts and Reading

A teacher wants to help students understand how an informational text is organized. Which activity best develops that understanding?

  1. Having students practice cursive handwriting
  2. Having students highlight the signal words that show how ideas connect across paragraphs Correct answer.
  3. Having students read the text aloud chorally
  4. Having students illustrate the main character

Explanation

Text structure is signaled by words such as "however," "therefore," and "first," so identifying these connectors helps students recognize how ideas relate. Choral reading, illustration, and handwriting practice do not focus on organizational patterns.

Question 38English Language Arts and Reading

A student writes the sentence "The team celebrated there victory after the game." Which revision corrects the error?

  1. The team celebrated theirs victory after the game.
  2. The team celebrated they're victory after the game.
  3. The team celebrated their victory after the game. Correct answer.
  4. The team celebrated there victory after the game.

Explanation

The possessive form "their" is required before a noun to show ownership. "There" indicates place, "they're" is a contraction of "they are," and "theirs" is an independent possessive pronoun that cannot modify a noun.

Question 39English Language Arts and Reading

A teacher analyzes a running record and notices a student reads with 98% accuracy but makes no self-corrections and cannot retell the story. Which instructional decision is best supported by this evidence?

  1. Shift instruction toward meaning-making strategies such as predicting and summarizing Correct answer.
  2. Focus instruction on phonics drills to improve accuracy further
  3. Reduce comprehension instruction because accuracy is already high
  4. Increase the text difficulty to challenge the student's decoding

Explanation

High accuracy combined with poor retelling indicates the student is decoding without constructing meaning, so instruction should target comprehension strategies. Increasing difficulty or drilling phonics would not address the comprehension gap, and reducing comprehension instruction would worsen it.

Question 40English Language Arts and Reading

An author writes: "The old house leaned like a tired traveler, its windows clouded with years of dust." Which two literary devices are most evident in this sentence?

  1. Simile and personification Correct answer.
  2. Hyperbole and rhyme
  3. Idiom and pun
  4. Onomatopoeia and alliteration

Explanation

The comparison using "like" is a simile, and attributing the human quality of weariness to the house is personification. There are no sound-effect words, rhyming pairs, exaggerations, or wordplay that would support the other choices.

Question 41Mathematics

A student writes the number 4,706. What is the value of the digit 7 in this number?

  1. 70
  2. 7,000
  3. 700 Correct answer.
  4. 7

Explanation

In a base-ten numeral each place value is ten times the place to its right. The 7 sits in the hundreds place, so its value is 7 × 100 = 700.

Question 42Mathematics

Which fraction is equivalent to 3/4?

  1. 2/3
  2. 6/8 Correct answer.
  3. 3/8
  4. 4/5

Explanation

Multiplying numerator and denominator of a fraction by the same nonzero number produces an equivalent fraction. Since 3 × 2 = 6 and 4 × 2 = 8, the fraction 6/8 equals 3/4.

Question 43Mathematics

A rectangle has a length of 9 cm and a width of 4 cm. What is its perimeter?

  1. 18 cm
  2. 36 cm
  3. 26 cm Correct answer.
  4. 13 cm

Explanation

The perimeter of a rectangle is 2(length + width). Substituting gives 2(9 + 4) = 2 × 13 = 26 cm.

Question 44Mathematics

What is 456 rounded to the nearest hundred?

  1. 400
  2. 460
  3. 450
  4. 500 Correct answer.

Explanation

To round to the nearest hundred, look at the tens digit. Because the tens digit is 5, the number rounds up, so 456 becomes 500.

Question 45Mathematics

Which of the following is a prime number?

  1. 29 Correct answer.
  2. 21
  3. 39
  4. 33

Explanation

A prime number has exactly two factors, 1 and itself. The number 29 is not divisible by 2, 3, or 5, and no factor between 1 and 29 divides it evenly, so it is prime.

Question 46Mathematics

A bag contains 5 red marbles and 15 blue marbles. What is the ratio of red marbles to blue marbles in simplest form?

  1. 3:1
  2. 1:4
  3. 5:15
  4. 1:3 Correct answer.

Explanation

The ratio of red to blue is 5:15. Dividing both terms by their greatest common factor of 5 gives 1:3.

Question 47Mathematics

What is the value of 3 + 4 × 2?

  1. 11 Correct answer.
  2. 9
  3. 24
  4. 14

Explanation

Order of operations requires multiplication before addition. So 4 × 2 = 8, and then 3 + 8 = 11.

Question 48Mathematics

A square has a side length of 6 inches. What is its area?

  1. 36 square inches Correct answer.
  2. 18 square inches
  3. 24 square inches
  4. 12 square inches

Explanation

The area of a square is the side length multiplied by itself. Since 6 × 6 = 36, the area is 36 square inches.

Question 49Mathematics

Which decimal is equivalent to 7/20?

  1. 0.27
  2. 3.5
  3. 0.72
  4. 0.35 Correct answer.

Explanation

Dividing the numerator by the denominator gives 7 ÷ 20. Since 7/20 = 35/100, the decimal form is 0.35.

Question 50Mathematics

A recipe calls for 2/3 cup of sugar. If a cook makes 1 1/2 times the recipe, how much sugar is needed?

  1. 2 1/6 cups
  2. 1 1/3 cups
  3. 1 1/6 cups
  4. 1 cup Correct answer.

Explanation

Multiply 2/3 by 3/2. The product is 6/6 = 1, so the cook needs exactly 1 cup of sugar.