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TExES PE EC-12 258 study materials
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TExES PE EC-12 258 practice questions

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Question 1Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

What term describes skills such as running, skipping, and galloping that transport the body from one place to another?

  1. Manipulative skills
  2. Perceptual-motor skills
  3. Non-locomotor skills
  4. Locomotor skills Correct answer.

Explanation

Locomotor skills move the body through space and include walking, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, galloping, sliding, and leaping. The defining feature is that the body travels from one location to another.

Question 2Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

Which of the following is classified as a non-locomotor (axial) skill?

  1. Leaping over a puddle
  2. Twisting in place Correct answer.
  3. Galloping across the gym
  4. Skipping to a rhythm

Explanation

Non-locomotor skills are performed in place around the body's own axis and include bending, twisting, turning, swinging, and swaying. Because the body does not travel to a new location, twisting in place fits this category.

Question 3Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

Which of the following is a manipulative skill?

  1. Balancing on a beam
  2. Dribbling a ball Correct answer.
  3. Hopping on one foot
  4. Skipping forward

Explanation

Manipulative skills involve giving force to, receiving force from, or controlling an object, as in throwing, catching, kicking, striking, and dribbling. Dribbling requires the performer to control a ball, so it belongs in this category.

Question 4Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

In movement education, the area immediately surrounding a person's body is called:

  1. Personal space Correct answer.
  2. Shared space
  3. Boundary space
  4. General space

Explanation

Personal space is the small area within immediate reach of the body, while general space is the larger shared area in which the whole group moves. Teaching students to respect personal space supports safety and body awareness.

Question 5Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

Maintaining a stable position while standing on one foot without moving is an example of:

  1. Power
  2. Dynamic balance
  3. Static balance Correct answer.
  4. Agility

Explanation

Static balance is the ability to hold a stationary position without loss of equilibrium, such as a one-foot stand. Dynamic balance, by contrast, is maintaining equilibrium while the body is in motion.

Question 6Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

Which skill-related fitness component is best described as the ability to change direction quickly while maintaining control?

  1. Agility Correct answer.
  2. Reaction time
  3. Power
  4. Coordination

Explanation

Agility is the ability to start, stop, and change direction rapidly without losing balance or control. It depends on coordination, speed, and dynamic balance working together.

Question 7Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

Running, jumping, and throwing are best classified as:

  1. Fine motor skills
  2. Cognitive learning skills
  3. Gross motor skills Correct answer.
  4. Perceptual-motor abilities

Explanation

Gross motor skills recruit the large muscle groups of the trunk and limbs to produce whole-body movement. Running, jumping, and throwing all depend primarily on these large-muscle actions.

Question 8Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

Laterality in motor development refers to:

  1. Judging distances accurately
  2. Moving in a straight pathway
  3. Knowing left from right Correct answer.
  4. Maintaining equilibrium while still

Explanation

Laterality is internal awareness of the two sides of the body and the development of a preferred side for tasks. It underlies directional awareness and the ability to cross the body's midline.

Question 9Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

A child throwing overhand keeps the feet stationary and produces the motion almost entirely from the arm, with no trunk rotation. This performance is most characteristic of the:

  1. Initial stage Correct answer.
  2. Autonomous stage
  3. Elementary stage
  4. Mature stage

Explanation

In the initial stage of overhand throwing, the action is essentially arm-only, the feet stay planted, and the trunk does not rotate. Later stages add trunk rotation, a step, and finally a coordinated whole-body sequence.

Question 10Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

Children in the initial stage of catching most commonly:

  1. Catch with the hands only and bend the elbows to absorb force
  2. Trap the ball against the chest with both arms Correct answer.
  3. Catch with one hand while stepping toward the ball
  4. Turn the head away and reach with stiff, extended arms

Explanation

The initial catching pattern is a rigid, chest-level trap in which the arms clamp the ball against the body. Refinement brings the hands forward, bends the elbows to give with the ball, and adds visual tracking.

Question 11Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

A physical education teacher gives a student immediate verbal cues about arm position during a practice throw. This is best described as:

  1. Delayed knowledge of results
  2. Summative assessment
  3. Intrinsic feedback
  4. Augmented feedback Correct answer.

Explanation

Augmented feedback is information supplied by an outside source, such as a teacher or video, that adds to what the learner can sense on their own. Verbal cues given during practice are a classic form of augmented feedback.

Question 12Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

Which practice schedule is most likely to promote retention of a newly learned skill in beginners?

  1. Random practice with no feedback or cues provided
  2. Distributed practice with rest periods Correct answer.
  3. Blocked practice of one skill only, repeated without rest
  4. Massed practice completed in a single long session

Explanation

Distributed practice spreads trials across sessions with rest intervals, which reduces fatigue and supports consolidation of the motor pattern. Beginners especially benefit because they need recovery time to process feedback between attempts.

Question 13Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

Which instructional cue is most appropriate for a beginner learning to strike a ball with a lightweight paddle?

  1. Stand fully upright and avoid bending the knees
  2. Swing as hard as possible to build maximum power
  3. Watch the ball and take a short backswing Correct answer.
  4. Keep the wrist stiff and locked through the swing

Explanation

Beginners need to establish visual tracking and a controlled swing before adding power. A short backswing keeps the paddle on the ball's line and makes consistent contact more likely.

Question 14Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

In the mature pattern of a place kick, the kicker should:

  1. Plant the non-kicking foot beside the ball Correct answer.
  2. Keep the kicking leg fully straight during the backswing
  3. Contact the ball with the toes of the kicking foot
  4. Face away from the target to generate more force

Explanation

The mature kicking pattern places the support foot beside or slightly behind the ball so the kicking leg can swing through a long arc. The kicker then contacts the ball with the instep and follows through toward the target.

Question 15Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

To increase stability during a static balance task, a student should:

  1. Close the eyes and hold the breath
  2. Stand on the toes with the feet together
  3. Lower the center of gravity and widen the base of support Correct answer.
  4. Raise the center of gravity and narrow the base of support while holding still

Explanation

Stability improves when the base of support is larger and the center of gravity is lower and kept over that base. Bending the knees and spreading the feet therefore make a balance easier to hold.

Question 16Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

A student wants to jump higher in a vertical jump. Which principle best explains why a rapid countermovement (quick crouch) helps?

  1. It uses the stretch-shortening cycle of the muscles Correct answer.
  2. It lowers the performer's center of gravity permanently
  3. It lengthens the time the body spends in the flight phase
  4. It reduces the need for an arm swing before takeoff

Explanation

A rapid countermovement stretches the leg extensor muscles and stores elastic energy, which the subsequent contraction releases, adding force to the push-off. This stretch-shortening cycle is why a quick crouch produces a higher jump than a slow one.

Question 17Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

A teacher asks students to move "lightly like a feather" and then "heavily like an elephant." These directions primarily explore which movement concept?

  1. Effort Correct answer.
  2. Space
  3. Pathways
  4. Relationships

Explanation

Effort describes how the body moves, including force, speed, and flow. Asking students to move lightly or heavily focuses attention directly on the amount of force used.

Question 18Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

Which activity best develops rhythmic awareness in young children?

  1. Running timed laps around the gymnasium
  2. Clapping and stepping to a steady beat Correct answer.
  3. Throwing a ball for maximum distance
  4. Holding a plank position for thirty seconds

Explanation

Rhythmic awareness develops when children synchronize movement with a steady beat, as in clapping and stepping together. Repeated beat-matching experiences help them internalize tempo and timing.

Question 19Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

A student who has learned to throw a baseball overhand picks up an overhand throw with a football more quickly. This is an example of:

  1. Negative transfer
  2. Retroactive inhibition
  3. Positive transfer Correct answer.
  4. Zero transfer

Explanation

Positive transfer occurs when a previously learned skill facilitates the learning of a new but similar skill. The shared overhand pattern allows the earlier learning to help the later one.

Question 20Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

Walking differs from running primarily in that walking:

  1. Includes a longer flight phase than running
  2. Uses the arms as the main source of propulsion
  3. Requires greater single-leg balance than running
  4. Includes a double-support phase Correct answer.

Explanation

In walking there is a moment when both feet are on the ground, called double support, and there is no flight phase. Running has a flight phase in which neither foot contacts the ground.

Question 21Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

Skipping is considered more complex than galloping for young children mainly because skipping:

  1. It is performed only in place
  2. It requires no balance or coordination
  3. It alternates a step and hop on each foot Correct answer.
  4. It uses only one side of the body repeatedly

Explanation

Skipping combines a step and a hop on alternating feet in a consistent rhythm, which requires temporal and bilateral coordination. Galloping uses the same lead foot repeatedly, making it a simpler pattern.

Question 22Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

Which activity would best develop eye-hand coordination in a primary-grade student?

  1. Tossing and catching a beanbag Correct answer.
  2. Holding a static plank for thirty seconds
  3. Running repeated 50-yard dashes
  4. Stretching the hamstrings statically

Explanation

Eye-hand coordination improves when the eyes guide the hands to intercept or direct an object. Tossing and catching a beanbag repeatedly provides that tracking and interception practice.

Question 23Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

A learner can perform a skill but must concentrate carefully on each step and cannot yet detect her own errors. She is in which stage of motor learning?

  1. Cognitive Correct answer.
  2. Reflexive
  3. Associative
  4. Autonomous

Explanation

In the cognitive stage the learner is building a mental model of the skill, makes frequent errors, and relies heavily on external feedback. Self-detection of errors emerges later, in the associative and autonomous stages.

Question 24Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

Walking across a balance beam while placing one foot directly in front of the other challenges which ability most?

  1. Dynamic balance Correct answer.
  2. Muscular endurance
  3. Reaction time
  4. Flexibility

Explanation

Dynamic balance is the ability to maintain equilibrium while the body is moving, which the beam walk demands continuously. The narrow base of support makes each step a balance adjustment.

Question 25Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

When a teacher asks students to travel in a zigzag line across the floor, the focus is on which movement concept?

  1. Force of movement
  2. Pathway Correct answer.
  3. Body shape
  4. Level of movement

Explanation

Pathway is a space concept describing the line the body follows, such as straight, curved, or zigzag. Asking for a zigzag line directs attention to that line of travel.

Question 26Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

Which of the following is classified as a locomotor skill?

  1. Skipping Correct answer.
  2. Twisting the torso
  3. Bending at the waist
  4. Balancing on one foot

Explanation

Locomotor skills are movements that transport the body from one place to another. Skipping clearly travels through space. Balancing, bending, and twisting are performed in place and are classified as non-locomotor or axial skills.

Question 27Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

In movement education, a student who moves slowly and then quickly is exploring which element of effort?

  1. Relationships
  2. Body awareness
  3. Time Correct answer.
  4. Space

Explanation

The effort element of movement describes how the body moves and includes time, force, and flow. Changing speed from slow to fast is an exploration of time. Space concerns where the body moves, and relationships concern connections with objects or people.

Question 28Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

Which of the following is a non-locomotor skill?

  1. Galloping
  2. Leaping
  3. Twisting Correct answer.
  4. Sliding

Explanation

Non-locomotor skills are performed in place without transferring weight to travel through space. Twisting fits this category. Galloping, sliding, and leaping all move the body from one location to another.

Question 29Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

A student identifies and moves each body part in isolation, such as lifting only the left knee. This best demonstrates awareness of:

  1. Space
  2. Relationships
  3. Body Correct answer.
  4. Effort

Explanation

Body awareness is the understanding of body parts, body shape, and how individual parts can move. Isolating the left knee shows this understanding. Space, effort, and relationships focus on other movement concepts.

Question 30Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

A student holds a one-foot balance with arms out and remains motionless for 10 seconds. This is best classified as:

  1. Static balance Correct answer.
  2. Agility
  3. Dynamic balance
  4. Power

Explanation

Static balance is maintaining a stable position while the body is not moving. Holding a one-foot pose without motion is a clear example. Dynamic balance involves maintaining stability during movement, while agility and power are different fitness components.

Question 31Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

The coordinated use of both sides of the body at the same time, such as catching a ball with two hands, is called:

  1. Laterality
  2. Cross-lateral coordination
  3. Bilateral coordination Correct answer.
  4. Unilateral dominance

Explanation

Bilateral coordination is the simultaneous use of both sides of the body in a coordinated action. Catching with two hands is a bilateral task. Laterality refers to awareness of the two sides, and cross-lateral coordination involves crossing the body's midline.

Question 32Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

A teacher asks students to move forward, then backward, then sideways. These instructions focus on which movement concept?

  1. Direction Correct answer.
  2. Extension
  3. Pathway
  4. Level

Explanation

Direction describes the way the body moves, such as forward, backward, or sideways. The teacher's instructions directly name directions of travel. Level refers to high, middle, or low positioning, and pathway refers to the line of travel.

Question 33Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

In the initial stage of striking a ball with a lightweight bat, a child most typically:

  1. Steps forward with the opposite foot and follows through
  2. Rotates the hips and trunk ahead of the arms
  3. Uses a two-handed grip with full trunk rotation
  4. Swings mostly from the arms with feet and trunk still Correct answer.

Explanation

In the initial stage of striking, the child uses an arm-dominated swing and does not yet coordinate the trunk and lower body. The feet often remain stationary, and the follow-through is limited. The other choices describe more mature striking patterns.

Question 34Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

Which activity is most appropriate for developing dynamic balance in an elementary student?

  1. Performing a seated hamstring stretch
  2. Standing on one foot with eyes closed
  3. Holding a plank position for 30 seconds
  4. Walking heel-to-toe along a taped line Correct answer.

Explanation

Dynamic balance is the ability to remain stable while the body is moving. Walking heel-to-toe along a line challenges balance during forward movement. The other activities are static or flexibility tasks.

Question 35Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

A student throws a ball with a straight arm rather than a bent arm. Which mechanical principle best explains why the straight arm can increase the speed of the ball at release?

  1. The lever principle Correct answer.
  2. Newton's first law
  3. Conservation of momentum
  4. The impulse-momentum relationship

Explanation

The arm acts as a lever with the shoulder as the axis. Lengthening the lever increases the linear speed of the distal end when angular speed is constant. This helps explain why a straighter arm can produce greater release speed.

Question 36Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

A physical education teacher gives students a larger, lighter ball and a shorter paddle when first learning to strike. This adjustment is best described as:

  1. Massed practice
  2. Task modification Correct answer.
  3. Part practice
  4. Negative transfer

Explanation

Changing equipment to make a skill easier is a task modification, which adjusts the constraints of the activity. Larger, lighter equipment gives beginners more success while learning. Part practice would involve breaking the skill into components.

Question 37Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

For an open skill such as dribbling a soccer ball against opponents, which practice condition is generally most effective for transfer?

  1. Massed practice without rest
  2. Blocked practice against a stationary cone only
  3. Variable practice in changing conditions Correct answer.
  4. Mental practice alone

Explanation

Open skills are performed in unpredictable, changing environments, so learners need to adapt their movements. Variable practice in changing conditions better prepares them for game situations. Blocked practice against a cone does not train the required adaptability.

Question 38Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

Knowledge of performance (KP) differs from knowledge of results (KR) because KP provides information about:

  1. The movement pattern used to produce it Correct answer.
  2. The numerical score earned on a skills test
  3. The elapsed time measured after the trial
  4. The final outcome or score of the movement

Explanation

Knowledge of performance gives the learner information about the movement pattern or technique used. Knowledge of results, in contrast, gives information about the outcome of the movement. Technique feedback helps learners refine form.

Question 39Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

A free throw in basketball is best classified as a closed skill because the environment is:

  1. Changing and opponent-controlled
  2. Predictable and self-paced Correct answer.
  3. Unpredictable and externally paced
  4. Random and reactive

Explanation

A closed skill is performed in a stable, predictable environment, and the performer controls the timing. A free throw fits this description because the shooter initiates the action. Open skills involve unpredictable environments and external pacing.

Question 40Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

Which activity best develops cross-lateral coordination?

  1. Crawling with opposite arm and leg together Correct answer.
  2. Hopping repeatedly on the right foot only
  3. Standing on both feet and twisting the torso
  4. Doing a two-foot standing long jump across the gym

Explanation

Cross-lateral coordination involves using limbs on opposite sides of the body together. Crawling with the right arm and left leg moving together is a cross-lateral pattern. The other activities use same-side or single-limb actions.

Question 41Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

In an upright standing position, the center of gravity of an average person is located approximately at the level of the:

  1. At the level of the skull, near the temples
  2. At the level of the lower chest, near the xiphoid
  3. At the level of the pelvis, near the sacrum Correct answer.
  4. At the level of the heel, in the calcaneus

Explanation

The center of gravity in an upright standing position lies near the second sacral vertebra, in the pelvic region. This central location helps explain why the body can balance over a relatively small base of support. The other locations are too high or too low to represent the body's center of gravity.

Question 42Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

To produce maximum force in a place kick, the kicker should:

  1. Start with the hips already rotated forward
  2. Lock the knee and swing only from the hip
  3. Keep the kicking leg straight throughout the motion
  4. Use sequential hip-then-knee extension Correct answer.

Explanation

Maximum kicking force is produced through sequential segmental action, beginning with the proximal segments and transferring energy to the distal segments. Hip extension followed by knee extension allows the lower leg to accelerate rapidly. Locking the knee or using only the hip limits force production.

Question 43Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

Which of the following is a discrete motor skill?

  1. Swimming continuous laps
  2. Cycling on a stationary bike
  3. Jogging at a steady pace
  4. Throwing a ball Correct answer.

Explanation

A discrete skill has a clear beginning and end point. Throwing a ball fits this definition because the action starts and finishes in a short, defined movement. Jogging, swimming laps, and cycling are continuous skills without a clear endpoint.

Question 44Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

A teacher tells students to move anywhere in the gym without touching others. This instruction primarily emphasizes:

  1. Rhythmic awareness
  2. General space Correct answer.
  3. Body awareness
  4. Effort awareness

Explanation

General space is the shared area through which students travel while avoiding collisions. Moving anywhere in the gym without touching others requires awareness of the shared space. Personal space refers to the immediate area around one's body.

Question 45Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

According to Fitts and Posner, a learner who has refined the basic movement pattern and can detect some errors but still needs practice to become automatic is in the:

  1. Cognitive stage
  2. Autonomous stage
  3. Precontrol stage
  4. Associative stage Correct answer.

Explanation

In the associative stage, learners have acquired the basic movement pattern and begin refining technique. They can detect some errors but still require practice before the skill becomes automatic. The cognitive stage involves understanding the task, while the autonomous stage involves automatic performance.

Question 46Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

A gymnast tucks the body during a somersault and rotates faster. Which principle best explains this effect?

  1. Newton's third law of action-reaction
  2. Archimedes' principle of buoyancy
  3. Conservation of angular momentum Correct answer.
  4. The stretch-shortening cycle of muscle

Explanation

With angular momentum conserved, reducing the body's moment of inertia by tucking increases angular velocity. This is why a tucked somersault rotates faster than an extended one. The principle applies to rotational motion.

Question 47Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

In the most advanced developmental pattern of catching, the child:

  1. Turns the head away and closes the eyes
  2. Scoops the ball with the arms extended and elbows stiff
  3. Traps the ball against the chest with both arms
  4. Catches with the hands only and gives with the ball Correct answer.

Explanation

The most advanced catching pattern involves catching with the hands only and allowing the arms to give slightly as the ball arrives. This absorbs force and improves control. Trapping the ball against the chest is an earlier, less mature pattern.

Question 48Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

A coach has learners practice three different badminton serves in random order rather than repeating one serve many times. This approach is designed primarily to increase:

  1. Positive transfer from a single preferred serve
  2. Contextual interference Correct answer.
  3. Blocked practice with high repetition efficiency
  4. Massed practice with minimal rest intervals

Explanation

Randomly mixing different skills creates contextual interference, which makes practice feel harder but often improves long-term retention and transfer. Blocked repetition of one serve may produce quick gains but weaker retention. The coach's goal is to enhance learning, not to maximize repetition efficiency.

Question 49Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

A performer in the autonomous stage of motor learning is best characterized by:

  1. Inconsistent performance with many gross errors
  2. Frequent self-talk and step-by-step concentration
  3. Dependence on external feedback for every trial
  4. Automatic execution with little conscious thought Correct answer.

Explanation

In the autonomous stage, the skill is performed automatically with minimal conscious attention, allowing the performer to focus on tactics or environmental cues. This stage follows the cognitive and associative stages. Step-by-step concentration and frequent errors are characteristic of earlier stages.

Question 50Motor Skills and Movement Concepts

A sprinter starts from the blocks 0.18 seconds after hearing the starter's signal and then takes 3.20 seconds to reach the 20-meter mark. In this example, the 0.18-second interval is best identified as the performer's:

  1. Reaction time Correct answer.
  2. Coincidence-anticipation time
  3. Movement time
  4. Response time

Explanation

Reaction time is the interval between the presentation of a stimulus (the signal) and the initiation of the response (the first muscle action leaving the blocks). Movement time is the duration of the movement itself, here the 3.20 seconds needed to cover 20 meters. Response time combines both, so it would equal the full 3.38 seconds rather than the 0.18-second segment.