Once a writer enters the intermediate, or syllables and affixes, stage

Praxis 5001 Practice Exams

Home / Teacher Licensure & Education Exams / Praxis

Question 1 of 5.

Once a writer enters the intermediate, or syllables and affixes, stage of spelling development, which of the following proficiencies becomes evident?

A. Using rules to accurately add inflectional endings to words

B. Making a clear distinction between writing and drawing

C. Correctly writing words that possess r-controlled vowel sounds

D. Accurately spelling words with consonants in various positions

Explanation: The syllables and affixes stage (or within-word pattern stage) typically occurs in the elementary grades. Spellers in this stage are consolidating their knowledge of vowel patterns in single-syllable words and begin to explore patterns in polysyllabic words. A key proficiency is learning and applying rules for adding inflectional endings (-ed, -ing, -s, -es) and derivational suffixes, often dealing with doubling consonants, dropping silent e, or changing y to i. Distinguishing writing from drawing occurs much earlier. Mastering r-controlled vowels and consonant positions are generally earlier, letter-name and within-word pattern stage skills.

Question 2 of 5.

Which of the following best describes why phonological awareness is predictive of beginning reading success?

A. It is an auditory skill in which understanding of letter-sound relationships is developed.

B. It is a visual skill in which letter recognition skills are developed.

C. It is a speaking skill in which oral production of letter sounds is developed.

D. It is a fine motor skill in which letter formation skills are developed.

Explanation: Phonological awareness involves recognizing and manipulating language sounds (e.g., rhymes, syllables, phonemes), an auditory skill critical for understanding letter-sound relationships (phonics). This supports early reading by enabling word decoding. Option B focuses on visual letter recognition, which is distinct. Option C relates to speech production, not phonological awareness. Option D involves writing, a motor skill unrelated to phonological awareness.

Question 3 of 5.

Which THREE of the following words contain diphthongs?

A. Boy

B. Mother

C. Buy

D. Apple

E. Coin

Explanation: A diphthong is a vowel sound gliding from one vowel to another within a syllable (e.g., /oi/, /ai/). 'Boy' (A) has /oi/, 'Buy' (C) has /ai/, and 'Coin' (E) has /oi/. 'Mother' (B) and 'Apple' (D) have simple vowels (/ÊŒ/, /É™/ and /Ã¦/, /É™/). The correct choices are A, C, E, corresponding to option C.

Question 4 of 5.

Which two of the following words feature an open syllable pattern?

A. Happen

B. Robot

C. Sunlight

D. Artist

E. Silent

Explanation: An open syllable ends with a vowel, typically producing a long vowel sound (e.g., 'me'). 'Robot' (B) has an open first syllable ('ro', /oÊŠ/). 'Silent' (E) has an open first syllable ('si', /ai/). 'Happen' (A), 'Sunlight' (C), and 'Artist' (D) have closed syllables. The correct choices are B, E, corresponding to option B.

Question 5 of 5.

Which of the following best demonstrates student knowledge of sound matching?

A. A student is able to see an illustration of an object ending in 'g' and identify the ending sound as /g/.

B. A student is able to hear the sounds /d/ /o/ /g/ and can identify the word as 'dog' when asked.

C. A student is able to identify the initial sound of the word 'top' as /t/ and can point to an object identified by a word with the same initial sound.

D. A student can remove the /b/ sound from the word 'bat' and identify the resulting word as 'at.'

Explanation: Sound matching involves identifying words with the same sound, typically at the beginning, middle, or end. Option C demonstrates this by identifying the initial /t/ in 'top' and matching it to another word with the same initial sound. Option A is sound identification, not matching. Option B involves phoneme blending. Option D involves phoneme deletion.