Free Praxis 5002 Practice Test
Question 1 of 5.
Extract:The following passage is titled "Where Do Old Satellites Go When They Die?" by NASA. Like every other machine, satellites do not last forever. Whether their job is to observe weather, measure greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, or point away from Earth to study the stars, eventually all satellites grow old, wear out, and die, just like old washing machines and vacuum cleaners. So what happens when a trusty satellite's time has come? These days there are two choices, depending on how high the satellite is. For the closer satellites, engineers will use its last bit of fuel to slow it down. That way, it will fall out of orbit and burn up in the atmosphere. The second choice is to send the satellite even farther away from Earth. It can take a lot of fuel for a satellite to slow down enough to fall back into the atmosphere. That is especially true if a satellite is in a very high orbit. For many of these high satellites, it takes less fuel to blast it farther into space than to send it back to Earth.
Which of the following statements expresses a main idea of the entire passage?
A. When satellites stop working, they have to be moved from orbit.
B. Satellites are sent to orbit Earth for many different purposes.
C. After satellites are slowed down, they burn up in the atmosphere.
D. Satellites are designed to work for only a limited amount of time.
Explanation: The main idea of the passage is that when satellites stop working, they must be moved from orbit, as it explains two methods for handling retired satellites: slowing them to burn up in the atmosphere or sending them farther into space. The other options are supporting details, focusing on purposes, one disposal method, or limited lifespan, but not the central idea.
Question 2 of 5.
A teacher can help facilitate the development of students' writing by
A. carefully selecting books to share with students
B. using interactive attendance charts
C. accepting all attempts at writing as valid
D. introducing books with rhyming text
Explanation: Carefully selecting books to share with students directly supports writing development by exposing students to diverse writing styles, vocabulary, and structures, which they can emulate and learn from. Using interactive attendance charts is unrelated to writing development, as it focuses on tracking attendance rather than literacy skills. Accepting all attempts at writing as valid, while encouraging, does not actively facilitate development unless paired with constructive feedback or guidance, which is not implied here. Introducing books with rhyming text can aid in phonemic awareness and early literacy but is more specific to reading skills rather than the broader development of writing.
Question 3 of 5.
Which of the following parts of speech expresses emotion?
A. A verb
B. An interjection
C. An adverb
D. A pronoun
Explanation: An interjection is a part of speech specifically used to express emotion, such as surprise, joy, or frustration (e.g., "Wow!" or "Ouch!"), making it the correct choice. A verb expresses action or state, not emotion directly. An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb, typically indicating manner, time, or degree, not emotion. A pronoun substitutes for a noun and does not convey emotion on its own.
Question 4 of 5.
Extract:As part of a classroom activity, students read and annotate a one-page piece of text. Then, the teacher acts as a discussion leader and asks an open-ended question about the text. Students do not have to raise their hand to speak but are mindful of making sure their classmates have adequate time to speak as well. All students have a chance to speak, and they support their comments with text evidence. The conversation lasts for fifteen minutes, with the overall goal being a deeper understanding of the text. The activity described is best categorized as which of the following?
A. Fishbowl
B. Socratic seminar
C. Think-pair-share
D. Literature circle
Explanation: A Socratic seminar involves a teacher-led discussion with open-ended questions, where students engage in dialogue, support their points with evidence, and aim for deeper understanding, aligning with the described activity's structure and goals. A fishbowl involves a smaller group discussing while others observe, which does not match the all-students-participate format here. Think-pair-share requires students to first discuss in pairs before sharing with the group, a step not mentioned. A literature circle typically involves small, student-led groups with assigned roles, differing from the teacher-led, whole-class discussion described.
Question 5 of 5.
Which of the following sentences contains an example of personification?
A. It is raining cats and dogs.
B. I can hear the wind whispering to me.
C. I felt as brave as a lion prowling the jungle.
D. My friend spent ten years on one math problem.
Explanation: Personification attributes human characteristics to non-human entities, and "the wind whispering to me" gives the wind the human ability to whisper, making it the correct choice. "It is raining cats and dogs" is a metaphor, not personification, as it does not assign human traits but rather uses imagery. "I felt as brave as a lion prowling the jungle" is a simile comparing the speaker to a lion, not personifying the lion. "My friend spent ten years on one math problem" is a literal statement with no human traits given to non-human elements.