Questions and Answers 2026
Intonation -
correct answer ✅the way the voice rises and falls in speech
morpheme -
correct answer ✅the smallest unit of meaning in a language
Abraham Maslow -
correct answer ✅developed hierarchy of needs, which theorized
to be the unconscious desires that motivate people
subordinating conjunction -
correct answer ✅joins a dependent clause to an independent
clause to which it is related
voiceless sounds -
correct answer ✅sounds made without vibrating the vocal cords
Howard Gardner -
correct answer ✅created the theory of multiple intelligences;
proposed that using a person's area of giftedness to demonstrate
intellect will help learners achieve their potential
,NYSTCE ESOL CST (116) Exam Actual
Questions and Answers 2026
independent (or main) clause -
correct answer ✅a clause that can stand alone as it's own
sequence
one-word stage -
correct answer ✅stage of language acquisition; characterized by a
child's use of a single word to convey a full meaning
humor stage -
correct answer ✅stage of acculturation; when students start to
come to terms with their circumstances and move toward
acceptance of their new culture
SIFE -
correct answer ✅Students with Interrupted Formal Education
labial consonant sound -
correct answer ✅sound produced by the top and bottom lips
coming together (m)
,NYSTCE ESOL CST (116) Exam Actual
Questions and Answers 2026
gerund phrase -
correct answer ✅phrase that begins with a gerund (verbs that end
in -ing and act as nouns)
connotation -
correct answer ✅the emotional association of a word
helping verb -
correct answer ✅verb that indicates tense (when the action
occurred)
Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey -
correct answer ✅an individually administered assessment that
measures cognitive aspects of language proficiency in the form of
vocabulary usage, verbal analogies, and letter-word identification
Audio-Lingual Method (ALM) -
correct answer ✅an oral-based approach to language instruction
developed by linguists and behavior psychologists; teaches the
target language through repetition
, NYSTCE ESOL CST (116) Exam Actual
Questions and Answers 2026
phonetics -
correct answer ✅the study of the production of sounds in speech
silent way -
correct answer ✅teaching method based on the idea that
language learning should be much like problem-solving and
discovery learning; teachers are as silent as possible during lessons
in order to promote student participation and experimentation and
to concentrate on learning over teaching
dependent (or subordinate) clause -
correct answer ✅a clause that cannot stand alone as its own
sentence
inferential item -
correct answer ✅a piece of information that requires the test
taker to read between the lines in order to determine what an
author is implying
communicative competence -
correct answer ✅the ability to speak a language both
appropriately in a social context as well as correctly in terms of
rules and structure