teaching assistant test Questions and Answers
An antonym is a word that has the _____ meaning of another word. Ans - opposite
A dictionary provides a list of _____ and _____ so that we can see both similar and
different meanings to words. Ans - synonyms; antonyms
To use observation to reach a logical conclusion Ans - inference
Applying what you know about U.S. history when you read a historical novel is an
example of using _____. Ans - prior knowledge
The word 'authenticity' is the antonym of the word 'spurious' in the following sentence.
Why? 'The spurious accusations of the disgusting liar will be proven false since they
completely lack authenticity.' Ans - has opposite meaning
Which word could be substituted for 'querulous' in the following sentence?
'The querulous child I babysit just won't stop bothering me until I let him play video
games.' Ans - complaining
In the following sentence, which word serves as a definition of 'transient'?
'Her transient thoughts of quitting her dead-end job are fleeting, lasting only as long as
the weekly meeting she abhors.' Ans - fleeting
Which of the following sentences has a synonym for 'inconsistent'?
a. 'The capricious winds today are shifting so much that our kite flying adventure may be
doomed to fail.'
b. 'The political dynamic is so consumed by chaos that I fear we will never get out of this
conundrum.'
c. 'The sea is so tranquil that there is not a single wave on the horizon.'
d. 'The outcome is as indisputable today as it was the last time you asked me about this
issue. Ans - a
When reading a story, it is important to _____ or find the intended meaning.
a. look for what the author is trying to teach us
b. ask questions about the characters
c. make predictions about the next chapter
d. look for common themes Ans - a
Clues to an author's intended meaning may be found through historical contexts, culture
contexts, the author's background, and _____.
a. similar books by other authors
b. other books written in the same time period
c. the reader's knowledge on the subject
d. the author's other works Ans - d
,You have a dinner party and all the guests ask for seconds. What is the most logical
conclusion?
a. Your food is terrible.
b. Your food is good.
c. Your guests will eat anything you serve.
d. Your guests eat too much. Ans - b
Breaking apart a word into its component parts is an example of using _____. Ans -
word structure
Looking at the words surrounding an unknown word to determine its meaning is an
example of using _____. Ans - context clues
Synonyms can be:
a. nouns
b. verbs
c. adjectives
d. all are correct Ans - d
A writer should use synonyms: Ans - for variety
two different words that have the same meaning Ans - synonyms
The root words for 'antonym' are: _____ and _____. Ans - anti; onym
All of the following are examples of nonwords EXCEPT _____.
a. irregardless
b. supposably
c. ain't
d. y'all
e. can't Ans - e
Which sentence correctly uses to, too, or two?
a. I have to dogs as pets.
b. I have to many chores this weekend.
c. I am going two the baseball game tomorrow.
d. I would love some cake, too.
e. Two many students have forgotten their textbooks. Ans - d
Which sentence uses the word 'accept' correctly?
a. I went to all my classes accept history.
b. mom loves all music accept rap.
c. I will accept his homework late.
d. He did all of his homework accept science.
e. Everyone agreed accept Brian. Ans - c
,What are some of the signal words used to show that the sequence of events or steps
structure is being used?
a. before, then, finally, exactly, likewise
b. eventually, next, first
c. during, while, although, similarly
d. finally, therefore, consequently
e. both, similarly, likewise Ans - b
Which of the following is the best description of a selection's theme?
a. Central point
b. Central idea
c. Message about life
d. Summary
e. Main idea Ans - c
The main idea of a story is:
a. Not detailed or specific
b.All of the answers are correct
c. The most important thing a reader is supposed to walk away with
d. The big picture Ans - b
Which topic below should be organized using the sequence of events structure?
a. Current Fashion Trends in New York
b. The Harmful Effects of Smoking
c. Potential Solutions to the Obesity Epidemic
d. The Most Popular Social Media Site
e. The Evolution of the Civil Rights Movement Ans - e
The cause and effect organizational structure is...
a. always written in sequential order, listing the causes first and the effects second.
b. always written in sequential order and is used to analyze why something happened.
c. not always written in sequential order.
d. only used in news articles and scholarly journal articles.
e. typically paired with the problem/solution structure within the same article. Ans - c
Which of the following is NOT a good strategy for finding the main idea of a story?
a. Chunking the story into smaller pieces of text
b. Looking for repetition
c. Summarizing the main point in no more than two sentences
d. Writing a list of supporting details Ans - d
What is the difference between the topic and the main idea of a story?
a. The main idea is the central point of the story, while the topic is what the story is
about.
b. The main idea is what the story is about, while the topic is the central point of the
story.
, c. The main idea is the central point of the story, while the topic is a supporting detail.
d. The main idea is the central point of the story, while the topic is the general theme.
Ans - a
The main idea of a story is the same thing as:
a. A supporting detail
b. The central point
c. The topic
d. The theme Ans - b
How do the details in a piece of literature relate to the main idea?
a. The details break the main idea into understandable pieces.
b. The details can be distracting from the main idea, which is the bigger picture.
c. The details support the main idea and lead to the main idea.
d. The details lead to theme, and theme leads to main idea.
e. The details are part of the summary. Ans - c
When trying to determine the main idea of a poem, what is the first thing the reader
should do?
a. Read the poem, out loud if possible
b. Look for literary elements
c. Look for text clues
d. Paraphrase the poem, which means to put it into your own words
e. Focus on metaphor and other figurative devices Ans - a
The topic sentence will have Ans - a topic and a controlling idea
In a topic sentence, the topic tells readers Ans - what the paragraph is going to be
about
The topic sentence is:
a. the details that make complicated ideas easier to understand
b. The main idea of the paragraph
c. the purpose of the essay
d. none of the answer choices Ans - b
Which part of a reading passage includes a summary and evaluation of the main ideas?
Ans - conclusion
What is the most important characteristic of the explanation section?
a. examples and evidence that support the argument
b. the thesis statement
c. the summary
d. predictions or generalizations about the future Ans - a
What is the correct order of sections for a reading passage?
An antonym is a word that has the _____ meaning of another word. Ans - opposite
A dictionary provides a list of _____ and _____ so that we can see both similar and
different meanings to words. Ans - synonyms; antonyms
To use observation to reach a logical conclusion Ans - inference
Applying what you know about U.S. history when you read a historical novel is an
example of using _____. Ans - prior knowledge
The word 'authenticity' is the antonym of the word 'spurious' in the following sentence.
Why? 'The spurious accusations of the disgusting liar will be proven false since they
completely lack authenticity.' Ans - has opposite meaning
Which word could be substituted for 'querulous' in the following sentence?
'The querulous child I babysit just won't stop bothering me until I let him play video
games.' Ans - complaining
In the following sentence, which word serves as a definition of 'transient'?
'Her transient thoughts of quitting her dead-end job are fleeting, lasting only as long as
the weekly meeting she abhors.' Ans - fleeting
Which of the following sentences has a synonym for 'inconsistent'?
a. 'The capricious winds today are shifting so much that our kite flying adventure may be
doomed to fail.'
b. 'The political dynamic is so consumed by chaos that I fear we will never get out of this
conundrum.'
c. 'The sea is so tranquil that there is not a single wave on the horizon.'
d. 'The outcome is as indisputable today as it was the last time you asked me about this
issue. Ans - a
When reading a story, it is important to _____ or find the intended meaning.
a. look for what the author is trying to teach us
b. ask questions about the characters
c. make predictions about the next chapter
d. look for common themes Ans - a
Clues to an author's intended meaning may be found through historical contexts, culture
contexts, the author's background, and _____.
a. similar books by other authors
b. other books written in the same time period
c. the reader's knowledge on the subject
d. the author's other works Ans - d
,You have a dinner party and all the guests ask for seconds. What is the most logical
conclusion?
a. Your food is terrible.
b. Your food is good.
c. Your guests will eat anything you serve.
d. Your guests eat too much. Ans - b
Breaking apart a word into its component parts is an example of using _____. Ans -
word structure
Looking at the words surrounding an unknown word to determine its meaning is an
example of using _____. Ans - context clues
Synonyms can be:
a. nouns
b. verbs
c. adjectives
d. all are correct Ans - d
A writer should use synonyms: Ans - for variety
two different words that have the same meaning Ans - synonyms
The root words for 'antonym' are: _____ and _____. Ans - anti; onym
All of the following are examples of nonwords EXCEPT _____.
a. irregardless
b. supposably
c. ain't
d. y'all
e. can't Ans - e
Which sentence correctly uses to, too, or two?
a. I have to dogs as pets.
b. I have to many chores this weekend.
c. I am going two the baseball game tomorrow.
d. I would love some cake, too.
e. Two many students have forgotten their textbooks. Ans - d
Which sentence uses the word 'accept' correctly?
a. I went to all my classes accept history.
b. mom loves all music accept rap.
c. I will accept his homework late.
d. He did all of his homework accept science.
e. Everyone agreed accept Brian. Ans - c
,What are some of the signal words used to show that the sequence of events or steps
structure is being used?
a. before, then, finally, exactly, likewise
b. eventually, next, first
c. during, while, although, similarly
d. finally, therefore, consequently
e. both, similarly, likewise Ans - b
Which of the following is the best description of a selection's theme?
a. Central point
b. Central idea
c. Message about life
d. Summary
e. Main idea Ans - c
The main idea of a story is:
a. Not detailed or specific
b.All of the answers are correct
c. The most important thing a reader is supposed to walk away with
d. The big picture Ans - b
Which topic below should be organized using the sequence of events structure?
a. Current Fashion Trends in New York
b. The Harmful Effects of Smoking
c. Potential Solutions to the Obesity Epidemic
d. The Most Popular Social Media Site
e. The Evolution of the Civil Rights Movement Ans - e
The cause and effect organizational structure is...
a. always written in sequential order, listing the causes first and the effects second.
b. always written in sequential order and is used to analyze why something happened.
c. not always written in sequential order.
d. only used in news articles and scholarly journal articles.
e. typically paired with the problem/solution structure within the same article. Ans - c
Which of the following is NOT a good strategy for finding the main idea of a story?
a. Chunking the story into smaller pieces of text
b. Looking for repetition
c. Summarizing the main point in no more than two sentences
d. Writing a list of supporting details Ans - d
What is the difference between the topic and the main idea of a story?
a. The main idea is the central point of the story, while the topic is what the story is
about.
b. The main idea is what the story is about, while the topic is the central point of the
story.
, c. The main idea is the central point of the story, while the topic is a supporting detail.
d. The main idea is the central point of the story, while the topic is the general theme.
Ans - a
The main idea of a story is the same thing as:
a. A supporting detail
b. The central point
c. The topic
d. The theme Ans - b
How do the details in a piece of literature relate to the main idea?
a. The details break the main idea into understandable pieces.
b. The details can be distracting from the main idea, which is the bigger picture.
c. The details support the main idea and lead to the main idea.
d. The details lead to theme, and theme leads to main idea.
e. The details are part of the summary. Ans - c
When trying to determine the main idea of a poem, what is the first thing the reader
should do?
a. Read the poem, out loud if possible
b. Look for literary elements
c. Look for text clues
d. Paraphrase the poem, which means to put it into your own words
e. Focus on metaphor and other figurative devices Ans - a
The topic sentence will have Ans - a topic and a controlling idea
In a topic sentence, the topic tells readers Ans - what the paragraph is going to be
about
The topic sentence is:
a. the details that make complicated ideas easier to understand
b. The main idea of the paragraph
c. the purpose of the essay
d. none of the answer choices Ans - b
Which part of a reading passage includes a summary and evaluation of the main ideas?
Ans - conclusion
What is the most important characteristic of the explanation section?
a. examples and evidence that support the argument
b. the thesis statement
c. the summary
d. predictions or generalizations about the future Ans - a
What is the correct order of sections for a reading passage?
