Study Guide

Field 151: Elementary Education Subtest 2 
Sample Selected-Response Questions

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General Test Directions

Each question in this test is a selected-response question with four answer choices. Read each question and answer choice carefully and choose the  start uppercase ONE end uppercase  best answer.

Try to answer all questions. Even if you are unsure of an answer, it is better to guess than not to answer a question at all. You will  start uppercase NOT end uppercase  be penalized for guessing.

You may  start uppercase NOT end uppercase  use any type of calculator or reference materials during the test session.

Sample Selected-Response Questions—Subtest 2

Competency 0001 
Apply knowledge of social studies process skills.

1. During a social studies unit on interpreting information from various resources, the teacher prompts students to locate unfamiliar words within a journal article. Which of the following steps would be most effective for the teacher to take next to promote the students' social studies literacy skills?

  1. asking students to use a dictionary to locate, read, and record the definitions of the unfamiliar words in a notebook
  2. providing students with a list of multiple definitions, then having them match them to the correct unfamiliar words
  3. showing students how to use context clues as a way to make meaning of and paraphrase definitions for unfamiliar words
  4. giving students graphic organizers to write the definition, characteristics, examples, and non-examples of the unfamiliar words

Correct Response: D. This approach prompts students to apply a before-reading vocabulary comprehension strategy in which they identify, define, analyze, and apply the characteristics and meanings of unfamiliar content-specific vocabulary. Teaching students to utilize this strategy will effectively promote their social studies literacy skills.

Competency 0002 
Apply knowledge of the basic principles of government, civics, and economics.

2. Which of the following descriptions best defines a totalitarian form of government?

  1. power invested in an appointed council with a ceremonial head of state
  2. state monopoly over all forms of public communication and media
  3. competition among multiple political parties in state-regulated elections
  4. fusion of political and religious authority in a state-controlled church

Correct Response: B. In a totalitarian government all control resides with the state, while individual freedoms and rights are restricted. All forms of communication and media are regulated by the state in a totalitarian form of government.

Competency 0004 
Apply knowledge of events and developments in the history of Oklahoma, the United States, and the world.

3. Which of the following questions would best guide students to identify an opinion when analyzing an editorial article about American history?

  1. Does the author use emotive language?
  2. How does the piece make you feel?
  3. Did you notice any unnecessary details?
  4. What is the author's main purpose?

Correct Response: A. The use of guiding questions is an effective strategy that facilitates and supports students' comprehension of a given concept. Identifying emotive language within an article supports students' ability to locate and critically analyze an author's objectivity, credibility, and validity.

Competency 0006 
Apply knowledge of algebraic and proportional reasoning, expressions, and equations.

4. A movie streaming service offers one free month to new customers and then charges 18 dollars per month thereafter. Which equation gives the total amount spent on the service, y, after x months?

  1. y = 18x
  2. y = x + 18
  3. y = x minus 18
  4. y = 18x minus 18

Correct Response: D. To determine the total amount spent, y, on services for x number of months, 18 must be multiplied by x. One month is free for new customers, therefore 18x must be subtracted by 18.

Competency 0007 
Apply knowledge of measurement and geometry concepts.

5. Use the information below to answer the question that follows.

a hexagon showing measurements

A hexagon with the following measurements is shown:
62 inches
49 inches
49 inches
62 inches
49 inches
49 inches

A homeowner is building a sand box using the dimensions above. Which of the following equations would lead to the correct identification of the perimeter?

  1. 3 times open parenthesis 62 plus 49 close parenthesis
  2. open parenthesis 2 times 62 close parenthesis plus open parenthesis 4 times 49 close parenthesis
  3. 3 times one half times open parenthesis 62 plus 49 close parenthesis
  4. open parenthesis 2 times 49 close parenthesis plus open parenthesis 4 times 62 close parenthesis

Correct Response: B. To find the perimeter add up all six sides of the hexagon. Two sides of the hexagon measure 62 inches, while 4 sides of the hexagon measure 49 inches. The equation open parenthesis 2 times 62 close parenthesis plus open parenthesis 4 times 49 close parenthesis leads to the correct identification of the perimeter.

Competency 0009 
Apply knowledge of scientific inquiry and scientific engineering practices.

6. Third-grade students are placed into small groups while engaging in a lesson for a unit on the scientific method. A shoebox full of various types of objects is placed in front of each group of students. The students then record information about each item, such as color, weight, and volume. They note any distinguishing details about the item. This activity would most effectively help students improve which of the following scientific inquiry skills?

  1. observation
  2. reasoning
  3. inference
  4. analysis

Correct Response: A. Taking a close look at the attributes of an object, action, data, process, etc., involves the scientific inquiry skill of observation. This activity supports the development of the students' observation skills because they are required to examine various objects while denoting their specific features.

Competency 0010 
Apply knowledge of the fundamental concepts and core ideas of physical science.

7. Which of the following student activities best illustrates that matter is made up of smaller pieces that can be disassembled and made into something new?

  1. using the same number of plastic building blocks to create different shapes
  2. filling an ice tray up with tap water in order to freeze the water to create ice cubes
  3. dissolving a certain amount of sugar into a cup of water to create sugar water
  4. increasing the size of a deflated basketball with an air pump to create a round-shaped ball

Correct Response: A. Matter is composed of smaller components called atoms and molecules, which can be disassembled and reassembled many different times. The specific ways in which atoms and molecules are arranged will result in the creation of different forms of matter. Using the same number of plastic building blocks to construct, disassemble, and reassemble different shapes is a visual representation of the concept of matter and its many smaller parts.

Competency 0012 
Apply knowledge of the fundamental concepts and core ideas of life science.

8. Which of the following parts of a complex living organism is the smallest unit that can conduct all the basic processes of life?

  1. organ
  2. tissue
  3. atom
  4. cell

Correct Response: D. Cells are the smallest units containing the necessary molecules to sustain life.

Competency 0013 
Demonstrate knowledge of health, fitness, and safety concepts and skills.

9. In research on physical activity and children, growing evidence suggests that when compared to peers who are sedentary, children who are physically active demonstrate which of the following?

  1. competency in mathematical reasoning at an earlier age
  2. the ability to distinguish between fact and opinion at an earlier age
  3. improved perseverance and performance on memory and academic tasks
  4. heightened awareness of social cues and advanced communication skills with adults

Correct Response: C. Research has shown that increased physical activity can improve brain development and even change the structures within a developing brain. Children that engage in physical activity expand their ability to focus on tasks and retain information for longer periods of time when compared to their sedentary peers.

Competency 0014 
Demonstrate knowledge of basic genres, materials, tools, and historical and cultural traditions of visual art.

10. A lesson on the art of graffiti painting would best connect to a unit on which of the following cultural movements?

  1. punk
  2. anti-capitalism
  3. hip hop
  4. anti-consumerism

Correct Response: C. Graffiti, or contemporary graffiti, became well-known in the late 1960s alongside the street subcultures, neighborhoods, and the growing hip-hop music genre within New York City. Due to the significant connection between hip-hop music and the rise of the art of graffiti, it would be most appropriate to connect a lesson on the art of graffiti to the cultural movement of hip hop.