Test Information Guide
Field 55: Adult Basic Education
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions
English Language Arts
Objective 0001
Understand the process of written composition.
Read the passage below from a draft of a news article; then answer the question that follows.
1The controversy that has swirled around one of the city's bookshops for the past few weeks came to a head on Monday at the long-awaited city council hearing. 2During the heated debate, council president Tonya Cardera formally proposed that the bookshop be fined $10,000 for violating the city's recently enacted ordinance prohibiting displays "offensive to the community." 3Councilor Jeffrey Franklin refused to comment until the hearing resumed. 4Martin Halpern, the owner of the bookshop, vowed to appeal any council ruling against his store. 5For nearly a month, Bright Lights Bookshop and the city have been embroiled in a dispute over a window display featuring Blake Fisher's new novel on Vietnam that has prompted both critical acclaim and angry denunciations from veterans around the country. 6Here in Atherton, the display of Fisher's book in the Bright Lights window—flanked by American and Vietnamese flags—has on three separate occasions generated crowds of protesters requiring intervention by the police. 7The hearing will resume next Monday evening, at 7:30 p.m., in the council chambers at City Hall.
1. Which of the following changes in sentence order would make the passage flow more logically?
- Move Sentence 3 after Sentence 7.
- Move Sentences 5 and 6 before Sentence 2.
- Move Sentence 4 after Sentence 1.
- Move Sentences 2 and 3 after Sentence 6.
- Answer
- Correct Response: B.
Correct Response: B.
Objective 0002
Understand grammar, usage, conventions, structure, and history of edited American English.
2. Read the sentence below; then answer the question that follows.
He walked lightly through the quiet, green forest, noting all the vivid colors along the way.
Which of the following words from the sentence shown above is an adverb?
- lightly
- quiet
- green
- vivid
- Answer
- Correct Response: A.
Correct Response: A.
English for Speakers of Other Languages
Objective 0005
Understand theories of language acquisition and factors that affect second-language development.
3. Which of the following teaching practices is an example of applying the input hypothesis in ESOL instruction?
- encouraging ESOL students to become familiar with and apply conscious strategies for language learning
- using gestures, facial expressions, visual aids, realia, and kinesthetic activities to support ESOL students' comprehension
- placing equal emphasis on developing ESOL students' fluency and accuracy in their language production
- incorporating cooperative-learning and problem-solving activities as components of each ESOL instructional unit
- Answer
- Correct Response: B.
Correct Response: B.
4. Which of the following oral language assignments requires the highest degree of proficiency in cognitive-academic language skills?
- comparing everyday cultural practices (e.g., greetings, meals, clothing) between the home culture and mainstream U.S. culture
- explaining the steps in a multistep procedure (e.g., changing a tire, preparing a family meal)
- describing the symptoms of an illness that the student or one of his or her family members recently had
- discussing the issues presented in a documentary on the environment that the class recently watched
- Answer
- Correct Response: D.
Correct Response: D.
Objective 0006
Understand basic linguistic and sociolinguistic concepts and their application to English language learners.
5. In general, which of the following phonological skills is considered most advanced for students learning English as a second language?
- using correct stress, rhythm, and intonation patterns
- distinguishing between minimal pairs
- linking consonants and vowels in adjoining words
- distinguishing between voiced and unvoiced stops
- Answer
- Correct Response: A.
Correct Response: A.
Mathematics
Objective 0007
Understand number sense and operations.
6. Simplify the expression below.
- 4
- 5
- Answer
- Correct Response: D.
Correct Response: D.
Objective 0009
Understand geometry and measurement.
7. Use the triangles below to answer the question that follows.
Two triangles first triangle A C T. Side A C is labeled eight. Side C T is the longest side and is labeled twelve. Second triangle O D G. Side D G is the longest side and is labeled sixteen.
If 
CAT is similar to DOG, what is the measure of 
?
- 9
- 10
- 24
- 32
- Answer
- Correct Response: B.
Correct Response: B.
Objective 0010
Understand data analysis, statistics, and probability.
8. A student rolls two dice. One die has six sides, each face marked with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 dots, and the other die has eight sides, each marked with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 dots. How many outcomes are in the sample space for this experiment?
- 14
- 28
- 48
- 64
- Answer
- Correct Response: C.
Correct Response: C.
History and Social Science
Objective 0013
Understand basic geographic principles and concepts, and major physical features of the world.
9. Which of the following geographical factors most influenced the emergence of factories and the growth of the factory system in early nineteenth-century Massachusetts?
- ample supplies of mineral resources needed to produce metal products
- streams and rivers that provided factories with water power
- timber resources needed to construct factories
- ample ports and canals to transport manufactured goods
- Answer
- Correct Response: B.
Correct Response: B.
Science
Objective 0015
Understand principles and procedures of scientific inquiry.
10. Use the table below to answer the question that follows.
| Group | Growth Stimulant Given to Corn Plants (milliliters) |
Height of Corn Plant after 1 Week (centimeters) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.25 | 7 |
| 2 | 0.50 | 7 |
| 3 | 0.75 | 8 |
| 4 | 1.00 | 20 |
| 5 | 1.25 | 13 |
| 6 | 1.50 | 14 |
| 7 | 1.75 | 14 |
| 8 | 2.00 | 13 |
The table above shows the results of one experiment in which a growth stimulant is given in different amounts to sprouted corn plants. The researcher is interested in determining the minimum amount of the growth stimulant needed to maximize plant growth. Given the results shown in the table, what should the researcher do next?
- Conclude that 1.00 milliliter represents the most effective concentration and end the study.
- Repeat the experiment using the same concentrations of growth stimulant on a different variety of corn.
- Conclude that the result derived from using 1.00 milliliter is incorrect and omit it from the report of the study.
- Repeat the experiment using identical procedures and concentrations.
- Answer
- Correct Response: D.
Correct Response: D.