Download LETRS Units 5 - 8 Post-Test (2025 / 2026) Most Comprehensive Qs & Ans - to Pass the Exam and more Exams Literature in PDF only on Docsity!
LETRS UNITS
5 – 8 Post-Test
- Once students decode well, which statement describes the relationship between vocabulary and reading comprehension?
A. Comprehension develops independently of vocabulary. B. There is a weak relationship between vocabulary and comprehension, at best. C. Vocabulary is the best single predictor of reading comprehension. D. Vocabulary is too difficult to measure, so the relationship is unclear.
Answer: C. Vocabulary is the best single predictor of reading comprehension.
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Once students have a solid decoding foundation, vocabulary knowledge plays the most significant role in comprehension. A robust vocabulary allows readers to interpret text more accurately and fluently.
- In teaching the word “invisible,” the teacher broke it into the parts in - vis - ible and talked about the meanings of the parts. Which aspect of language was emphasized?
A. Morphology B. Semantics C. Phonology D. Syllabification
Answer: A. Morphology
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Morphological awareness—understanding how prefixes, roots, and suffixes function—helps students unlock meaning and expand their vocabulary.
- According to research on differences in word growth, which of the following is NOT true?
A. A 4-year-old whose vocabulary is underdeveloped may learn about 1.6 root word meanings per day. B. A typical 4-year-old acquires 2.4 root word meanings per day. C. It is important to provide experiences to stimulate language development growth for children. D. The gap in word knowledge automatically decreases by the end of grade 2.
Answer: D. The gap in word knowledge automatically decreases by the end of grade 2.
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Without intentional and systematic vocabulary instruction,
grasp of its meaning. Effective vocabulary instruction includes contextual examples, pronunciation practice, and clear explanations of meaning.
- Students must learn the meanings of several thousand new words every year if they are going to meet grade-level expectations for vocabulary growth. About how many of those word meanings should teachers aim to teach explicitly and thoroughly per week?
A. 2–
B. 10–
C. 30–
D. 60–
Answer: B. 10–
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Research suggests teachers can effectively teach around 10– 12 words per week in depth, ensuring adequate review and contextual usage.
- When a student is an accurate but slow reader, which of the following practices is most effective?
A. Focus instruction on foundational reading skills that address multiple aspects of language. B. Emphasize the memorization of vocabulary lists and writing sight words. C. Use texts below the student’s reading level to ensure success. D. Since the most important thing is accuracy, it does not matter if the student is slow.
Answer: A. Focus instruction on foundational reading skills that address multiple aspects
of language.
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Building fluency requires integrated practice in decoding, vocabulary, and comprehension strategies. Focusing on multiple language strands enhances both speed and accuracy.
- In what way should the vocabulary instruction of English Learners (ELs) be distinguished from the vocabulary instruction of native English speakers?
A. They may need to learn the meanings of the Tier 1 words in a passage. B. They are likely to need more emphasis on Tier 3 words. C. They should be taught to read the words, not to pronounce them. D. There should be more emphasis on guessing from context and pictures.
Answer: A. They may need to learn the meanings of the Tier 1 words in a passage.
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): ELs often lack exposure to common, everyday English (Tier 1) words, which might be assumed knowledge for native speakers. Providing basic vocabulary is crucial before tackling more advanced terms.
- To select the best vocabulary words to teach before reading a text, the teacher should prioritize which types of words?
A. Words that the students will also be asked to spell and write independently B. Words that are the most unusual, obscure, or low frequency in English C. Words that are multisyllabic and derived from Latin and Greek D. Words that are central to understanding key meanings in the passage
B. The ability to maintain a fluent reading pace C. The application of background knowledge D. Cognitive flexibility and metacognition
Answer: D. Cognitive flexibility and metacognition
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Skilled readers monitor their understanding and use metacognitive strategies (e.g., rereading, self-questioning) to resolve confusion.
- When students read about a topic for which they already have well-developed background knowledge, they are more likely than uninformed students to:
A. Get the meaning without really reading all the words B. Acquire new knowledge faster from the text C. Be bored and inattentive to what they are reading D. Need several rereadings to remember new information
Answer: B. Acquire new knowledge faster from the text
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Prior knowledge helps readers integrate and organize new information more efficiently, leading to better comprehension.
- A valuable first step before reading a text with a group of students is:
A. Telling students how the story is going to end B. Asking students to select the vocabulary words they do not know C. Clearly stating the purpose for reading the text
D. Summarizing the main ideas for the students
Answer: C. Clearly stating the purpose for reading the text
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Setting a clear purpose helps students focus their attention, activate relevant background knowledge, and engage in purposeful reading.
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- Which of the following is the best description of the comprehension process as it relates to reading?
A. Linking the surface code with ideas in the text base B. Answering multiple-choice questions after reading C. Completing a graphic organizer showing main ideas D. Taking a picture walk to preview the text
Answer: A. Linking the surface code with ideas in the text base
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Comprehension involves constructing meaning by integrating the literal text (surface code) with one’s mental model (text base) and background knowledge.
- Which teaching strategy is most likely to help students construct a mental model of a text’s meanings?
A. Asking students to do an unassisted cold read of the text B. Having students discuss their favorite books as a group C. Accepting any interpretation that a student generates
D. Calling attention to phrases such as “in contrast”
Answer: B. Outlining the elements of story grammar
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Story grammar applies to narrative text, not expository/informational text. Teaching text structure relevant to comparisons (e.g., Venn diagrams) is more appropriate here.
- Which of the following would be a good example to use while teaching students to identify compound sentences?
A. “After the rain, we went out and started again.” B. “The team went out and played in the rain.” C. “The rain came but the team played on.” D. “The team, drenched by the rain, played without stopping.”
Answer: C. “The rain came but the team played on.”
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): A compound sentence has two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction (e.g., “but”).
- Which of the following activities would help students identify cohesive ties in a text?
A. Having students draw arrows between pronouns and their referents B. Having students underline main ideas in one color and details in another C. Reminding students of the questions they need to answer D. Asking students to summarize orally after reading
Answer: A. Having students draw arrows between pronouns and their referents
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Pronoun referent tracking is a key comprehension skill that helps students see how ideas connect across sentences and paragraphs.
- Which kind of text structure organization is suggested by the topic sentence, “Here are some easy steps for making pancakes”?
A. Cause/effect B. Compare/contrast C. Persuasion or opinion D. Process (time sequence)
Answer: D. Process (time sequence)
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Clue words like “steps” convey a sequential or procedural text structure, guiding the reader through a process.
- Which criterion best describes a high-quality text for use in read-alouds or comprehension instruction?
A. It is popular with students. B. It has simple language and beautiful illustrations. C. It is worth rereading for new meanings. D. It is written by a famous author.
Answer: C. Strategy instruction is more effective in grades 4 and up than in grades 1–3.
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Before fourth grade, the emphasis is on developing foundational skills. As decoding becomes more automatic, older students benefit more from explicit comprehension strategy instruction.
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- During a teacher-mediated reading of a story such as “The Three Little Pigs,” which of these questions is most likely to facilitate construction of a mental model of the text’s meanings?
A. “Why are there so many stories with animals as characters?” B. “Can you think of another old tale about a mean wolf?” C. “What have we learned so far about the third pig?” D. “If you built a house, what would it be made out of?”
Answer: C. “What have we learned so far about the third pig?”
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Focusing students on current key details encourages synthesis of story events and characterization, thus building a coherent mental model.
- One of the most important follow-up activities to deepen student understanding of and memory for the content of a specific text is:
A. Retelling or summarizing the text, either orally or in writing B. Studying the life and work of the illustrator C. Sharing a personal experience with a partner
D. Watching a video about a similar topic and discussing it
Answer: A. Retelling or summarizing the text, either orally or in writing
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Summarizing or retelling reinforces comprehension, fixation in memory, and the capacity to integrate text details with prior knowledge.
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- Students with comprehension weaknesses benefit from teachers actively mediating comprehension because these students:
A. Typically have lower IQs and are slow learners. B. Typically make fewer, lower-quality inferences on their own. C. Typically have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). D. Prefer not to learn unless they are forced to.
Answer: B. Typically make fewer, lower-quality inferences on their own.
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Active mediation (e.g., guided questioning, scaffolding) supports students in drawing inferences and making deeper connections they might otherwise miss.
- Which one of the following is NOT a key difference between narrative and informational text?
A. The types of cohesive devices or transition words that are used B. The length, density, and complexity of sentences C. The logical structure of the paragraphs and discourse
B. Supplementing the language in the text with pictures, actions, and objects C. Pronouncing words very slowly and more loudly for the EL student D. Reading the passage again and then asking the student the same questions
Answer: B. Supplementing the language in the text with pictures, actions, and objects
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Multimodal supports (visuals, concrete objects) aid comprehension by providing additional context clues and bridging language gaps.
- Which of these techniques is least helpful for encouraging comprehension monitoring (e.g., students noticing and reacting when the text does not make sense to them)?
A. Waiting until a reading is completed and then asking students to summarize B. Encouraging students to ask for clarification as soon as they are confused C. Using a signal system, such as a stop sign and U-turn sign, to promote rereading and a green light to indicate the comprehension problem has been resolved D. Encouraging students to “turn and talk” or to work collaboratively with a partner or small group to clarify meaning
Answer: A. Waiting until a reading is completed and then asking students to summarize
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Effective comprehension monitoring happens in real time, not only at the end. Prompt, in-the-moment checks facilitate better self-regulation.
- About how many American students demonstrate “proficient” or “advanced” writing skills by grade 8, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (2007)?
A. 10 percent B. 33 percent C. 60 percent D. 80 percent
Answer: B. 33 percent
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Data from national assessments indicate a large proportion of students struggle with writing, underscoring the need for structured, explicit writing instruction.
- Writing is sometimes called the “quintessential mental juggling act” because:
A. It requires more cognitive, motor, and language skills than any other academic activity. B. Producing a written composition is similar to drawing and painting. C. Writers have to consider and select from many good ideas when writing. D. Writing is a combination of visual-spatial skills and language comprehension.
Answer: A. It requires more cognitive, motor, and language skills than any other academic activity.
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Writing integrates numerous processes—planning, spelling, handwriting/typing, organization, grammar, and more—which places a heavy cognitive load on learners.
- The act of transcribing words into print by hand or by keyboarding is part of which phase of the writing process?
- The most important reason for systematically teaching and valuing good handwriting and spelling is that:
A. Neatness is a worthy goal and results in better grades. B. Handwriting is a form of personal expression that should be encouraged. C. Not everyone has convenient access to a computer. D. Mastery and automaticity enable higher-quality compositions.
Answer: D. Mastery and automaticity enable higher-quality compositions.
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): When handwriting and spelling are automatic, cognitive resources can be devoted to higher-level components of composition (e.g., idea development, organization).
- Which of the following sentence-writing skills is the most challenging for students to learn?
A. Distinguishing among the four basic sentence types B. Writing complex sentences beginning with adverbial phrases C. Converting sentence fragments into complete sentences D. Combining two simple sentences into a compound sentence
Answer: B. Writing complex sentences beginning with adverbial phrases
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Constructing complex sentences that start with dependent clauses (adverbial phrases) requires more advanced knowledge of syntax and sentence structure.
- Which would be the most essential step to take in preparing students to write a complete narrative?
A. Give them ample time to look at favorite storybooks for inspiration. B. Talk out ideas and make notes within a Story Framework. C. Provide a word bank with essential vocabulary spelled out. D. Have them talk about their favorite characters in books or movies.
Answer: B. Talk out ideas and make notes within a Story Framework.
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Planning a story by discussing and outlining plot elements, characters, and sequence helps students organize ideas before drafting.
- Of the topic sentences below, which one would be most appropriate for writing an opinion?
A. All 280,000 plants on Earth belong to one of four groups. B. Once I saw a mountain lion up close. C. This book about wolves is one of my favorites. D. Wolves and dogs are alike in some ways and different in others.
Answer: C. “This book about wolves is one of my favorites.”
Rationale: (LETRS, 2025): Stating “one of my favorites” positions the sentence as an opinion rather than a fact or neutral statement.
