Test Information Guide

Field 103: General Curriculum
Multi-Subject Subtest
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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Language Arts

Objective 0002
Understand American literature and selected literature from classical and contemporary periods.

1. Which of the following characteristics is most closely associated with the works of Latin American authors Gabriel García Márquez (One Hundred Years of Solitude) and Isabel Allende (The House of Spirits)?

  1. a focus more on the structure of the text than on content
  2. the exploration of idealistic perceptions of humankind
  3. an emphasis on presenting events objectively without moral judgment
  4. the blending of fantastic and realistic narrative elements
Objective 0005
Understand the writing process and formal elements of writing and composition.

2. A freewriting activity would be most helpful for students who typically demonstrate difficulty with which of the following aspects of an essay-writing process?

  1. using appropriate sentence structures and transitions
  2. organizing the information into paragraphs
  3. generating a thesis statement and supporting details
  4. identifying grammatical weaknesses
Answer
Correct Response: C.

History and Social Science

Objective 0006
Understand major developments in the history of the United States and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from precolonial times to the present.

3. Literacy tests and poll taxes were used in many states during Reconstruction primarily because they could be used to:

  1. discourage land ownership by African Americans.
  2. establish new institutions of higher education.
  3. deprive African Americans of voting rights.
  4. avoid the redistribution of wealth across all economic classes.
Answer
Correct Response: C.
Objective 0009
Understand basic geographic concepts, phenomena, and processes, and demonstrate knowledge of the major geographic features and regions of the world, the United States, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

4. Read the description below; then answer the question that follows.

The Alps mountain system extends from Nice, France, on the Mediterranean Riviera in a curving arc northeast through northern Italy, southeast France, Switzerland, southern Germany, Austria, and into Albania. The highest elevations are topped with ice and snow throughout the year, and the cooler northern slopes are covered with green forests, while warmer southern slopes are often cleared for grazing and farming.

Which of the following concepts of geography is the focus of the description above?

  1. location
  2. region
  3. area
  4. habitat
Answer
Correct Response: B.

Science and Technology/Engineering

Objective 0010
Understand and apply basic concepts and principles of life science to interpret and analyze phenomena.

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

Several years ago, scientists noticed a dramatic decline in the number of males in a species of butterfly native to islands in the South Pacific. The decline was caused by a bacterial infection that selectively killed males before they hatched. The proportion of males in the population had dropped to 1% over the course of several years. When scientists returned a year later, they were happily surprised. In the single year it takes the butterfly to go through 10 generations, the proportion of males had risen to 39%. Scientists initially thought that the bacteria were no longer infecting the population but discovered the bacteria unchanged and still present in the population.

Which of the following is the most likely reason that the male butterflies became less susceptible to the bacterial infection?

  1. The male butterflies that survived had genes that protected them from the infection and their genes spread throughout the population as they were the only reproductive males.
  2. A new mutation that protected the male butterflies from the infection developed in their genes as a consequence of the bacteria's constant presence in their cells.
  3. The males that survived the original attack by the bacteria developed stronger immune systems to fight the infection that they then passed on to their offspring.
  4. A genetic change in the female butterflies triggered by the low percentage of male offspring caused the mothers to produce a much greater proportion of male offspring.
Answer
Correct Response: A.