Free Praxis Core Reading (Alabama) Practice Test

Sample Praxis Core Reading practice questions

Try a few representative questions below. Each includes the correct answer and a short explanation — the same style you'll see in the full practice test.

1. Question 1Data Analysis

   A 5th-grade teacher is analyzing student performance on a recent reading comprehension assessment. The raw scores for 25 students are as follows: 85, 78, 92, 88, 75, 95, 82, 90, 79, 86, 93, 80, 77, 89, 91, 84, 76, 94, 81, 87, 96, 74, 83, 97, 73. If the teacher wants to identify the central tendency of the scores, which measure would be most affected by the presence of extreme scores (e.g., the lowest score of 73 and the highest score of 97)?

   • A.Mode
   • B.Median
   • C.Mean(Correct)
   • D.Range

   Explanation

   The mean (average) is calculated by summing all scores and dividing by the number of scores. Extreme scores, whether high or low, have a direct impact on the sum, thus significantly influencing the mean's value. The median is the middle score and is less affected by outliers, while the mode is the most frequent score and is unaffected by extreme values. The range is the difference between the highest and lowest scores, which by definition is affected by extremes, but the question asks which measure of central tendency is most affected.

2. Question 2Decoding Strategies

   During a reading intervention session, a student struggles to decode multisyllabic words. The teacher observes the student attempting to sound out each letter individually, often skipping over vowel sounds or misinterpreting vowel digraphs. To address this, the teacher introduces a strategy that involves breaking words into recognizable chunks like 'con-', '-ing', '-tion'. What is this strategy most accurately described as?

   • A.Morphological awareness
   • B.Phonemic awareness
   • C.Syllabic analysis(Correct)
   • D.Phonics generalization

   Explanation

   Syllabic analysis involves teaching students to break down multisyllabic words into smaller, manageable units (syllables) to decode them. Recognizing common prefixes, suffixes, and root words (morphological awareness) is also helpful, but the primary strategy described focuses on syllable segmentation. Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate individual sounds, and phonics generalization involves applying letter-sound correspondences, neither of which specifically addresses breaking words into syllables.

3. Question 3Text Structure

   A text describes the process of photosynthesis, detailing the absorption of sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water, and their conversion into glucose and oxygen. The author uses transition words such as 'initially,' 'subsequently,' 'then,' and 'finally' to guide the reader through the sequence of events. What is the primary organizational pattern employed by the author in this passage?

   • A.Problem and solution
   • B.Cause and effect
   • C.Sequential or chronological order(Correct)
   • D.Compare and contrast

   Explanation

   The use of transition words like 'initially,' 'subsequently,' 'then,' and 'finally' clearly indicates that the author is presenting information in a step-by-step, time-ordered sequence. This is characteristic of a sequential or chronological organizational pattern. While photosynthesis involves cause and effect, the explicit use of temporal transitions points to sequence as the dominant pattern for explaining the process.

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