A complex sentence joins an independent clause to at least one dependent clause. Which sentence from a student's draft is complex?Wikipedia, Sentence clause structure. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 1 (effective use of the English language at the postsecondary level)
A student has put a semicolon into four sentences of a draft. In which one is the mark used correctly?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Semicolons, colons, and dashes. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 1 (effective use of the English language at the postsecondary level)
A teacher asks a student to find the one passive construction among four sentences of her review. Which sentence is it?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Passive Voice. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 1 (effective use of the English language at the postsecondary level)
Show all 50 questions (47 more)
Use of the English language, continued
After a hurricane tears the roof from her house, a character remarks, "We had a bit of weather." Which figure of speech in the B.E.S.T. secondary list is this?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix B: Figurative Language. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 1 (effective use of the English language at the postsecondary level)
An editor changes "the frugal aunt" to "the stingy aunt". The literal meaning stays close to the same. What has the change altered?Wikipedia, Connotation. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 1 (effective use of the English language at the postsecondary level)
Four sentences in a student's lab report contain a colon. In which one is the colon correctly placed?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Semicolons, colons, and dashes. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 1 (effective use of the English language at the postsecondary level)
In the history of English, which event of 1066 replaced the Germanic elite of England with speakers of Norman French?Wikipedia, History of English. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 1 (effective use of the English language at the postsecondary level)
On the B.E.S.T. sample list of roots for grades 6-8, which pair of words shares the Greek root meaning "form" or "shape"?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix D: Morphology, Greek and Latin Roots. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 1 (effective use of the English language at the postsecondary level)
Communication skills and processes 9
A quotation stands alone in a student's paragraph, with no lead-in. Which step does the UNC Writing Center list first for working a quotation into a paper?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Quotations. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 2 (communication skills, techniques and processes)
A student explains photosynthesis in an essay for a teacher who knows the subject well. How does the UNC Writing Center suggest she picture that reader?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Audience. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 2 (communication skills, techniques and processes)
A student writes an essay claiming that a novel's ending undercuts its theme and supports the claim with passages from the book. Which B.E.S.T. writing type is this?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix C: Writing Types. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 2 (communication skills, techniques and processes)
By the criteria of the UNC Writing Center, which sentence would serve best as the thesis of an argument?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Thesis Statements. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 2 (communication skills, techniques and processes)
"Every sonnet has fourteen lines. This poem is a sonnet. So this poem has fourteen lines." Which type of logical reasoning in the B.E.S.T. Standards does the argument use?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix B: Types of Logical Reasoning. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 2 (communication skills, techniques and processes)
In a debate on school start times, a speaker says, "My opponent was late to class all last year, so her plan deserves no hearing." Which fallacy is this?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix B: Fallacies in Reasoning (Informal). Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 2 (communication skills, techniques and processes)
In an expository essay on storm safety, a student adds two sentences about the night her own street flooded. Which elaborative technique in the B.E.S.T. Standards is this?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix C: Elaborative Techniques. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 2 (communication skills, techniques and processes)
In the first paragraph of a student's story, a porch step cracks underfoot; in the last, the step gives way. Which narrative technique has the writer used?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix C: Narrative Techniques. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 2 (communication skills, techniques and processes)
With a draft finished, a student reconsiders her argument, reorders two sections and cuts a weak paragraph. In the terms of the UNC Writing Center, what is she doing?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Revising Drafts. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 2 (communication skills, techniques and processes)
Literacy processes and instructional practices 7
A teacher of grades 9 and 10 checks a novel's Lexile measure against the B.E.S.T. quantitative grade bands. Which range is the band for those grades?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix B: Text Complexity Quantitative Grade Bands. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 3 (literacy processes and instructional practices)
A teacher scores a student's oral reading with the Multidimensional Fluency Scale reprinted in the B.E.S.T. Standards. Which four dimensions does the scale rate?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix E: Reading Foundations, Sample Oral Reading Fluency Rubrics. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 3 (literacy processes and instructional practices)
A tenth grader reads most words well but, after two interrupted years of school, has scattered gaps such as certain vowel sounds. Which B.E.S.T. profile of non-proficient decoders fits, and what usually follows once the gaps are addressed?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix E: Reading Foundations, Interventions for Secondary Students, Learner Profiles. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 3 (literacy processes and instructional practices)
An article is organized around the words dilemma, challenge and resolved. To which B.E.S.T. text structure do these signal words point?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix B: Text Structures. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 3 (literacy processes and instructional practices)
"The lecture was so soporific that half the hall was dozing by the second slide." A student works out soporific from the result the sentence describes. Which type of context clue in the B.E.S.T. Standards is at work?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix D: Context Clues. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 3 (literacy processes and instructional practices)
Put Reading First calls text at a student's instructional level "challenging but manageable". About what share of its words should the student read with success?Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read, third edition (National Institute for Literacy), Fluency Instruction, text levels. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 3 (literacy processes and instructional practices)
Why do the B.E.S.T. Standards have students read nonfiction and literary texts that reinforce what they are learning in other subjects?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix B: Background Knowledge. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 3 (literacy processes and instructional practices)
Literary and informational texts 9
A character is inexperienced, has many weaknesses and seeks safety with others. Which character archetype in the B.E.S.T. Standards fits?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix B: Archetypes. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 4 (a wide range of literary and informational texts)
A narrator who is not a character tells a story while staying confined to one character's perspective. What is this point of view called?Wikipedia, Narration. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 4 (a wide range of literary and informational texts)
A research report ends with a table of the raw survey data that the body of the report only summarizes. Which text feature in the B.E.S.T. list is that closing section?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix B: Text Features. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 4 (a wide range of literary and informational texts)
A speech urges a city council to act "tonight, before the storm season opens." Which rhetorical appeal in the B.E.S.T. Standards rests on time or place?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix B: Rhetoric, Rhetorical Appeals. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 4 (a wide range of literary and informational texts)
A student scans ten lines of a verse drama and finds a regular meter, five iambs to the line, and no rhyme. What is the verse form?Wikipedia, Blank verse. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 4 (a wide range of literary and informational texts)
In a play, the audience has watched a messenger hide the queen's letter, yet the king goes on praising the messenger's loyalty. Which kind of irony is at work?Wikipedia, Irony. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 4 (a wide range of literary and informational texts)
In the B.E.S.T. table of literary periods, which period, dated 1660-1790, is called a great age of satire and saw the rise of the novel as a major literary form?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix B: Literary Periods. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 4 (a wide range of literary and informational texts)
Langston Hughes wrote during a movement of African-American literature, music and art centered in a New York City neighborhood in the 1920s and 1930s. What is the movement called?Wikipedia, Harlem Renaissance. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 4 (a wide range of literary and informational texts)
"We came, we cheered, we went home hoarse." The writer leaves out the conjunction that would ordinarily join the last clause. Which rhetorical device is this?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix B: Rhetoric, Rhetorical Devices. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 4 (a wide range of literary and informational texts)
Listening, viewing, speaking and presenting 5
A speaker plans deliberate breaks and emphatic phrasing at her key points. The B.E.S.T. Standards give this as an example of which technique in a speech?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix C: Narrative Techniques. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 5 (effective techniques for listening, viewing, speaking and presenting)
A valedictorian asks, "Who among us was never afraid to begin?" and goes on without waiting for a reply. Which rhetorical device in the B.E.S.T. Standards is this?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix B: Rhetoric, Rhetorical Devices. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 5 (effective techniques for listening, viewing, speaking and presenting)
Florida's oral presentation benchmarks (C.2.1) build from grade to grade. In which grade does the benchmark first require supporting the central idea with credible evidence?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Communication benchmarks ELA.6.C.2.1 to ELA.9.C.2.1. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 5 (effective techniques for listening, viewing, speaking and presenting)
Under Florida's grade 10 benchmark on multimedia (ELA.10.C.5.1), what is a digital presentation meant to do?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Communication benchmarks ELA.10.C.5.1 and ELA.9.C.5.1. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 5 (effective techniques for listening, viewing, speaking and presenting)
Why must a speech be more plainly organized than an essay on the same subject, according to the UNC Writing Center?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Speeches. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 5 (effective techniques for listening, viewing, speaking and presenting)
Pedagogical content for teaching ELA 7
A teacher has students fill in a chart of what they know, what they want to know and what they learned as they plan a research paper. Which strategy from the IES secondary writing guide is this?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively (NCEE 2017-4002), Recommendation 1, Example 1.1. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 6 (pedagogical content for teaching English language arts)
A teacher is helping students sort sources for a paper on a film. By the UNC Writing Center's handout on evidence, which of these is a primary source?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Evidence. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 6 (pedagogical content for teaching English language arts)
Before teaching a comprehension strategy with a given text, what does the IES guide Improving Adolescent Literacy tell the teacher to make sure of?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices (NCEE 2008-4027), Recommendation 2. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 6 (pedagogical content for teaching English language arts)
Despite strong classroom teaching, a ninth grader still cannot make sense of the texts assigned in his courses. What does the IES guide Improving Adolescent Literacy recommend for him?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices (NCEE 2008-4027), Recommendation 5. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 6 (pedagogical content for teaching English language arts)
What use do the B.E.S.T. Standards give the Civic Literacy Reading List in the upper grades?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix B: Civic Literacy Reading List. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 6 (pedagogical content for teaching English language arts)
Which classroom task meets Florida's grade 9 benchmark on technology in communication (ELA.9.C.5.2)?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Communication benchmark ELA.9.C.5.2. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 6 (pedagogical content for teaching English language arts)
Why do the B.E.S.T. Standards introduce rhetoric as early as grade 6?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Introduction. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 6 (pedagogical content for teaching English language arts)
Assessment and assessment data 5
A ninth grader scores below Level 3 on the statewide English Language Arts assessment. Under section 1008.25(4), Florida Statutes, what must happen?Section 1008.25, Public school student progression; assessment and support, Florida Statutes (Online Sunshine). Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 7 (assessments and use of assessment data)
A teacher reads each essay once and gives it a single score from 1 to 6 that weighs every aspect of the writing together. Which kind of rubric is in use?Wikipedia, Rubric (academic). Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 7 (assessments and use of assessment data)
A test given when a unit on argument is over, to compare what students learned against a standard, is which kind of assessment?Wikipedia, Summative assessment. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 7 (assessments and use of assessment data)
According to the B.E.S.T. Reading Foundations appendix, what should secondary teachers do with assessment data on a non-proficient reader's foundational skills?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix E: Reading Foundations, Introduction. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 7 (assessments and use of assessment data)
In the B.E.S.T. Standards, which data decide the area that a secondary student's reading intervention must target?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix E: Reading Foundations, Interventions for Secondary Students. Written to FTCE English 6–12 (013), multiple-choice section, competency 7 (assessments and use of assessment data)
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the current Competencies and Skills and Blueprint of FTCE English 6–12 (013) in the test information guide on the FTCE/FELE website, https://www.fl.nesinc.com/studyguide/FL_SG_obj_013_redev.htm (copyright 2023 State of Florida, Department of State; site run by Pearson), read 2026-10-15: a multiple-choice section of approximately 60 questions in seven competencies (effective use of the English language about 15 percent, communication skills, techniques and processes 18, literacy processes and instructional practices 15, literary and informational texts 17, listening, viewing, speaking and presenting 10, pedagogical content 15, assessment 10) and a written performance section of one essay, which this bank does not cover. Each question names the public page its answer was checked on, opened 2026-10-15. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
This unofficial study guide for the FTCE SAE English 6–12 (013) sets out what the multiple-choice section weighs, then tests it with 50 questions of our own. Free, and not affiliated with the Florida Department of Education or Pearson.
Read the full guide
What the multiple-choice section weighs
Communication skills, techniques and processes carry about 18% of the questions; literary and informational texts 17%. Use of the English language, literacy processes and instructional practices, and pedagogical content carry 15% each. Listening, viewing, speaking and presenting carry 10%, as does assessment.
Two sections
The multiple-choice section runs 1 hour 30 minutes. The written performance section is one essay in 1 hour, evaluating a student's written analysis of a literary text; this page does not practice it. The timed exam here asks 40 questions in 60 minutes.
The current blueprint
An older blueprint with five multiple-choice competencies, marked for testing until 12/31/2023, is still online. These questions follow the current one, and many rest on Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards for English Language Arts.
Competencies 6 and 7 ask how to teach and assess English, not only what is correct: instructional practices, feedback, rubrics and the use of data.
The current outline names archetypes, universal themes, text structures and text features, terms that Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards define in their appendices and glossary.
Questions and answers
Is there a study guide for FTCE English 6-12 (013)?
Yes, and it costs nothing: the test information guide for English 6–12 on the FTCE site, with competencies and skills for both sections. Every question here is tagged with one of the seven multiple-choice competencies.
How many questions are on the FTCE English 6-12 test?
Approximately 60 multiple-choice questions, plus one essay in the written performance section. Since February 28, 2023, the two sections may be taken at separate appointments.
What is the passing score for FTCE English 6-12?
A scaled score of at least 200 on the multiple-choice section and at least 5 of 8 points on the written performance section. The FTCE site says both sections must be passed.
Is this FTCE English 6-12 practice test free?
Yes: 50 questions with explanations and the timed exam, with no account. None is taken or reworded from a real test or from the sample questions in the guide.