A letter to the editor argues, "The town planted trees on Main Street in May, and shop sales rose in June. The trees caused the sales boom." Which flaw in reasoning does the letter show?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Fallacies, "Post hoc (also called false cause)". Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 108, competency 0002
A seventh grader writes a poem in three stanzas of four lines each. What is a four-line stanza called?Academy of American Poets, Glossary of Poetic Terms, Stanza. Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 108, competency 0003
A short story follows two sisters who compete for one scholarship and learn that helping each other matters more than winning. Which statement expresses a theme of the story, not its plot or topic?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Literary Terms, "Theme". Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 108, competency 0003
Show all 40 questions (37 more)
Testlet 108: Reading and analysis of texts, continued
A sixth grade teacher wants a new academic word to stick. According to the IES practice guide Improving Adolescent Literacy, which plan fits what research says about learning a word?IES practice guide, Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices (NCEE 2008-4027), Recommendation 1 (explicit vocabulary instruction). Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 108, competency 0001
A student editorial says, "Two of my friends lost their homework files on the new tablets, so the tablets fail for every student in the district." Which fallacy weakens this argument?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Fallacies, "Hasty generalization". Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 108, competency 0002
A student meets the word "envision" in a novel. Her teacher points to the letters vis, which also appear in "vision" and "visible". What does that Latin root mean?Colorín Colorado (WETA), ELL Glossary, "morphophonology". Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 108, competency 0001
After a chapter on a drought, a teacher asks, "Why might a family have stayed on its farm?" Students must connect details in the text with what they learned earlier in social studies. Which type of question is this in the IES guide for grades 4–9?IES What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4–9 (WWC 2022007), Recommendation 3, Part B, Resource 3B.1 (types of questions). Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 108, competency 0001
An editorial reads: (1) "Our town should build a covered bus shelter at Pine Street." (2) "Forty riders wait there each morning." (3) "Some say a shelter costs too much, but a local builder has offered the materials." (4) "Let's give riders a dry place to wait." What job does sentence 3 do in the argument?IES What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively (NCEE 2017-4002), Recommendation 2, Example 2.5 (key features of exemplars for different text types). Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 108, competency 0002
Carl Sandburg's poem "Fog" begins: "The fog comes / on little cat feet." Which figure of speech does the poem build on?Academy of American Poets, Glossary of Poetic Terms, Metaphor; the poem, in the public domain, is at poets.org/poem/fog. Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 108, competency 0003
"Each spring, storm water flooded the Riverside school parking lot. Last year the district dug a rain garden beside the lot. Its deep-rooted plants now soak up the runoff, and the lot stays dry." Which text structure organizes this paragraph?IES What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4–9 (WWC 2022007), Recommendation 3, Part C, Resource 3C.3 (types of text structures). Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 108, competency 0002
In a class novel, Tomas trains all season, argues with his coach, must decide at the final race whether to stop for a fallen rival, and afterward makes peace with the coach. Which event is the climax?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Literary Terms, "Climax". Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 108, competency 0003
"The Larkspur ferry once ran every hour. After the bridge opened, the schedule dropped to four crossings a day, and the snack counter on board closed." What can a reader reasonably infer?The answer rests on the text printed in the question. Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 108, competency 0002
"Old Mr. Abara never said that he was proud of the bakery. He simply arrived at four each morning and swept the front step before anyone asked." Through which means does the passage mainly characterize Mr. Abara?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Literary Terms, "Characterization". Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 108, competency 0003
"The old screen door complained every time we came in, and the porch light blinked itself awake." Which device gives the door and the light the actions of a living thing?Academy of American Poets, Glossary of Poetic Terms, Personification. Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 108, competency 0003
"The Ostrander School garden asks a lot of its students. Sixth graders haul compost before the first bell, seventh graders keep the watering log, and eighth graders run the Friday stand where the vegetables are sold. No one job could be dropped without the garden failing." Which sentence best states the central idea?The answer rests on the text printed in the question. Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 108, competency 0002
Students read two paragraphs about how a town rebuilt its bridge, then write one sentence that pulls together the most important information. What does the IES guide for grades 4–9 call that sentence?IES What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4–9 (WWC 2022007), Recommendation 3, Part C (the gist of a short section of text). Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 108, competency 0001
Testlet 109: Writing, research and multimedia texts 14
A class studies an old photograph with the National Archives worksheet. After "Meet the photo," students list the people, objects and activities they see. Which step is that?U.S. National Archives, Educator Resources, Analyze a Photograph. Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 109, competency 0003
A seventh grader's paraphrases keep coming out close to the wording of her sources. Which habit does the UNC Writing Center handout on plagiarism suggest?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Plagiarism, "What about paraphrasing?". Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 109, competency 0002
A student takes a sentence from a website, swaps three words for synonyms and presents it as a paraphrase. How does the UNC Writing Center handout on plagiarism treat this?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Plagiarism, "What about paraphrasing?". Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 109, competency 0002
A student teacher tells her class that planning must be finished before drafting begins and that a writer never goes back. What does the IES guide on secondary writing say about the components of the writing process?IES What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively (NCEE 2017-4002), Recommendation 1a, Figure 1.1 (components of the writing process). Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 109, competency 0001
A student wants to put a photograph licensed CC BY-NC into a class video that will not be sold. What does the license ask of her?Creative Commons, About CC Licenses, CC BY-NC. Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 109, competency 0003
A student's slide deck includes a chart of survey results. What should the alt text for the chart do?Section508.gov (U.S. General Services Administration), Authoring Meaningful Alternative Text. Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 109, competency 0003
A student's story has a setting, characters and a happy ending, but nothing ever stands in the main character's way. Judged by the key features of a narrative in the IES guide on secondary writing, what is the draft missing?IES What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively (NCEE 2017-4002), Recommendation 2, Example 2.5 (key features of exemplars for different text types). Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 109, competency 0001
A teacher drafts an opening paragraph on the board and thinks aloud about each choice while the class watches. Which part of the Model-Practice-Reflect cycle is this?IES What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively (NCEE 2017-4002), Recommendation 1b, Figure 1.2 (the Model-Practice-Reflect cycle). Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 109, competency 0001
Before an editorial unit, a teacher hands out two sample editorials, one strong and one weak, and has students mark what sets them apart. Which practice from the IES guide on secondary writing is this?IES What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively (NCEE 2017-4002), Recommendation 2 (integrate writing and reading). Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 109, competency 0001
Eighth graders use the DARE strategy while drafting an argumentative essay. What does the R tell them to do?IES What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively (NCEE 2017-4002), Recommendation 1a, Example 1.2c (strategies for the drafting component). Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 109, competency 0001
For a research paper on volcanoes, students fill in two columns: what they already know and what they want to know. After the research they fill in a third: what they learned. Which strategy is this?IES What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively (NCEE 2017-4002), Recommendation 1a, Example 1.1 (the K-W-L strategy during the writing process). Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 109, competency 0002
The National Association for Media Literacy Education defines media literacy as being able to access, analyze, evaluate, create and act with every form of communication. Which class activity is "create"?National Association for Media Literacy Education, Media Literacy Defined. Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 109, competency 0003
Seventh graders read letters and diaries from a past event beside their textbook's account of it. According to the National Archives page History in the Raw, how do students who use primary sources come to view the textbook?U.S. National Archives, Educator Resources, History in the Raw. Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 109, competency 0002
Students will write an informative essay on how two characters in a novel are alike and different. Which planning tool does the IES guide on secondary writing name for a compare/contrast essay?IES What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively (NCEE 2017-4002), Recommendation 1a, Example 1.2a (strategies for the planning component). Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 109, competency 0001
Testlet 110: Language, speaking and listening 10
A colleague says that students who speak a vernacular dialect use "broken" English. Which statement reflects the research summarized in the ERIC digest Vernacular Dialects in U.S. Schools?ERIC Digest ED406846, Vernacular Dialects in U.S. Schools (U.S. Department of Education, ERIC), "Difference vs. Deficit". Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 110, competency 0001
A fifth grader picks up the word "reluctant" from hearing it in read-alouds, in talk with adults and in her own reading, without a lesson on it. What is this kind of learning called?Colorín Colorado (WETA), ELL Glossary, "indirect vocabulary learning". Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 110, competency 0001
A sixth grader reads "The letter was mailed by the girl" and thinks that the letter did the mailing. Which domain of language is giving him trouble?American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Language In Brief, "Syntax". Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 110, competency 0001
A student plans to keep her audience guessing and reveal her thesis only at the end of a five-minute speech. What does the UNC Writing Center handout on speeches advise?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Speeches, "Get to the point". Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 110, competency 0002
A teacher is building a listening test for seventh graders. According to the ERIC digest Assessing Listening and Speaking Skills, what should the listening passages be like?ERIC Digest ED263626, Assessing Listening and Speaking Skills (U.S. Department of Education, ERIC), "How Are Listening Skills Assessed?". Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 110, competency 0002
A teacher scores each student speech separately for delivery, organization, content and language. Which kind of rating is this?ERIC Digest ED263626, Assessing Listening and Speaking Skills (U.S. Department of Education, ERIC), "How Are Speaking Skills Assessed?". Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 110, competency 0002
A teacher writes "The pond froze. The pond was shallow. The geese left." and asks students to make one sentence, such as "When the shallow pond froze, the geese left." Which activity is this?IES What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers (NCEE 2012-4058), Recommendation 3 (sentence construction). Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 110, competency 0001
According to the ERIC digest Vernacular Dialects in U.S. Schools, what should instruction in standard English be coupled with?ERIC Digest ED406846, Vernacular Dialects in U.S. Schools (U.S. Department of Education, ERIC), "Guidelines for Teaching a Standard Dialect". Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 110, competency 0001
During a discussion of a novel, a student offers an interpretation and the teacher asks, "What in the text supports that?" Which practice from the IES guide Improving Adolescent Literacy is the teacher using?IES practice guide, Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices (NCEE 2008-4027), Recommendation 3 (extended discussion of text meaning and interpretation). Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 110, competency 0002
In the "simple view of reading," which two things contribute to successful reading?American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Language In Brief, "Relationship Between Spoken Language and Written Language". Written to GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (706) testlet 110, competency 0001
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the competencies of the GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (4–8) assessment, test code 706, as its Assessment Design and Framework prints them on the GACE website of the Georgia Professional Standards Commission and Evaluation Systems, Pearson (https://www.gace.es.pearson.com/studyguide/framework/706 and https://www.gace.es.pearson.com/test/706, read 2026-10-09): testlet 108 Reading and Analysis of Texts (4–8), about 40 selected-response questions in 60 minutes, three competencies of 25%, 37.5% and 37.5%; testlet 109 Writing, Research, and Multimedia Texts (4–8), about 35 in 45 minutes, three competencies of 43%, 28.5% and 28.5%; testlet 110 Language, Speaking, and Listening (4–8), about 25 in 30 minutes, two competencies of 60% and 40%. This bank holds 16, 14 and 10, which is 40% of each testlet. Every rule, term and fact was read on 2026-10-09 in the public page named under its question (four practice guides of the Institute of Education Sciences, two ERIC digests of the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. National Archives, Section508.gov, the Purdue Online Writing Lab, the Writing Center of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Academy of American Poets, ASHA, the Colorín Colorado ELL glossary, Creative Commons and the National Association for Media Literacy Education); two questions rest on a short text printed in the question. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
This GACE Middle Grades Language Arts practice test asks 40 questions of our own on the framework of test 706, for grades 4–8. It is unofficial and not affiliated with the Georgia Professional Standards Commission or Pearson.
Read the full guide
The three testlets
Testlet 108, Reading and Analysis of Texts, has about 40 questions; 109, Writing, Research, and Multimedia Texts, about 35; 110, Language, Speaking, and Listening, about 25. The bank here holds 16, 14 and 10, split by each competency's share in the framework at gace.es.pearson.com, read October 9, 2026.
Clock and exam mode
The real testlets allow 60, 45 and 30 minutes. Exam mode keeps that pace: all 40 questions in 54 minutes.
What the questions draw on
Most facts come from four IES practice guides, two ERIC digests, the National Archives, the Purdue and UNC writing centers, the Academy of American Poets glossary, ASHA and the Colorín Colorado glossary. Each question names its own.
The Georgia Department of Education says its K-12 ELA standards, approved in May 2023, were fully implemented in 2025–2026. Read those for grades 4–8.
Three quarters of the largest testlet, Reading and Analysis of Texts, is work with informational, argumentative and literary texts.
Questions and answers
Is there a GACE Middle Grades Language Arts study guide?
Yes. The GACE website publishes a study guide for test 706: what the assessment covers, its structure and a sample item for each objective. This page adds 40 practice questions of our own, sorted by the same three testlets.
Is this the GACE Middle Grades Language Arts 011 interactive practice test?
No. The GACE site says each assessment comes with an interactive practice test that an examinee receives with registration. This page is separate. It follows test 706, and on October 9, 2026 the site listed no test numbered 011.
How many questions are on the GACE Middle Grades Language Arts test?
It has 100 selected-response questions in three testlets and 2 hours 15 minutes of testing time in all. A 15-minute tutorial and nondisclosure agreement comes on top of that.
What is a passing score on the GACE Middle Grades Language Arts test?
A cumulative score of at least 220, with the floor met on each testlet. Scores are reported on a scale of 100 to 300, so this page shows the number right and no verdict.