• 44 questions

ILTS Visual Arts Practice Test

Unofficial practice for the Illinois ILTS Visual Arts test, field 214: design, media, art of eight regions and criticism.

A sculptor speaks of a cube's height, width and depth. Which element of art names an object with such volume?

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Exam mode: 40 questions, 78 minutes.

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Illinois State Board of Education or Pearson. Bank checked October 12, 2026.

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All 44 questions

Subarea 1: Visual organization 11

  • A collage includes real sandpaper and satin, and a hand passed over it meets rough and smooth areas. Which term sets this kind of texture apart from visual texture? Wikipedia, Texture (visual arts), Physical. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0001
  • A painter makes one figure stand out by contrasting its size and color with the areas around it. Which principle of design is at work? J. Paul Getty Museum, Principles of Design, Emphasis. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0002
  • A painter wants the strongest contrast for a yellow shape and looks across the traditional red, yellow and blue wheel. Which color is yellow's complement there? Wikipedia, Complementary colors, lead and Traditional color model. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0001
  • A project treats shared neighborhood meals and the talk around them as the artwork. Which approach centers on community engagement and human interaction in this way? Wikipedia, Social practice (art), lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0003
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Subarea 1: Visual organization, continued

  • A sculptor speaks of a cube's height, width and depth. Which element of art names an object with such volume? Wikipedia, Elements of art, Form. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0001
  • A weaver repeats one motif across a whole textile. According to the Getty's sheet on the principles of design, what does the repetition of elements create within the work? J. Paul Getty Museum, Principles of Design, Repetition and Unity. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0002
  • An artist shows a store-bought object, almost unchanged, as a work of art in a gallery. Which contemporary strategy is this? Wikipedia, Appropriation (art), lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0003
  • On a poster, the empty area around and between two profiles reads as the outline of a vase. What is that empty area called? Wikipedia, Negative space, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0001
  • The two sides of a composition are different, yet the design still looks stable. Which kind of balance is this? J. Paul Getty Museum, Principles of Design, Balance. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0002
  • Which genre consists of three-dimensional works, often site-specific, meant to change how a space is perceived? Wikipedia, Installation art, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0003
  • Which principle of design is the path the viewer's eye takes through a work of art, often to focal areas? J. Paul Getty Museum, Principles of Design, Movement. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0002

Subarea 2: Creating visual arts 11

  • A clay figure cannot stand on its own, so the sculptor builds it around a wire framework. What is the framework called? Wikipedia, Armature (sculpture), lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0005
  • A photographer changes only one setting, opening the lens to a larger aperture. What happens to the depth of field? Wikipedia, Depth of field, lead and Factors affecting depth of field. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0006
  • A student cuts a design into a sheet of linoleum and rolls ink over it. Which areas of the block leave ink on the paper? Wikipedia, Linocut, lead; Relief printing, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0004
  • A student finishes a drawing in charcoal, a dry medium. What is applied over the top of it to prevent smudging? Wikipedia, Fixative (drawing), lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0004
  • By which process is a duplicate sculpture in metal, often bronze, cast from an original sculpture? Wikipedia, Lost-wax casting, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0005
  • Clay figures are moved a little at a time between frames photographed one by one, so that they seem to move by themselves on playback. Which technique is this? Wikipedia, Stop motion, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0006
  • In intaglio techniques such as etching and engraving, which part of the plate holds the ink that prints the image? Wikipedia, Intaglio (printmaking), lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0004
  • In the terminology of weaving, what is one weft thread crossing the warp called? Wikipedia, Warp and weft, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0005
  • Pottery fired in a kiln with no glaze, most commonly as a stage before the glaze firing, is known by what name? Wikipedia, Biscuit (pottery), lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0005
  • Which binder is mixed with pigment to make the fast-drying paint called egg tempera? Wikipedia, Tempera, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0004
  • Which form of computer graphics creates images directly from geometric shapes such as points, lines, curves and polygons? Wikipedia, Vector graphics, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0006

Subarea 3: Culture and context 11

  • A collection of terracotta sculptures found by local farmers outside Xi'an in 1974 depicts the armies of which ruler? Wikipedia, Terracotta Army, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0008
  • From the 1860s, which Japanese art form inspired many Western artists, a trend the French called Japonisme? Wikipedia, Japonisme, lead and History. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0008
  • The geoglyphs of the Nazca Desert were made over about a thousand years. Which two names are given to their two major phases? Wikipedia, Nazca lines, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0014
  • The Hudson River School was a group of mid-19th-century American landscape painters. Which European movement influenced its aesthetic vision? Wikipedia, Hudson River School, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0012
  • In Hawaii, the barkcloth known across the Pacific islands as tapa goes by which name? Wikipedia, Tapa cloth, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0013
  • Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast carve monumental poles, mostly from western red cedar. What may the carvings commemorate? Wikipedia, Totem pole, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0012
  • Kente, a textile of hand-woven silk and cotton strips, comes from which present-day country? Wikipedia, Kente cloth, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0007
  • Maya kingdoms of the Classic Period raised tall, sculpted stone shafts, often paired with low circular altars, at sites such as Copán in Honduras. What are these monuments called? Wikipedia, Maya stelae, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0009
  • Pointed arches, rib vaults, flying buttresses and large stained glass windows characterize which European architectural style? Wikipedia, Gothic architecture, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0010
  • Surface decoration of rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling, interlacing foliage and tendrils, widely used in the Islamic world, is known by what name? Wikipedia, Arabesque, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0011
  • Visible brush strokes, ordinary subject matter and an emphasis on light in its changing qualities characterize which 19th-century art movement? Wikipedia, Impressionism, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0010

Subarea 4: Critical approaches and the role of art 11

  • A 17th-century still life sets a skull among other transitory things. In the vanitas genre, what does such imagery symbolize? Wikipedia, Vanitas, lead and Motifs. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0016
  • A lesson shared by an art class and a geometry class covers a plane with repeated shapes, leaving no overlaps and no gaps. What is such a covering called? Wikipedia, Tessellation, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0017
  • A wartime recruiting poster selects its facts and uses loaded imagery to move viewers toward enlisting. Which function of visual design does it serve? Wikipedia, Propaganda, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0016
  • An art teacher gives students different avenues for understanding the same new material. What is this teaching framework called? Wikipedia, Differentiated instruction, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0018
  • From about age three, a child combines circles and lines into simple figures and draws people with limbs coming straight from the head. Which stage of child art is this? Wikipedia, Child art, Stages: Pre-symbolism. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0018
  • In art history, which approach studies art through analysis and comparison of form and style, including the purely visual aspects of how objects are made? Wikipedia, Formalism (art), lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0015
  • Japonisme began with prints and painting in 19th-century Europe. Which other arts did the trend also affect, a comic opera being perhaps the best example? Wikipedia, Japonisme, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0017
  • Which branch of art history identifies, describes and interprets the content of images? Wikipedia, Iconography, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0015
  • Which concept in aesthetics treats art as representing aspects of the real world? Wikipedia, Mimesis, lead. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0015
  • Which kind of assessment measures accomplishments that are worthwhile, significant and meaningful, for example through a studio portfolio of selected work? Wikipedia, Authentic assessment, lead and Examples. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0018
  • Which museum professional is the content specialist who has charge of an institution's collections and takes part in their interpretation? Wikipedia, Curator, Collections curator. Written to the ILTS Visual Arts (214) framework, objective 0016

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the test design and framework of Illinois Licensure Testing System field 214, Visual Arts, in the study guide on the ILTS website (https://www.il.nesinc.com/Content/STUDYGUIDE/IL_SG_OBJ_214.htm, copyright 2020 Pearson Education, Inc.; test page https://www.il.nesinc.com/TestView.aspx?f=HTML_FRAG/IL214_TestPage.html, read 2026-10-12): 100 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours 15 minutes, passing score 240, no reference materials; four subareas of 20 scorable and 5 non-scorable items and 25% of the score each: Visual Organization (objectives 0001 to 0003), Creating Visual Arts (0004 to 0006), Culture and Context (0007 to 0014) and Critical Approaches and the Role of Visual Arts (0015 to 0018). The bank holds 44, 11 for each subarea, with at least one for each of the 18 objectives. Every fact was read on the public page named under its question: the J. Paul Getty Museum's Principles of Design sheet and the named Wikipedia articles. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

These 44 questions of our own make an ILTS Visual Arts practice test for field 214, eleven for each of its four subareas. The page is free, unofficial and not affiliated with the Illinois State Board of Education or Pearson.

Read the full guide

ILTS Visual Arts (214): four equal subareas

The framework on the ILTS site, read October 12, 2026, gives each subarea 25% of the score: Visual Organization, Creating Visual Arts, Culture and Context, and Critical Approaches and the Role of Visual Arts. Each has 11 questions here. Exam mode draws 40 for 78 minutes, the real pace.

Eight regions in one subarea

Culture and Context has eight objectives, one for each region: Africa, Asia, Central America, Europe, the Middle East, North America, Oceania and South America. This bank asks about every one, from kente cloth and Maya stelae to tapa and the Nazca lines.

  • Objective 0018 is teaching: child development seen in children's artwork, differentiated instruction and authentic assessment such as portfolios.

Questions and answers

Is this ILTS Visual Arts practice test free?

It costs nothing and asks for no account. The questions were written for this page alone and repeat none of the sample questions in the official study guide.

How many questions are on the ILTS Visual Arts test?

The test page gives 100 multiple-choice questions on a computer and 3 hours 15 minutes of testing time in a 3 hour 30 minute appointment. The framework counts 80 of them as scorable and 20 as non-scorable.

What is the passing score for ILTS Visual Arts (214)?

The test page gives 240, read October 12, 2026. Neither it nor the framework says how many right answers earn 240, so this page reports a count and no verdict.

What is on the ILTS Visual Arts test?

Elements and principles of design and contemporary approaches; media and techniques in two dimensions, three dimensions and media arts; art of eight world regions; and criticism, careers, links among the arts and teaching. The test page lists no reference materials.

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