• 45 questions

MTTC Practice Test Language Arts

Unofficial practice for MTTC Language Arts (Elementary), field 090: communication, literature and craft, and the skills of reading and writing.

In the usual sequence of the writing process, which stage comes between drafting and editing?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

Print covers the next 40 questions. Share this set copies a link to the same questions in the same order.

Exam mode: 40 questions, 60 minutes.

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Michigan Department of Education or Pearson. Bank checked October 16, 2026.

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All 45 questions

Meaning and communication 12

  • A fifth grader is writing hand-washing directions to hang in a kindergarten room. Which choice best fits that audience? The answer rests on the text printed in the question and on the wording of the objective (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 004.
  • A speaker's rate, pitch, loudness and voice quality carry meaning apart from the words. What are these features called together? Wikipedia, Nonverbal communication (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 004.
  • A student opens a speech on bicycle helmets by saying she has served two years on the school safety patrol. Which appeal is she making? Wikipedia, Modes of persuasion (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 004.
  • A student uses her home dialect and classroom English in the same lunch conversation, each with its own grammar and sounds. What is this called? Wikipedia, Code-switching (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 002.
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Meaning and communication, continued

  • A student who is learning English carries over a word order from her first language that English does not share, and writes "the house white." What is this effect called? Wikipedia, Language transfer (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 003.
  • A student writes "gonna" in a note to a friend and "going to" in a letter to the principal. Which term do language teachers use for this shift in formality? Wikipedia, Register (sociolinguistics) (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 002.
  • Before she can read a single word, a four-year-old scribbles a "shopping list" and finds the first letter of her name on a cereal box. What is this knowledge called? Wikipedia, Emergent literacies (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 003.
  • Early models showed communication as a one-way process from sender to receiver. What did interaction models such as Schramm's add? Wikipedia, Models of communication (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 001.
  • How close people stand while they talk differs from culture to culture. Which part of nonverbal communication studies that distance? Wikipedia, Nonverbal communication (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 002.
  • In a linear model of communication such as Shannon and Weaver's, what is noise? Wikipedia, Models of communication (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 001.
  • In what order do children usually become aware of the sound units of spoken language? Wikipedia, Phonological awareness (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 003.
  • The test objectives name six language arts. Which two stand beside listening, speaking, reading and writing? The answer rests on the text printed in the question and on the wording of the objective (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 001.

Literature, genre, and craft 17

  • A commercial shows a whole school wearing the same sneakers and ends, "Join the crowd." Which technique is this? Wikipedia, Propaganda techniques (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 009.
  • A handbook rules, "Never end a sentence with a preposition." A linguist records that fluent speakers often do. How are the two approaches named, in that order? Wikipedia, Linguistic prescription (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 005.
  • A magazine article explains, step by step, how a volcano forms and takes no side on any question. Which form of writing is it? Wikipedia, Rhetorical modes (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 006.
  • A novel for ten-year-olds follows an invented family through a real war of the past, with the clothes, speech and customs of that time. Which genre is it? Wikipedia, Historical fiction (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 007.
  • A student asks why a web page was written: to inform, to sell something or to persuade. Which letter of the CRAAP test is she working on? Wikipedia, CRAAP test (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 009.
  • A teacher wants books in which the pictures carry much of the meaning. Which award is given for distinguished illustration in an American picture book for children? Wikipedia, Caldecott Medal (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 007.
  • "The dog chased the cat" and "The cat chased the dog" use the same five words. Which area of language study covers the word order that tells them apart? Wikipedia, Syntax (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 005.
  • English spelling often fails to match English sounds, partly because of the Great Vowel Shift. What changed in it? Wikipedia, Great Vowel Shift (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 005.
  • In a short tale, a lantern boasts that it outshines the stars until a gust of wind puts it out, and the last line reads, "Pride is soon snuffed." Which genre is this? Wikipedia, Fable (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 007.
  • In a story, a gifted runner skips practice all month and loses the final race to a slower girl who trained daily. Which sentence states a theme and not the plot? Wikipedia, Theme (narrative) (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 008.
  • In the script of a play, what are stage directions? Wikipedia, Play (theatre) (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 006.
  • "Maya gripped the rope and wondered if the knot would hold. Below her, Dev was already planning an excuse, and their coach thought only of lunch." Which point of view is this? Wikipedia, Narration (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 008.
  • The Newbery Medal is given each year to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. Who awards it? Wikipedia, Newbery Medal (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 007.
  • "The old gate complained every time the wind pushed it." Which device does the writer use for the gate? Wikipedia, Personification (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 008.
  • Which describes readers theater? Wikipedia, Readers theater (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 006.
  • Which sentence from a student's product review can be checked as a fact? The answer rests on the text printed in the question and on the wording of the objective (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 009.
  • The word "unbreakable" has three meaningful parts. Which of them is a free morpheme, able to serve as a word without the others? Wikipedia, Morpheme (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 005.

Skills and processes 16

  • A class is making a short video. Four students each want to hold the camera and nobody has written the script. Which skill of media production does the group most need to settle first? The answer rests on the text printed in the question and on the wording of the objective (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 013.
  • A draft's main point is "Our school needs a longer recess." Which sentence should the writer cut because it does not support that point? The answer rests on the text printed in the question and on the wording of the objective (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 012.
  • A reader meets the new word "chip," says the sounds for ch, i and p, and blends them. Which word identification strategy is this? Wikipedia, Phonics (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 010.
  • A student is researching a flood that struck her town decades ago. Which of these is a primary source? Wikipedia, Primary source (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 011.
  • A student news team writes its story as an inverted pyramid. Where does the most important information go? Wikipedia, Inverted pyramid (journalism) (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 013.
  • A student runs her eyes down a bus timetable, looking only for the 4:15 departure. Which reading technique is this? Wikipedia, Speed reading (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 010.
  • A student stops in the middle of a page and says, "I did not follow that part. I will read it again more slowly." What is she showing? Wikipedia, Metacognition (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 014.
  • A student writes "ocean" in a circle and draws lines out to related ideas before drafting. Which prewriting strategy is this? Wikipedia, Prewriting (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 012.
  • Before reading an article on whales, a class fills in the first two columns of a KWL chart. What goes in them? Wikipedia, KWL table (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 010.
  • Each student chooses pieces of their own writing from across the year and attaches a note on why each was chosen. What are they building? The answer rests on the text printed in the question and on the wording of the objective (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 014.
  • In most search engines, which query asks for pages that hold both words? Wikipedia, Search engine (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 011.
  • In the usual sequence of the writing process, which stage comes between drafting and editing? Wikipedia, Prewriting (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 012.
  • Students judge their own drafts with a table that lists criteria and describes several levels of quality for each. What is this tool? Wikipedia, Rubric (academic) (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 014.
  • What is a reader's sight vocabulary? Wikipedia, Sight word (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 010.
  • Which change to a draft is revision and not proofreading? Wikipedia, Revision (writing) (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 012.
  • Which question is best suited to a fifth grader's two-week research project? The answer rests on the text printed in the question and on the wording of the objective (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) test objectives, objective 011.

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the test objectives of the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) field 090, Language Arts (Elementary), as the MTTC site prints them (https://www.mttc.nesinc.com/Content/STUDYGUIDE/MI_SG_obj_090.htm and the test page https://www.mttc.nesinc.com/TestView.aspx?f=HTML_FRAG/MI090_TestPage.html, read 2026-10-16): Meaning and communication, 28%; Literature, genre, and craft, 36%; Skills and processes, 36%; 100 multiple-choice questions, 2 hours 30 minutes of testing time, passing score 220. This bank holds 45 questions, spread 12, 17 and 16 over those subareas. Every fact was read on 2026-10-16 in the Wikipedia article named under its question. 7 questions rest on a text printed in the question and on the wording of the objective. Licence: Questions, passages, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

This MTTC practice test for language arts follows Language Arts (Elementary), field 090, with 45 questions of our own. It is unofficial practice, not affiliated with the Michigan Department of Education or Pearson, who run the real test.

Read the full guide

MTTC Language Arts study guide: what field 090 weighs

By the test objectives read October 16, 2026: meaning and communication 28%; literature, genre, and craft 36%; skills and processes 36%. This bank holds 12, 17 and 16. A timed run asks 40 of them in 60 minutes, the pace of the real test.

MTTC elementary language arts study guide: the 14 objectives

Objectives 001 to 004 take in the six language arts, dialect and register, language development, and rhetoric. Objectives 005 to 009: the structure of English, forms of text, literature for children, author's craft, and judging media. Objectives 010 to 014: word identification, research, the writing process, media production, and self-assessment.

  • The test page says the last administration date for Language Arts (Elementary) (090) will be in 2029.
  • Field 090 cannot be used for the English Language Arts (5–9) endorsement, the test page says, so check which test your program names.

Questions and answers

How many questions are on the MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) test?

100 multiple-choice questions on a computer, in 2 hours 30 minutes of testing time. A 15-minute tutorial and nondisclosure agreement come first, so the appointment is 2 hours 45 minutes.

What is the passing score for MTTC Language Arts?

220, on a scale from 100 to 300. The MTTC site says the scaled score is converted from the number of scorable questions answered correctly, so this page shows a count of right answers and no verdict.

Is there an official MTTC language arts study guide?

Yes. The MTTC site lists a study guide for field 090 in four sections: program information, how to prepare, the test objectives, and sample multiple-choice questions. The questions here follow the objectives of the third section.

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