• 44 questions

OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages Study Guide

An unofficial outline of Ohio's OAE ESOL assessment, now test 121, with practice questions on all ten competencies.

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In the input hypothesis, what does "i+1" describe?

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Ohio State Board of Education or Evaluation Systems, Pearson. Bank checked October 14, 2026.

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All 44 questions with answers

Domain I: Language systems and language learning 14

  • A capable student freezes whenever she is called on in front of the class. By the affective filter hypothesis, what is happening? Answer: Emotions such as anxiety are interfering with acquisition. Source: Wikipedia, "Affective filter". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0003
  • A fifth grader chats easily with friends at recess after two years in the United States but struggles with the science textbook. Which research finding explains the gap? Answer: Social language comes in 2 to 3 years, academic language in 5 to 7. Source: Wikipedia, "Cognitive academic language proficiency". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0002
  • A kindergartner who arrived three weeks ago follows classroom routines, points to pictures and does not yet speak English. Which phase of new language learning does this describe? Answer: The silent period. Source: Wikipedia, "Silent period". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0002
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Domain I: Language systems and language learning, continued

  • A learner says "I want to reCORD the lesson" and "I bought a REcord," moving the emphasis from one syllable to the other. Which feature of English phonology is the learner controlling? Answer: Stress. Source: Wikipedia, "Stress (linguistics)". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0001
  • A newcomer writes "She has a car red" and "Is very cold today." Which language system should the teacher's feedback address? Answer: Syntax. Source: Wikipedia, "Syntax". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0001
  • A Spanish-speaking student uses what she knows of Spanish sentence patterns and vocabulary when she writes in English. What is this application of one language's features to another called? Answer: Language transfer. Source: Wikipedia, "Language transfer". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0003
  • A student understands every word of "It is getting loud in here" but does not see that the teacher means "please be quiet." Which area of language studies how context adds to meaning? Answer: Pragmatics. Source: Wikipedia, "Pragmatics". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0001
  • A teacher shows that "happy" becomes "unhappy" and "happiness." Which process of word formation is she teaching? Answer: Derivation. Source: Wikipedia, "Morphological derivation". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0001
  • After six years of English, a fluent speaker still says "he go" and "she have," and correction no longer changes it. What has happened to this part of his interlanguage? Answer: It has fossilized. Source: Wikipedia, "Interlanguage". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0002
  • At home a student speaks Somali with her grandmother and English with her brother, and she shifts between them by setting and listener. What is this practice called? Answer: Code-switching. Source: Wikipedia, "Code-switching". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0002
  • Before a unit on plants, a teacher finds out that several students' families grow vegetables to sell, and she asks those students to show the class how seedlings are set out. Which model of household resources is she drawing on? Answer: Funds of knowledge. Source: Wikipedia, "Funds of knowledge". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0003
  • During pair work a student says, "My brother have two dog." The teacher replies, "Your brother has two dogs? What are their names?" and the talk goes on. Which feedback technique is this? Answer: A recast. Source: Wikipedia, "Recast (language teaching)". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0002
  • In the input hypothesis, what does "i+1" describe? Answer: Input slightly beyond the learner's current level. Source: Wikipedia, "Input hypothesis". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0002
  • To help students hear the difference between two English vowel sounds, a teacher drills word pairs such as ship and sheep, bit and beat. What are such pairs called? Answer: Minimal pairs. Source: Wikipedia, "Minimal pair". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0001

Domain I: Assessment and foundational literacy 7

  • A learner whose home language has no "th" sound hears "think" and "sink" as one word. Why does the teacher treat the two first sounds as separate phonemes of English? Answer: They distinguish one word from another. Source: Wikipedia, "Phoneme". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0005
  • A math test is written in dense English paragraphs. A newcomer who knows the math fails it. Which quality of the test is in doubt? Answer: Its validity, since it may not measure what it is meant to measure. Source: Wikipedia, "Test validity". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0004
  • A reading passage on a placement test assumes that every child knows what happens at a Thanksgiving dinner. Which threat to fair assessment does this show? Answer: Cultural bias. Source: Wikipedia, "Cultural bias". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0004
  • A speaking assessment gives a student very different scores on Monday and Tuesday, though nothing about the student or the task has changed. Which quality does the assessment lack? Answer: Reliability. Source: Wikipedia, "Reliability (statistics)". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0004
  • A student who reads well in Chinese characters is new to English print. Which idea must she learn first about how English writing works? Answer: The alphabetic principle: letters stand for speech sounds. Source: Wikipedia, "Alphabetic principle". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0005
  • As English learners leave class, each hands in one sentence that answers, "What is one important thing you learned today?" The teacher uses the slips to plan the next lesson. What kind of assessment is this? Answer: Formative. Source: Wikipedia, "Formative assessment". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0004
  • To build independent word-learning, a teacher has students circle the part of "preview," "prepay" and "preheat" that comes before the stem. What is that word part? Answer: A prefix. Source: Wikipedia, "Prefix". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0005

Domain I: Learning environment, law and Ohio rules 10

  • A district puts students who speak no English into regular classes with no language help and argues that the same books and teachers are enough. Which decision held that this violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964? Answer: Lau v. Nichols. Source: Wikipedia, "Lau v. Nichols". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0007
  • A newcomer is thrilled with everything at school for the first few weeks and then becomes irritable and homesick. Culture shock is described in four phases. Which phase follows the honeymoon? Answer: Negotiation. Source: Wikipedia, "Culture shock". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0006
  • A parent of an English learner worries that the school will ask for immigration papers before her children may enroll free of charge. Which 1982 Supreme Court decision protects the children's schooling? Answer: Plyler v. Doe. Source: Wikipedia, "Plyler v. Doe". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0007
  • A teacher lets students read a source in their home language, discuss it in either language and write the summary in English. As a teaching approach, what is this use of more than one language in a lesson called? Answer: Translanguaging. Source: Wikipedia, "Translanguaging". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0006
  • An Ohio family's Language Usage Survey shows that the child's primary language is not English. Which step comes next in the state's identification procedure? Answer: The student takes the Ohio English Language Proficiency Screener. Source: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, "Identifying English Learners". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0007
  • In Ohio, which tool must every new student complete so that the school can identify language support needs? Answer: Ohio's Language Usage Survey. Source: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, "Identifying English Learners". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0007
  • In which program model are students taught literacy and content in two languages, with the partner language used for at least half of the elementary day? Answer: Dual language education. Source: Wikipedia, "Dual language". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0007
  • Two students from different countries feel uncomfortable in a pair task: one steps close to talk and the other keeps stepping back. Which culturally shaped part of communication is involved? Answer: Proxemics, the use of space. Source: Wikipedia, "Proxemics". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0006
  • Under the standard from Castañeda v. Pickard (1981), a program for English learners must be based on sound educational theory and evaluated for its results. What is the remaining part of the test? Answer: It is carried out effectively, with enough resources and staff. Source: Colorín Colorado, "Landmark Court Rulings Regarding English Language Learners". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0007
  • Within how many days of a student's enrollment must an Ohio school identify a student who is an English learner? Answer: 30 days. Source: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, "Identifying English Learners". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0007

Domain II: Language development with content learning 13

  • A student cannot yet summarize a grade-level article alone but can do it when the teacher supplies guiding questions. Where does this task lie for the student? Answer: In the zone of proximal development. Source: Wikipedia, "Zone of proximal development". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0009
  • A student greets the principal with "Hey, what's up?" and writes a lab report in the same style. Which concept should a speaking and writing lesson address? Answer: Register, the kind of language that fits a given purpose or situation. Source: Wikipedia, "Register (sociolinguistics)". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0010
  • A student who does not know the word "scissors" says "the tool for cutting paper." Which communication strategy is this? Answer: Circumlocution. Source: Wikipedia, "Circumlocution". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0010
  • A teacher gives beginners sentence frames for lab reports in September, shortens the frames in November and drops them by January. Which feature of scaffolding does this plan show? Answer: Supports are removed gradually as students grow independent. Source: Wikipedia, "Instructional scaffolding". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0008
  • A teacher says "Stand up," "Touch the door" and "Bring me the red book," and beginners respond with actions, not words. Which method is she using? Answer: Total physical response. Source: Wikipedia, "Total physical response". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0009
  • During a history lesson the classroom teacher works with most of the class while the ESOL teacher takes five newcomers to a side table to preteach the key vocabulary. Which co-teaching model is this? Answer: Alternative teaching. Source: Wikipedia, "Co-teaching". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0008
  • English learners miss the speaker's doubt in "Oh, that is a great idea?" because the words alone sound positive. Which feature of spoken English should a listening lesson teach? Answer: Intonation. Source: Wikipedia, "Intonation (linguistics)". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0009
  • For a lesson on measurement, a teacher brings in measuring cups, a kitchen scale and food packages. What are such real-life objects called in language teaching? Answer: Realia. Source: Wikipedia, "Realia (education)". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0008
  • In a math class with six English learners, the teacher gives the same grade-level lesson on ratios to everyone but draws diagrams, slows her speech and posts a word bank. Which approach is this? Answer: Sheltered instruction. Source: Wikipedia, "Sheltered instruction". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0008
  • Instead of a multiple-choice test, students at several proficiency levels plan a class garden and present a budget for it. What does authentic assessment set out to measure? Answer: Worthwhile, significant and meaningful accomplishments. Source: Wikipedia, "Authentic assessment". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0008
  • Intermediate English learners reread one short paragraph of a historical speech three times, looking at single words and the order of its sentences. Which practice is this? Answer: Close reading. Source: Wikipedia, "Close reading". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0009
  • To make students' written explanations easier to follow, a teacher posts "first," "however," "as a result" and "in conclusion." What are words and phrases that manage the flow and structure of discourse called? Answer: Discourse markers. Source: Wikipedia, "Discourse marker". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0010
  • While explaining an experiment to a partner, a student finds that she cannot say what she means, notices the gap and tries a new wording. Which hypothesis says that learning takes place at this moment? Answer: The comprehensible output hypothesis. Source: Wikipedia, "Comprehensible output". Written to OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (121) framework, competency 0010

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the assessment framework for Ohio Assessments for Educators field 121, English to Speakers of Other Languages, read 2026-10-14 on the program's site (https://www.oh.nesinc.com/CONTENT/STUDYGUIDE/OH_SG_OBJ_121.htm; test page https://www.oh.nesinc.com/TestView.aspx?f=HTML_FRAG/OH121_TestPage.html): 100 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours 15 minutes, passing score 220; Domain I, Foundations of Instruction for English Learners (competencies 0001 to 0007, 70%), and Domain II, Integration of Language Development and Content Learning (0008 to 0010, 30%). The bank holds 31 questions on Domain I, shown as three topics, and 13 on Domain II. Every fact was read on 2026-10-14 in the page the question names: the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce page on identifying English learners, the Colorín Colorado article on court rulings, or the named Wikipedia article. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

This free, unofficial OAE ESOL study guide sets the published outline of test 121 beside 44 practice questions of our own, each with its source. It is not affiliated with the Ohio State Board of Education or Evaluation Systems, Pearson.

Read the full guide

What OAE ESOL (121) covers: two domains

By the framework at oh.nesinc.com, read October 14, 2026, Domain I, Foundations of Instruction for English Learners, is 70% of the score across seven competencies. Domain II, Integration of Language Development and Content Learning, is 30% across three. This bank holds 31 and 13 questions.

Ohio's own rules

Competency 0007 asks for Ohio's requirements for identifying, placing and exiting English learners. Three questions rest on the state education department's identification page: the Language Usage Survey, the 30-day limit and the proficiency screener.

Timing

The real assessment gives 2 hours 15 minutes for 100 questions. Exam mode asks all 44 here in 59 minutes, the same pace.

Questions and answers

Is OAE ESOL 021 still the test to study for?

No. The program's page for English to Speakers of Other Languages (021) says that assessment has retired and the revised one is available. The list of assessments now carries code 121, and this page follows the 121 framework.

Is there a free OAE ESOL practice test?

Yes, this one: 44 questions with no sign-up. Each was written for this site from the 121 framework, and each explanation names the public page behind its answer. None comes from the real assessment or its sample questions.

How many questions are on the OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages test?

100 multiple-choice questions, down from the 150 of test 021. Testing time is 2 hours 15 minutes after a 15-minute tutorial, at a test center or with an online proctor.

What is the passing score for OAE ESOL?

220. Scores are reported from 100 to 300 and rest on the number of multiple-choice questions answered correctly, so a count of right answers on this page cannot stand in for it.

Which Ohio license needs test 121?

The program's table lists it for the Multi-Age license in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, beside the Assessment of Professional Knowledge: Multi-Age (004), and for the TESOL (PK–12) endorsement, which needs no pedagogy assessment.

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