Domain I: Reading process and reading across the curriculum 7
A civics text explains the three branches of government through a long comparison with a three-legged stool, matching each leg to a branch and the balance to their shared limits. What is this kind of comparison called?Answer: An analogy. Source: Wikipedia, "Analogy". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0003
A dictionary says that "warm" means having a high temperature. A student adds that the word also suggests coziness and kindness. What is the dictionary's strictly literal meaning called?Answer: Denotation. Source: Wikipedia, "Denotation". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0002
A science text says, "The cell membrane works like a security gate, letting some things in and keeping others out." Which device does the writer use to explain the concept?Answer: A simile. Source: Wikipedia, "Simile". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0003
A seventh grader pictures the scene, asks himself questions and rereads when a paragraph stops making sense. Which ability, described as thinking about one's own thinking, is he using to comprehend?Answer: Metacognition. Source: Wikipedia, "Metacognition". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0002
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Domain I: Reading process and reading across the curriculum, continued
A sixth grader who still struggles with long words is taught the sound of each letter and letter combination and then blends those sounds to say the word. Which approach to phonics is this?Answer: Synthetic phonics. Source: Wikipedia, "Phonics". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0001
A student meets "hopeless," "hopeful" and "hopefulness" in one chapter and notices that the endings change what kind of word each is. Which word parts carry that lexical information?Answer: Derivational suffixes. Source: Wikipedia, "Suffix". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0002
A teacher has students tap out the syllables of "fantastic" and notice that each tap has a vowel sound at its center. What is that central part of a syllable called?Answer: The nucleus. Source: Wikipedia, "Syllable". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0001
Domain II: Text forms and literature 15
A class reads two accounts of an inventor's life: one she wrote herself and one written by a historian. Which term names the self-written account?Answer: Autobiography. Source: Wikipedia, "Autobiography". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0004
A flyer for a candidate shows him in work boots at a diner and says, "He is one of us." Which propaganda technique is this?Answer: Plain folks. Source: Wikipedia, "Propaganda techniques". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0005
A poem has the line "Hail rattled on the barn roof, the gate creaked and the hens clucked." Which sound device do "rattled," "creaked" and "clucked" show?Answer: Onomatopoeia. Source: Wikipedia, "Onomatopoeia". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0006
A poster promises "Freedom, strength and a brighter tomorrow" and says nothing about how. Which propaganda technique uses emotionally appealing words with no concrete argument?Answer: Glittering generalities. Source: Wikipedia, "Propaganda techniques". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0005
A student restates a paragraph of a news article in new wording and keeps all of its meaning, without shortening it. What has the student written?Answer: A paraphrase. Source: Wikipedia, "Paraphrase". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0004
After a ghost story, a student says, "I felt uneasy the whole time, as if something was about to happen." Which element of the text is she describing?Answer: Mood. Source: Wikipedia, "Mood (literature)". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0006
An advertisement for running shoes opens with a sports doctor describing her twenty years of treating injured runners. Which appeal does this opening make?Answer: Ethos, an appeal to the speaker's credibility. Source: Wikipedia, "Modes of persuasion". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0005
An article on a town's population includes a graph of data points joined by straight line segments from 1950 to 2020. What is this kind of graph most often used to show?Answer: A trend over intervals of time. Source: Wikipedia, "Line chart". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0004
An editorial against a new road calls its planners "reckless bulldozer bureaucrats" and gives no figures. Which persuasive technique should students name?Answer: Loaded language. Source: Wikipedia, "Loaded language". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0005
The Diary of a Young Girl is often read in the middle grades. Under what circumstances did Anne Frank keep the diary?Answer: Hidden with her family while Nazi Germany occupied the Netherlands. Source: Wikipedia, "The Diary of a Young Girl". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0007
For a report on the Dust Bowl, a student finds a farmer's diary kept in 1935. Why is the diary a primary source?Answer: It was written during the period being studied. Source: Wikipedia, "Primary source". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0004
For a unit on how literature treats colonialism, a teacher chooses a 1958 novel by a Nigerian author about a clan leader who resists colonial rule and the new religion. Which novel is it?Answer: Things Fall Apart. Source: Wikipedia, "Things Fall Apart". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0007
Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) is a classic case of a novel that shaped public opinion. On which issue?Answer: Slavery in the United States. Source: Wikipedia, "Uncle Tom's Cabin". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0007
"Seven silver swans swam silently seaward." Which sound device does this line show?Answer: Alliteration. Source: Wikipedia, "Alliteration". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0006
Students notice that a poem is printed in groups of lines, each set off from the next by a blank line. What is one such group called?Answer: A stanza. Source: Wikipedia, "Stanza". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0006
Domain III: Conventions, writing process and research 8
A classroom poster of the writing process has lost one card. It now reads: prewriting, drafting, a gap, editing. Which stage belongs in the gap?Answer: Revising. Source: Wikipedia, "Writing process". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0009
A draft reads "Their going to bring there books over they're." What kind of words has the writer confused?Answer: Homophones. Source: Wikipedia, "Homophone". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0008
A group lists every idea it can think of for a class magazine, and the teacher rules that nobody may criticize an idea until the list is done. Why does brainstorming hold back criticism?Answer: So that participants are not inhibited in producing ideas. Source: Wikipedia, "Brainstorming". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0009
A student rewords two sentences from a website, changes a few words and gives no credit. Why is this plagiarism?Answer: It presents another person's ideas and language as the student's own. Source: Wikipedia, "Plagiarism". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0009
A student wants to introduce a list after a complete sentence: "Pack three things ___ a map, a compass and water." Which mark belongs in the blank?Answer: A colon. Source: Wikipedia, "Colon (punctuation)". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0008
A student wants to join "The rain stopped" and "the game went on" in one sentence with no conjunction. Which mark links two closely related independent clauses?Answer: A semicolon. Source: Wikipedia, "Semicolon". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0008
A student writes "The dog wagged it's tail." Which rule about the apostrophe explains the error?Answer: It marks omitted letters, and "it's" means "it is". Source: Wikipedia, "Apostrophe". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0008
For a research report on the Wright brothers, which item is a secondary source?Answer: A 2015 history book that discusses their letters and patents. Source: Wikipedia, "Secondary source". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0009
Domain IV: Modes of writing 12
A draft says, "Grandpa was angry." A peer suggests, "Grandpa's jaw tightened and he set his cup down hard." Which technique of descriptive writing does the revision follow?Answer: Show, don't tell. Source: Wikipedia, "Show, don't tell". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0010
A student argues, "My cousin got a phone at age nine and her grades dropped, so phones ruin every child's schoolwork." Which error in reasoning weakens this evidence?Answer: A hasty generalization from too small a sample. Source: Wikipedia, "Faulty generalization". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0012
A student describing a bakery writes about "the warm scent of cinnamon drifting out of the door." Which kind of imagery is this?Answer: Olfactory. Source: Wikipedia, "Imagery". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0010
A student wants a research question that will lead to an explanatory essay, not a one-word answer. Which feature marks an open-ended question?Answer: It cannot be answered with yes, no or one fixed response. Source: Wikipedia, "Open-ended question". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0011
A student writes, "The old gym is a cave." How does this metaphor differ from a simile?Answer: It names one thing as another, with no comparing word. Source: Wikipedia, "Metaphor". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0010
A student writing an informative paragraph on honeybees begins with "Honeybees divide the work of the hive by age." In expository writing, what is the job of this opening sentence?Answer: It is the topic sentence and sums up the paragraph's main idea. Source: Wikipedia, "Topic sentence". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0011
A student's introduction to an essay on school gardens runs a full page and never states its main idea in one place. How is a thesis statement usually expressed?Answer: In a sentence or two close to the start of the paper. Source: Wikipedia, "Thesis statement". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0011
A writer argues, "My opponent wants recess rules, so she must want to ban fun." The opponent had asked only for a rule against throwing ice. Which flaw should a reviewer mark?Answer: Straw man. Source: Wikipedia, "Straw man". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0012
An essay claims, "Students should read more. A national survey found that students who read 30 minutes a day scored higher in every subject." Which appeal does the second sentence make?Answer: Logos. Source: Wikipedia, "Modes of persuasion". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0012
In an argument for a longer lunch period, a student writes, "Some will say that a longer lunch shortens class time. Yet a rested class wastes fewer minutes settling down." What is her second sentence doing?Answer: Rebutting an objection to her claim. Source: Wikipedia, "Counterargument". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0012
What is the purpose of description as a mode of writing?Answer: To make a person, place, event or action vivid enough for the reader to see. Source: Wikipedia, "Rhetorical modes". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0010
What is the purpose of expository writing?Answer: To give the audience information or an explanation of a topic. Source: Wikipedia, "Rhetorical modes". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0011
Domain V: Oral and visual communication 6
A magazine cover makes a crowd look twice its size by copying part of the picture. What is the alteration of a photograph called?Answer: Photograph manipulation. Source: Wikipedia, "Photograph manipulation". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0014
A student adds a chart from a website to her slides. What must she include so that the audience can find where it came from?Answer: A citation, which is a reference to the source. Source: Wikipedia, "Citation". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0014
A student giving a speech stands very close to the front row, and the listeners lean back. Which channel of nonverbal communication concerns social distance?Answer: Proxemics. Source: Wikipedia, "Nonverbal communication". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0013
A student opens a speech on litter with "Do we really want our creek to look like a landfill?" and does not wait for a reply. Which rhetorical device is this?Answer: A rhetorical question. Source: Wikipedia, "Rhetorical question". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0013
What is the goal of active listening in a class discussion?Answer: To clear up misunderstandings so that ideas pass clearly. Source: Wikipedia, "Active listening". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0013
Which list names the abilities that media literacy takes in?Answer: To access, analyze, evaluate and create media. Source: Wikipedia, "Media literacy". Written to OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts (028) framework, competency 0014
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the assessment framework for Ohio Assessments for Educators field 028, Middle Grades English Language Arts, read 2026-10-14 on the program's site (https://www.oh.nesinc.com/CONTENT/STUDYGUIDE/OH_SG_OBJ_028.htm; test page https://www.oh.nesinc.com/TestView.aspx?f=HTML_FRAG/OH028_TestPage.html): 125 multiple-choice questions in 180 minutes, passing score 220; Reading Process and Comprehension and Reading Across the Curriculum (competencies 0001 to 0003, 15%), Reading Various Text Forms and Analyzing and Interpreting Literature (0004 to 0007, 31%), English Language Conventions, Composition, Writing Process, and Research (0008 to 0009, 16%), Modes of Writing (0010 to 0012, 24%) and Oral and Visual Communication (0013 to 0014, 14%). The bank holds 7, 15, 8, 12 and 6 questions. Every fact was read on 2026-10-14 in the Wikipedia article the question names. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
This free, unofficial OAE Middle Grades ELA study guide sets the published outline of test 028 beside 48 practice questions, 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 Middle Grades ELA (028) covers: five domains
By the framework at oh.nesinc.com, read October 14, 2026: Reading Process, Comprehension and Reading Across the Curriculum 15%; Reading Various Text Forms and Analyzing and Interpreting Literature 31%; Conventions, Composition, Writing Process and Research 16%; Modes of Writing 24%; Oral and Visual Communication 14%. This bank holds 7, 15, 8, 12 and 6 questions.
The 14 competencies and their weights
Reading foundations, vocabulary and comprehension, and reading across subjects carry 5% each. Informational, persuasive and literary texts, conventions, the writing process and research, and descriptive, informative and argument writing carry 8% each. World literature, listening and speaking, and media literacy carry 7% each.
Timing
The real assessment gives 3 hours for 125 questions. Exam mode asks all 48 here in 69 minutes, the same pace.
Questions and answers
Is there a free OAE Middle Grades ELA 028 practice test?
Yes, this one: 48 questions with no sign-up. Each was written for this site from the 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 OAE Middle Grades English Language Arts?
125, all multiple choice, in 3 hours of testing time after a 15-minute tutorial. There is no essay or other written assignment.
What is the passing score for OAE 028?
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 the Middle Grades English Language Arts test?
The program's table pairs 028 with the Middle Childhood (4–9) license in Language Arts and Reading, beside the Assessment of Professional Knowledge (002) and Foundations of Reading (190). It also serves the Middle Childhood Generalist (4–6) endorsement.
Can the OAE Middle Grades ELA test be taken at home?
Yes. The test page offers an online proctor during one-week windows each month, with no breaks, as well as year-round appointments at test centers in Ohio and nationwide.