A magazine's own staff checks every claim in an article before it is printed, to keep errors out of the issue. Which kind of fact-checking is this?Wikipedia, "Fact-checking". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), I. Foundations of Journalism (15%), B.1 the role of fact checking and verification.
A paper runs huge, eye-catching headlines over exaggerated accounts of events in order to sell more copies. What is this practice called?Wikipedia, "Yellow journalism". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), I. Foundations of Journalism (15%), B.1 the historical development of journalism.
A student reporter sees a dramatic claim in a viral post. Under "Seek Truth and Report It", what should she do before she passes it on?Society of Professional Journalists, SPJ Code of Ethics, Seek Truth and Report It. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), I. Foundations of Journalism (15%), A.2 basic principles: truth, accuracy, verification.
Show all 52 questions (49 more)
Foundations of journalism, continued
According to the preamble of the SPJ Code of Ethics, what is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy?Society of Professional Journalists, SPJ Code of Ethics, Preamble. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), I. Foundations of Journalism (15%), A.1 roles and responsibilities of journalism in a democratic society.
In the Progressive Era, reform-minded writers set out to expose corruption and wrongdoing in established institutions. What were they called?Wikipedia, "Muckraker". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), I. Foundations of Journalism (15%), B.1 the role and development of investigative reporting.
What made the cheap, mass-produced penny press newspapers of the 1830s possible?Wikipedia, "Penny press". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), I. Foundations of Journalism (15%), B.1 the role of changing business and distribution models.
Which newspaper, first issued in New York City in 1827, was the first African-American owned and operated newspaper published in the United States?Wikipedia, "Freedom's Journal". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), I. Foundations of Journalism (15%), B.1 the role of a diverse press in modern society.
Which printer of the New York Weekly Journal was accused of libel by the royal governor in 1734 and, once a jury acquitted him, became a symbol for freedom of the press?Wikipedia, "John Peter Zenger". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), I. Foundations of Journalism (15%), B.2 significant individuals and events in the history of journalism.
Journalistic practices 19
A designer lifts one striking sentence from a story and sets it in large type between two columns. What is this element called?Wikipedia, "Pull quote". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), II. Journalistic Practices (37%), C.2 conventions for designing with text.
A feature opens with a scene. Which paragraph, coming after the lede, explains the context of the story "in a nutshell"?Wikipedia, "Nut graph". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), II. Journalistic Practices (37%), B.3 standard journalism terminology.
A news story names a senator for the first time, outside a quotation. Which form does AP style call for?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Associated Press Style, Abbreviations and Acronyms. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), II. Journalistic Practices (37%), B.5 Associated Press (AP) style: titles and abbreviations.
A photographer opens the aperture wider to let in more light for a portrait. What else does this change do?Wikipedia, "Exposure (photography)". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), II. Journalistic Practices (37%), C.5 principles and techniques of digital photography: exposure and camera settings.
A radio reporter takes one short sentence from a long interview because it captures the essence of what the speaker meant. What is this clip called?Wikipedia, "Sound bite". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), II. Journalistic Practices (37%), C.7 audio reporting, packaging and production.
A staff presents ten years of enrollment figures as a chart with icons and short labels so that readers grasp the trend quickly. Which story form is this?Wikipedia, "Infographic". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), II. Journalistic Practices (37%), C.3 purposes and application of alternative story forms.
A student frames a portrait so that the subject's eyes fall where a horizontal third line crosses a vertical one. Which guideline is she using?Wikipedia, "Rule of thirds". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), II. Journalistic Practices (37%), C.5 principles and techniques of digital photography: composition.
An online editor rewrites a headline with the words readers type into search engines, so that the story is easier to find in unpaid results. What is this practice?Wikipedia, "Search engine optimization". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), II. Journalistic Practices (37%), C.8 fundamental concepts and techniques of online publishing.
An unsigned article states the newspaper's own opinion on a school bond vote. What is this article?Wikipedia, "Editorial". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), II. Journalistic Practices (37%), A.4 ways in which journalistic content may be presented.
Before an interview, a reporter agrees that the conversation is off the record. What follows from that agreement?Wikipedia, "Source (journalism)". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), II. Journalistic Practices (37%), A.3 identifying credible sources and conducting an interview.
In the inverted pyramid, what does the wide part at the top stand for?Wikipedia, "Inverted pyramid (journalism)". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), II. Journalistic Practices (37%), B.1 conventional structures of news stories.
Photos from an evening soccer match come out bright enough, but the players are smeared. Which setting most likely caused it?Wikipedia, "Exposure (photography)". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), II. Journalistic Practices (37%), C.5 principles and techniques of digital photography: exposure and camera settings.
What is "op-ed" short for?Wikipedia, "Op-ed". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), II. Journalistic Practices (37%), A.4 ways in which journalistic content may be presented.
What sets a serif typeface apart from a sans-serif one?Wikipedia, "Serif". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), II. Journalistic Practices (37%), C.1 principles of graphic design: typography.
Which amount of money is written in AP style?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Associated Press Style, Numerals. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), II. Journalistic Practices (37%), B.5 Associated Press (AP) style: numbers.
Which date is written in AP style?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Associated Press Style, Dates, Months, Years, Days of the Week. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), II. Journalistic Practices (37%), B.5 Associated Press (AP) style: dates.
Which element of an article gives the name of its writer?Wikipedia, "Byline". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), II. Journalistic Practices (37%), B.3 standard journalism terminology.
Which sentence punctuates a simple series the way AP style asks?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Associated Press Style, Punctuation. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), II. Journalistic Practices (37%), B.5 Associated Press (AP) style: punctuation.
While a coach is heard talking in a video story, the picture cuts to shots of the team at practice. What is this supplemental footage called?Wikipedia, "B-roll". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), II. Journalistic Practices (37%), C.6 video reporting, packaging and production.
Standards, ethics and media law 13
A journalism teacher copies one paragraph of a news article for a lesson on leads. According to the U.S. Copyright Office, which fact about the purpose of a use makes courts more likely to find it fair?U.S. Copyright Office, U.S. Copyright Office Fair Use Index, About Fair Use. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), III. Journalistic Standards, Ethics, and Media Law (23%), B.4 media law: copyright.
A principal forbids the printing of one story before the paper goes to press. Which term names censorship that prohibits a particular instance of expression in advance?Wikipedia, "Prior restraint". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), III. Journalistic Standards, Ethics, and Media Law (23%), B.3 recognizing and responding to censorship: prior review and prior restraint.
A restaurant offers a student reviewer a free dinner for two in return for a write-up. What does the SPJ Code of Ethics say?Society of Professional Journalists, SPJ Code of Ethics, Act Independently. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), III. Journalistic Standards, Ethics, and Media Law (23%), A.2 recognizing and avoiding conflicts of interest and bias.
For which sources does the SPJ Code of Ethics say anonymity should be reserved?Society of Professional Journalists, SPJ Code of Ethics, Seek Truth and Report It. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), III. Journalistic Standards, Ethics, and Media Law (23%), A.3 media ethics: confidentiality of sources.
To tidy a news photo, a photo editor removes a bystander from the background. Which line of the SPJ Code of Ethics does this break?Society of Professional Journalists, SPJ Code of Ethics, Seek Truth and Report It. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), III. Journalistic Standards, Ethics, and Media Law (23%), A.3 media ethics: manipulation of visual content.
Under Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988), when may school officials regulate a student newspaper produced as part of the curriculum?Wikipedia, "Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), III. Journalistic Standards, Ethics, and Media Law (23%), B.2 Supreme Court decisions that affect scholastic journalism.
Under New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, what must a public official prove to recover damages for a defamatory falsehood about official conduct?Wikipedia, "New York Times Co. v. Sullivan". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), III. Journalistic Standards, Ethics, and Media Law (23%), B.4 media law: defamation (libel and slander).
Under the FERPA regulations, which item is "directory information", a kind of information not generally considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed?34 CFR 99.3, definitions, "Directory information" (Legal Information Institute copy). Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), III. Journalistic Standards, Ethics, and Media Law (23%), B.5 key legislation: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
What did the Supreme Court hold in Morse v. Frederick (2007)?Wikipedia, "Morse v. Frederick". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), III. Journalistic Standards, Ethics, and Media Law (23%), B.2 Supreme Court decisions that affect scholastic journalism.
What has the federal Freedom of Information Act given the public since 1967?U.S. Department of Justice, FOIA.gov, About the Freedom of Information Act. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), III. Journalistic Standards, Ethics, and Media Law (23%), B.5 key legislation: Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
What is the aim of the state bills known as "New Voices" legislation?Wikipedia, "Student Press Law Center". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), III. Journalistic Standards, Ethics, and Media Law (23%), B.5 key legislation: scholastic press rights legislation (New Voices).
Which of these is one of the four principles of the SPJ Code of Ethics?Society of Professional Journalists, SPJ Code of Ethics, the four principles. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), III. Journalistic Standards, Ethics, and Media Law (23%), A.1 the ethical foundations of sound journalistic practice.
Which test comes from Tinker v. Des Moines (1969), the decision that recognized the First Amendment rights of students in public schools?Wikipedia, "Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), III. Journalistic Standards, Ethics, and Media Law (23%), B.2 Supreme Court decisions that affect scholastic journalism.
Teaching and advising 12
A graduate sells articles to several outlets, is self-employed and is not committed to any one employer long-term. What is this way of working called?Wikipedia, "Freelancer". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), IV. Teaching and Advising Scholastic Journalism (25%), A.5 the journalism profession: career paths and other opportunities.
A junior spends the summer at a local news site for a limited period of work experience. What is this placement called?Wikipedia, "Internship". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), IV. Teaching and Advising Scholastic Journalism (25%), A.5 the journalism profession: internships and job shadowing.
A news-writing rubric lists accuracy, attribution and lead down its side. What are these aspects of performance called?Carnegie Mellon University, Eberly Center, Grading and Performance Rubrics. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), IV. Teaching and Advising Scholastic Journalism (25%), A.4 assessments for evaluating student learning.
A shop offers to pay the school paper for an article that praises it, laid out to look like a news story. If the staff runs it, what does the SPJ Code of Ethics require?Society of Professional Journalists, SPJ Code of Ethics, Act Independently. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), IV. Teaching and Advising Scholastic Journalism (25%), B.2 business and financial practices: advertising.
An adviser reads first drafts of leads and returns comments with no grade, so students can revise before the story is due. Which kind of assessment is this?Carnegie Mellon University, Eberly Center, What is the difference between formative and summative assessment?. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), IV. Teaching and Advising Scholastic Journalism (25%), A.4 assessments for evaluating student learning.
At the end of the unit, each student hands in a finished news package that is graded against the course standard. Which kind of assessment is this?Carnegie Mellon University, Eberly Center, What is the difference between formative and summative assessment?. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), IV. Teaching and Advising Scholastic Journalism (25%), A.4 assessments for evaluating student learning.
Before a broadcast unit, students sketch each shot of their newscast as simple pictures displayed in sequence. What is this planning tool called?Wikipedia, "Storyboard". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), IV. Teaching and Advising Scholastic Journalism (25%), A.2 learning experiences that enhance knowledge and skills in journalism.
The ETS outline says the Praxis Journalism test reflects national standards for journalism. Which organization's Standards for Journalism Educators (2019) does it name?ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), About This Test. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), IV. Teaching and Advising Scholastic Journalism (25%), A.7 opportunities for professional development.
For a first assignment, an adviser lets each student choose to cover sports, the arts or student government. Which UDL principle does the choice serve?CAST, The UDL Guidelines. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), IV. Teaching and Advising Scholastic Journalism (25%), A.5 differentiating instruction to address a variety of student needs.
For six weeks a class investigates the town's water system and publishes a news magazine about it. Which teaching method is this?Wikipedia, "Project-based learning". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), IV. Teaching and Advising Scholastic Journalism (25%), A.3 project-based learning methodologies.
On a student-led staff, which position heads all departments and is accountable for delegating tasks to staff members and managing them?Wikipedia, "Editor-in-chief". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), IV. Teaching and Advising Scholastic Journalism (25%), B.3 student staffing, management and leadership development.
Which group on a publication is charged with carrying out its approach to editorials and other opinion pieces?Wikipedia, "Editorial board". Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224), IV. Teaching and Advising Scholastic Journalism (25%), B.3 student staffing, management and leadership development.
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the content topics of the ETS Study Companion for Praxis Journalism (5224) (https://www.ets.org/pdfs/praxis/5224.pdf, read 2026-10-13; test page https://praxis.ets.org/test/5224.html): four content categories, Foundations of Journalism 15%, Journalistic Practices 37%, Journalistic Standards, Ethics, and Media Law 23%, Teaching and Advising Scholastic Journalism 25%. The bank holds 8, 19, 13 and 12 questions. Every fact was read on 2026-10-13 on the public page the question names: the SPJ Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists (spj.org), the Associated Press Style summary of the Purdue Online Writing Lab (owl.purdue.edu), the U.S. Copyright Office (copyright.gov), FOIA.gov of the U.S. Department of Justice, the FERPA regulations (34 CFR 99.3, law.cornell.edu), the UDL Guidelines of CAST, the assessment pages of the Eberly Center at Carnegie Mellon University and Wikipedia articles on the history, terms and court decisions. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
This free journalism Praxis practice test has 52 questions of our own on the four content categories of test 5224, in the proportions of the ETS outline. It is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by ETS.
Read the full guide
What test 5224 covers
By the ETS Study Companion read October 13, 2026, Journalism (5224) has 120 selected-response questions in 150 minutes, for teachers of grades 7 to 12: Foundations of Journalism 15%, Journalistic Practices 37%, Journalistic Standards, Ethics, and Media Law 23%, Teaching and Advising Scholastic Journalism 25%. This bank holds 8, 19, 13 and 12.
What the questions ask
Story structure, AP style, photography, video and page design. The SPJ Code of Ethics. Tinker, Hazelwood and Morse, with copyright, FOIA and FERPA. Then the adviser's work: assessment, staff roles and sponsored content.
Where the answers come from
Each explanation names the page its fact was read on: the SPJ Code of Ethics, the Purdue OWL summary of AP style, the U.S. Copyright Office and FOIA.gov among them.
ETS says many questions ask you to apply what you know to a teaching scenario, so read each stem as an adviser would.
The AP style questions use the Purdue OWL summary. The Associated Press Stylebook itself is the final word.
Questions and answers
Is this journalism Praxis practice test the real exam?
No. All 52 questions were written for this site from the ETS content topics for test 5224. None repeats or rewords a real test question or an ETS sample question, and a result here does not forecast a real score.
Are there Praxis II journalism practice tests with answers explained?
This one explains every answer in a sentence or two and names its source, so you can open the SPJ code, the AP style summary or the court decision and read it yourself.
How many questions are on the Praxis Journalism test?
ETS lists 120 selected-response questions in 150 minutes. Journalistic Practices is the largest category, about 44 questions, followed by teaching and advising at about 30, standards, ethics and media law at 28, and foundations at 18.
What is the passing score for Praxis Journalism 5224?
It depends on where you apply. ETS reports the score, and the state or licensing agency decides the qualifying score. Check that agency's own page. This practice test gives a number right and no pass or fail.