PTK Practice
Questions &
ANSWERS(2024
LATEST
UPDATE)CORRECT
100%
Which question below is MOST likely to generate the widest range of answers and discussions among
students? - ANSWER Why would the author have ended the book this way?
This question allows for both a wide range of answers and discussion of those answers. The
discussion is likely to be interesting because there are so many possible answers to the question. The
remaining answer choices have a limited range of answers. Discussion may peter out more quickly
because many students may share the same answer and reasoning. "Why" questions tend to be the
most open-ended.
Why should a teacher always spend time explaining classroom rules during the first few days of
class? - ANSWER To establish clear expectations for performance and behavior.
Students benefit from clear, firm guidelines from the outset. The rules should be changed only when
necessary, not casually or according to student demands, as implied in choices A and C.
Which of the methods below will BEST hold students accountable for their full participation in
cooperative learning groups? - ANSWER Assign each student in the group a specific role in
accomplishing the objectives of the activity.
,If each student has a role in meeting the objectives and the activity is well structured, then all
students will be drawn into participating because they all have something to do. Grading students'
work individually can be appropriate during cooperative learning activities, but if group process is not
also evaluated, then some students will decline to participate with their group. Evaluating each other
can become awkward and unfair for numerous reasons, so it should be generally avoided.
When teachers share standardized test results with parents, there is a large amount of information in
the score report to be discussed. Which information will be of MOST use to the typical parent? -
ANSWER Specific areas of academic strength and weakness
Parents will generally benefit most from specific information about how to help their child succeed.
When parents know their child's weaknesses, they can emphasize working to improve them. Parents
may want to know how their child has done in comparison to other students, locally and nationally,
but the information does not help their child improve.
Suppose your objective for a lesson is "The student will demonstrate an ability to differentiate among
igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks." Which of the following is the BEST activity for
introducing students to the attributes of each type of rock? - ANSWER Students examine rocks
belonging to each group and identify the similarities and differences. The activity is followed by a
group discussion in which the teacher brings out the important characteristics of each type.
Students learn best when they are actively involved. Choice B is too passive; the teacher will be more
involved than the students. Choice C is better for a follow-up or assessment activity after an
introduction. Choice D is missing an important piece of the lesson—actual rocks.
A group of students wants to produce an electronic magazine that publishes original student writing
and art. Their adviser is planning a unit to train them how to use a word-processing application to
create pages that include features such as images, multi-column layouts, sidebars, headers, footers,
links, and page backgrounds. Which of the following would be the BEST culminating activity for this
portion of the training? - ANSWER Small teams producing a document under proctored conditions,
using specified features, and within a time limit
The purpose of the training is to prepare students to apply what they learn. The team and time limit
conditions make the performance more realistic; the whole activity promotes retaining and
transferring what has been learned. Written tests are not ideal for gauging student mastery of a
process. Since students will be working in groups to produce the magazine, testing their solo
performance is also unhelpful.
Which of the following is MOST likely to promote effective transfer of knowledge to students? -
ANSWER Having students work on their own with specific information related to a topic before giving
an organizing lecture.
Studies indicate that topics need to be organized and connected in order to promote transfer of
knowledge, but that a large number of topics covered quickly will hinder student transfer because
students have too little time to connect and organize the information. Introducing organizational
,structure early makes student learning difficult in that they first need specific information about the
topic before the organizational structure can make sense and be remembered. Choice C is not likely
to be instructive, as students need to have some knowledge about a topic before participating
productively in a discussion.
Students are about to take a paper and pencil test. If there is time for only one of the following
activities, which would BEST prepare the students for the test? - ANSWER Students should make a
chart of the important topics with notes on subtopics below each.
Organizational structures help students to connect and remember. Choice A leaves students to their
own devices to develop structure, which would work only with the most advanced students. Choices
C and D, although they could be helpful, would not give as much support as an organizational
structure.
Which of the following learning objectives uses a higher order thinking skill? - ANSWER The student
will create a metaphor to describe an emotion.
Bloom's Taxonomy identifies thinking skills in increasing order of sophistication as knowledge,
comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Answer D requires synthesis in order
to complete the task.
Which of the following would provide the BEST introduction for a lesson on writing bibliographic
references? - ANSWER Demonstrate to students the specific procedure and order expected.
Writing bibliographic references is a procedure, and procedures are best taught through
demonstration. There are a variety of formats for citations, but students need to be consistent in
their format, so the teacher needs to specify the important elements.
Which of the following phrases BEST completes the following sentence? "Vocabulary should be
taught... - ANSWER in every subject area in order for students to master the subject matter."
The English department cannot possibly teach all of the vocabulary intrinsic to a particular subject.
Rather than expecting students to memorize vocabulary, it is more effective to help "hook" the
words to vocabulary words students already know and to use those words in context both in class
and in homework. Choice C implies that more focused attention would lead to better student
vocabularies, but vocabulary study without context is rarely retained.
A social studies teacher wants students to consider the role of geography in population patterns. She
asks her class, "What role did geography play in the growth of Chicago as a major U.S. city?" What
should she do next? - ANSWER Tell students not to call out responses but to raise their hand when
they think of an answer and wait to be called on.
Students need various amounts of time to think through an answer to a question, particularly for
complicated questions. Allowing students to answer right away can stop the thinking process for the
, other students. Calling on a student allows the rest of the class to stop thinking about the problem,
too, and puts the student in an embarrassing position. Choice D may be an option if the discussion
gets stalled, but students should be given plenty of time to come up with their own ideas before the
teacher starts prompting them.
Consider the following two questions a teacher might ask a high school social studies class. I:
According to our textbook, what does the public welfare system do to solve the problems of poverty?
II: What are some ways our country might solve the problems of poverty? Which of the following
best describes the differences between these questions? - ANSWER II invites more divergent thinking
than I.
This question is a matter of relative convergence and divergence. Question I converges on the
textbook; that is, good answers will stick to what the textbook says. Question II allows for answers
that may draw on sources other than the textbook. Both questions are open-ended.
How should a teacher generally begin almost every class? - ANSWER By telling students what they
will be covering that day.
Telling students what they will be covering helps focus students' attention. A teacher should remind
students to pay attention if she notices that their attention is wandering, but she need not start
every class with this reminder. Reviewing skills is helpful on occasion, but not in every class. Casual
conversation with students builds rapport but should be reserved for before or after class.
Suppose you want students to learn to distinguish between the words imply and infer. Which of the
following sequences would be MOST effective? - ANSWER Explain the distinction, then have students
apply the terms to their own examples.
The first three choices are all out of sequence in one way or another. For instance, B is incorrect
because students cannot work independently until a skill is retained.
In order to use an inductive sequence for teaching about World War II, which of the following would
be the BEST way for a class to work? - ANSWER Examine events leading up to the war and develop a
general model of world war in the process.
Induction is the process of building a general model. Choice C is deduction. Choices A and D are
interesting and potentially valuable—either might fit into a general model—but neither one is
inductive or deductive.
Which of the following statements BEST illustrates a proven technique for encouraging student
effort? - ANSWER "You're exactly right here and here. Now check this."
Choice C gives a student specific feedback about successful learning or performance and also points
ahead to even better performance. Choice A tries to be encouraging, but it's not specific and hints at
a lack of effort. Choice B sounds exaggerated. Choice D does not encourage effort directly.
