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Section 5: Sample Multiple-Choice Questions
WEST–B Writing (896)

The sample test questions in this study guide are designed to give you an introduction to the nature of the questions included in the Washington Educator Skills Test–Basic (WEST–B). They represent the various types of questions you may expect to see on the actual test; however, they are not designed to predict your performance on the test as a whole.

Work through the sample questions carefully before referring to the answers. The correct response and test objective being assessed are provided for each question. When you are finished with the sample questions, you may wish to review the test objectives and descriptive statements provided in the test framework for this test field.

In addition to reading and answering the sample questions, you should also utilize the following preparation materials available in this study guide:

Practice Questions

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Writing

Read the selection below; then answer the questions that follow.

1 In 1811 and 1812 a series of three earthquakes took place near Madrid, Missouri, all of which are thought to have registered 8.0 or higher on the Richter scale. 2 Large areas of the region sank, new lakes formed, the Mississippi River changed course, and about 150,000 acres of forest were destroyed. 3 start underline More recently end underline, a 1976 earthquake on the east coast of China killed over 240,000 people. 4 In 1985 an earthquake registering 8.1 on the Richter scale hit Mexico; a slightly less powerful aftershock struck 36 hours later. 5 Between 5,000 and 10,000 people died in the disaster.

6 start underline Yet end underline, when asked about earthquakes, people in the United States rarely recall any of these seismic disturbances. 7 start underline Rather end underline, they are much more likely to mention the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. 8 It was, to be sure, a major earthquake that registered 8.2 on the Richter scale and destroyed large areas of the city. 9 That is not the only reason why it so well remembered, start underline moreover end underline. 10 Its lasting place in U.S. history owes a whole lot to the fact that it was the first large earthquake to be extensively covered in the media. 11 Major periodicals of the period included The Nation, Harper's Weekly, and the Saturday Evening Post. 12 Pictures of the panic and destruction appeared in newspapers throughout the country, and there were numerous eyewitness accounts. 13 As a result of this coverage, the quake soon entered the realms of both legend and history.

Objective 0007: Understand the role of audience and purpose in written communication.

1. The writer's main purpose in the selection is to:

  1. analyze the destruction caused by various earthquakes.
  2. explain why the 1906 San Francisco earthquake is so well remembered.
  3. evaluate media coverage of various earthquakes.
  4. compare major earthquakes of the 1800s and 1900s.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B. After briefly describing the 1811 and 1812 Madrid, Missouri, earthquakes, the 1976 Chinese earthquake, and the 1985 Mexican earthquake, the author goes on to ask the central question of the selection: why the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 is so well remembered (Response B), even though it was no more powerful or destructive than those that came before or after. The writer mentions the destruction caused by the San Francisco earthquake and the Missouri earthquakes, but no effort is made to analyze the damage (Response A), while the destruction caused by the other earthquakes is not even described. Although information concerning media coverage of the San Francisco earthquake is important to the writer's argument, the selection makes no mention of coverage of other earthquakes; nor does the writer attempt to analyze or evaluate media reports of the San Francisco earthquake (Response C). And while the writer offers information about each of the earthquakes mentioned in the selection, a systematic comparison (Response D) is not the main point of the selection.
Objective 0008: Understand idea development, fluency, and organization within writing.

2. Which underlined word or phrase should be replaced by a more appropriate transitional word or phrase?

  1. sentence 3: More recently
  2. sentence 6: Yet
  3. sentence 7: Rather
  4. sentence 9: moreover
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D. Sentence 9 requires a transition word such as "however" that links dissimilar ideas (the destruction caused by the San Francisco earthquake and the publicity it received in newspapers and magazines of the day), rather than a word such as "moreover" that links similar ideas (Response D). The words "more recently" are used correctly in sentence 3 to show chronological order (Response A). In sentence 6 the word "yet" (Response B) is used correctly to link contrasting ideas (the size of the earthquakes mentioned and the lack of public knowledge about them), while in sentence 7 the word "rather" is used similarly to contrast the lack of knowledge the public has about the other earthquakes with their recognition of the San Francisco earthquake (Response C).
Objective 0009: Recognize writing that effectively communicates intended messages.

3. Which change would best improve the development of ideas in the second paragraph of the selection?

  1. Delete sentence 8.
  2. Reverse the order of sentences 9 and 10.
  3. Delete sentence 11.
  4. Reverse the order of sentences 12 and 13.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C. Sentence 11 should be deleted (Response C) because it contains details that distract from the development of the main idea of the second paragraph. Readers need to be told about the nature of media coverage of the San Francisco earthquake, but they do not need to know the names of some of the major periodicals of the era. By contrast, sentence 8 provides relevant information showing that the San Francisco earthquake was a major seismic event (Response A). Reversing the order of sentences 9 and 10 (Response B) or sentences 12 and 13 (Response D) would create confusion rather than improve the development of ideas in the second paragraph.
Objective 0010: Apply revision strategies to written works.

4. Which change in word choice is needed to improve the effectiveness of the second paragraph?

  1. sentence 6: Change "when asked" to "if questioned."
  2. sentence 7: Change "much more likely" to "more inclined."
  3. sentence 8: Change "large areas" to "major parts."
  4. sentence 10: Change "a whole lot" to "much more."
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D. Changing "a whole lot" to "much more" (Response D) would make the second paragraph more effective by replacing a very casual expression with language that is more explicit and more appropriate to the purpose and audience of the selection. The revisions suggested for sentences 6 (Response A), 7 (Response B), and 8 (Response C) would change neither the meaning nor the level of language used in those sentences.

Read the selection below; then answer the questions that follow.

1 Born in 1940, Maxine Hong Kingston is the daughter of Chinese immigrants who grew up in a California neighborhood surrounded by people from her father's native village. 2 During her childhood, she would listen for hours to stories that they and her mother told of China. 3 Later, as an undergraduate at the start underline university end underline of California, Berkeley, she switched her start underline major end underline from start underline engineering end underline to start underline English end underline so that she could develop her own storytelling skills.

4 Kingston brings an understanding of three cultures to her work: the Chinese culture of her parents, the American culture in which she lives, and the Chinese American culture of her personal experience. 5 In her first book, The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts (1976), she combined autobiography and fiction to relate the story of a daughter of Chinese parents growing up in America. 6 Her second book, China Men (1980), adopted the perspective of males in her family to celebrate their achievements while chronicling the exploitation and prejudice they faced.

Objective 0007: Understand the role of audience and purpose in written communication.

5. The writer's main purpose in the selection is to:

  1. show how Maxine Hong Kingston gathers ideas for her books.
  2. compare Maxine Hong Kingston's main works.
  3. analyze recurring themes in books written by Maxine Hong Kingston.
  4. describe major features of Maxine Hong Kingston's life and work.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D. After providing a brief biographical portrait of Kingston, the writer devotes the second paragraph of the selection to a discussion of some of the major themes and characteristics of Kingston's work (Response D). Although readers might infer from information furnished in the selection how Kingston gathers ideas for her books (Response A), this does not make up the main thrust of the writer's discussion. The second paragraph focuses on how Kingston's multiple cultures influenced her books, not on a detailed comparison between them (Response B) or an analysis of common themes (Response C).
Objective 0008: Understand idea development, fluency, and organization within writing.

6. Which organizational method does the writer use in the first paragraph of the selection?

  1. comparison and contrast
  2. topical order
  3. chronological order
  4. cause and effect
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C. The first paragraph traces major events in Kingston's life from her birth in 1940 to her undergraduate days at the University of California, Berkeley, in the chronological order in which they occurred (Response C). The paragraph does not compare or contrast aspects of Kingston's life (Response A) or discuss different biographical topics in order of importance (Response B). At the very end of the paragraph, the writer notes that Kingston switched her college major to enable her to write more about her experiences, but this cause-and-effect relationship (Response D) is not the primary means of organizing the information presented in the paragraph.
Objective 0011: Recognize the use of standard writing conventions.

7. Which underlined word in the selection contains an error in capitalization?

  1. sentence 3: university
  2. sentence 3: major
  3. sentence 3: engineering
  4. sentence 3: English
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A. In sentence 3, "university" should be capitalized because it is the first word in the name of a specific institution, "University of California, Berkeley" (Response A). Both "major" (Response B) and "engineering" (Response C) are common nouns that should not be capitalized. "English" (Response D) is formed correctly because languages are always capitalized.

Read the selection below; then answer the questions that follow.

1 Adults have been reading the stories and verses of "Mother Goose" to children for more than, 400 years. 2 The collection start underline originated end underline in France in 1697 with eight fairy tales published as Stories and Tales of Past Times with Morals; or Tales of Mother Goose. 3 The book's cover showed an engraving of an elderly woman sitting by the fireside next to a sign that read: "stories of my mother the goose." 4 Considered the start underline beginning end underline classic of children's literature, the book includes stories such as "Cinderella," "Sleeping Beauty," and "Little Red Riding Hood." 5 Today, "Mother Goose" is more closely associated with nursery rhymes than with fairy tales. 6 This is start underline largely end underline a consequence of the business practices of an eighteenth-century English publisher. 7 In 1768 he published a translation of the original tales under the title Mother Goose's Tales, but he also attached the name to a collection of rhymes that he called Mother Goose's Melody. 8 Most of the verses were traditional folk songs, tavern ballads, and start underline satirical end underline poems written to entertain adults. 9 They have since become the delight of young children, who enjoy them for their silliness and lyricism.

Objective 0009: Recognize writing that effectively communicates intended messages.

8. To improve the structure of the selection, it would be most effective to begin a new paragraph starting with which sentence?

  1. sentence 4
  2. sentence 5
  3. sentence 6
  4. sentence 7
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B. Sentences 1 to 4 and sentences 5 to 9 form separate units of information. Sentences 1 to 4 are primarily a description of the contents of the 1697 edition of Stories and Tales of Past Times with Morals; or Tales of Mother Goose, which introduced classic children's stories. Sentences 5 to 9 describe the changes introduced by the 1768 edition of Mother Goose's Tales, in which what we now call nursery rhymes were first collected. Therefore, sentence 5 (Response B) is the best place to divide the selection into two paragraphs.
Objective 0010: Apply revision strategies to written works.

9. Which underlined word in the selection should be replaced by a more appropriate word?

  1. sentence 2: originated
  2. sentence 4: beginning
  3. sentence 6: largely
  4. sentence 8: satirical
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B. "Beginning" can mean "to start," it can refer to something appropriate for children as opposed to adults, or it can refer to a new learner—which makes it an awkward and confusing way of expressing the prominence of one work of a particular genre of literature. A classic of literature may be a major or minor classic, or an early or later classic, but it is not a "beginning" classic (Response B). The first clause of sentence 4 would be improved if it were revised to read: "Considered the first classic of children's literature." The words "originated" (Response A), "largely" (Response C), and "satirical" (Response D) are all used correctly in the selection.
Objective 0011: Recognize the use of standard writing conventions.

10. Which change is needed in the selection?

  1. sentence 1: Delete the comma after "than."
  2. sentence 2: Insert a comma after "France."
  3. sentence 3: Delete the apostrophe in "book's."
  4. sentence 6: Insert a comma after "eighteenth-century."
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A. A conjunction used to make comparisons, "than" is not followed by a comma (Response A). The punctuation marks identified in sentence 2 (Response B), sentence 3 (Response C), and sentence 6 (Response D) are all used correctly.

Read the selection below; then answer the questions that follow.

1 Scientists track many objects traveling in our solar system to better understand these phenomena. 2 Most of the objects are either asteroids that have come free of the asteroid belt, or comets, which follow predictable orbits around the Sun. 3 In 2017, however, scientists at the Haleakala Observatory on the island of Hawaii discovered the first known object to originate outside our solar system in interstellar space. 4 They named it "Oumuamua," which is Hawaiian for "a messenger from afar arriving first." 5 Oumuamua passed Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn's orbits before heading out of the solar system, making closer observation difficult for Earth-based, human scientists. 6 Although astronomers initially thought the object might be a typical comet, its shape and composition led them to think that unlikely. 7 Oumuamua was not icy or made of frozen gas and dust, as scientists expect of comets and other objects ejected from planetary orbits. 8 Oumuamua was rocky, which challenged scientist's assumptions about planet and comet formation. 9 Though scientists can no longer see Oumuamua, they now have new data to help them better understand how such objects can form and be sent out into space during the formation of planets.

Objective 0009: Recognize writing that effectively communicates intended messages.

11. The most appropriate place to divide the selection into two paragraphs would be:

  1. before sentence 4.
  2. before sentence 5.
  3. before sentence 6.
  4. before sentence 7.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C. Sentence 6 (Response C) shifts the focus of the selection from the discovery of the first interstellar object to be observed from Earth to what scientists learned from Oumuamua, so it is a logical place to divide the selection. Sentence 4 (Response A) names the interstellar object just described in sentence 3, so dividing the selection here would not be a good choice. Sentence 5 (Response B) further describes scientists' initial observations of the object named and discussed in sentences 3 and 4, so dividing the passage before sentence 5 would break up a continuing idea. Sentence 7 (Response D) further describes what scientists learned from Oumuamua in sentence 6, so dividing the passage before sentence 7 would disrupt the flow of the narrative.
Objective 0010: Apply revision strategies to written works.

12. Which change would best improve the development of ideas in the selection?

  1. Delete sentence 2.
  2. Place sentence 5 after sentence 8.
  3. Reverse the order of sentences 7 and 8.
  4. Delete sentence 9.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B. Sentence 5 (Response B) describes something that happened at the end of the observations made by astronomers and should be placed after those observations have been discussed. Sentence 2 (Response A) provides more information about the objects mentioned in sentence 1 and is well-positioned to build on the initial sentence of the selection. Sentence 8 completes the ideas introduced in sentence 7; reversing the two sentences (Response C) would disrupt the writer's explanation. Sentence 9 (Response D) concludes the selection by summarizing the significance of scientists' observations of Oumuamua. Deleting the sentence would leave the selection without an effective conclusion.
Objective 0011: Recognize the use of standard writing conventions.

13. Which change is needed in the selection?

  1. sentence 4: Delete the comma after "Oumuamua."
  2. sentence 5: Delete the hyphen in "Earth-based."
  3. sentence 6: Insert an apostrophe after the "s" in "astronomers."
  4. sentence 8: Move the apostrophe to the end of "scientist's."
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D. The apostrophe in sentence 8 (Response D) should appear at after the final "s" of "scientists" to indicate a plural possessive, as the sentence is referring to the assumptions of multiple scientists. A comma is necessary in sentence 4 (Response A) to set off the subordinate clause beginning with "which." A hyphen is required when combining two words that come before a noun they modify and act as a single idea, as in the phrase "Earth-based astronomers" in sentence 5 (Response B). In sentence 6 (Response C), the word "astronomers" is not possessive, so an apostrophe is not needed (C).

Read the selection below; then answer the questions that follow.

1 blank line 2 Mole is a traditional marinade and sauce, often served with meat, that is much loved in Mexico. 3 The word mole comes from the Nahuatl word mo¯lli, which means "to grind" or "sauce." 4 Every mole contains produce, such as tomatoes, raisins, and onions; chiles; and a thickener, typically nuts or seeds. 5 The specific produce and chiles are often unique to the region in which the mole is made, giving each mole a taste of that region's culture. 6 Most mole marketed in the United States is mole poblano, from the Puebla region in Mexico; it gets its rich brown color and deep flavor from bitter chocolate. 7 Bright red mole highlights ancho chiles and tomatoes from Oaxaca. 8 Delicious mole verde features jalapeños, cilantro, and green tomatillos, with torn tortillas used as a thickener instead of seeds or nuts.

9 Some sources say mole was first created by a resourceful nun with limited ingredients and a need to impress a visiting archbishop. 10 Other sources say it resulted from a cook accidentally mixing up multiple spices. 11 No matter the origin, home cooks today prepare this layered, complex sauce primarily for special occasions, including festivals. 12 Mexico holds its national mole festival in October in San Pedro Atocpán, a small village renowned for its treasured mole. 13 The village, which began selling its sauce in the late 1940s, lies just south of Mexico City. 14 Other towns and villages also hold festivals to celebrate their own interpretations of this culturally rich, widely loved sauce.

Objective 0008: Understand idea development, fluency, and organization within writing.

14. Which sentence, if added at the beginning of the first paragraph, would provide the most effective thesis statement for the selection?

  1. If you ever snag the opportunity to spend some time in Mexico, you definitely should try as many moles as possible.
  2. In some parts of Mexico, a single culinary element, called mole, can provide a wealth of information on a region's agriculture and cultural traditions.
  3. Just like many different kinds of pasta sauce exist with recipes that vary by region, Mexican recipes and ingredients for moles vary by region.
  4. When trekking through Mexico, you should jump at the chance to take a class on how to prepare traditional mole.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B. The selection is devoted to a discussion of mole and its connections to region-specific produce and traditional preparation of the dish (Response B). The casual, conversational language used in Responses A and D would not match the tone of the rest of the selection or help orient the reader to the selection's main ideas. Comparing mole to pasta sauce (Response C) is a legitimate analogy, but pasta sauce does not contain most of the traditional ingredients that go into mole, nor is the comparison pursued in the rest of the selection.
Objective 0007: Understand the role of audience and purpose in written communication.

15. Which of the following techniques does the writer most rely on to persuade readers of the reasons for mole's popularity in Mexico?

  1. descriptive language
  2. direct address
  3. logical analysis
  4. supporting statistics
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A. In chronicling the origins and varieties of mole in the selection, the writer uses descriptive language (Response A) such as "delicious," "complex," "deep flavor," and "rich brown color" to help readers understand why the sauce is so popular. The writer does not directly address readers (Response B), include statistics to back up claims made in the selection (Response D), or rely on logical analysis (Response C) to persuade readers of the reasons for the popularity of mole.
Objective 0008: Understand idea development, fluency, and organization within writing.

16. Which sentence from the selection draws attention away from the main idea?

  1. "Every mole contains produce, such as tomatoes, raisins, and onions; chiles; and a thickener, typically nuts or seeds."
  2. "Delicious mole verde features jalapeños, cilantro, and green tomatillos, with torn tortillas used as a thickener instead of seeds or nuts."
  3. "Other sources say it resulted from a cook accidentally mixing up multiple spices."
  4. "The village, which began selling its sauce in the late 1940s, lies just south of Mexico City."
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D. The fact that San Pedro Atocpán began selling its mole in the late 1940s (Response D), or is located south of Mexico City, does not support the selection's main ideas, which are that mole is a sauce with distinctive agricultural and cultural connections (Response A) and ingredients (Response B), whose origins are undetermined (Response C).

Read the selection below; then answer the questions that follow.

1 For thousands of years, Native Americans created symbols on rocks. 2 The resulting images, known generally as rock art, fall into two main categories. 3 Petroglyphs, the most common type of rock art found in North America, are images chipped into or carved onto stone surfaces. 4 Pictographs, which are less common, are images that are painted on rocks using natural dyes or pigments. 5 The images found on rock art range from simple squiggly lines to elaborate battle scenes, they may depict insects, animals, stick figures, mystical beings, or other elements of significance to the artists. 6 Rock art serves as an important record of the visions, legends, and histories of early Americans and offers a fascinating glimpse into their world.

Objective 0007: Understand the role of audience and purpose in written communication.

17. The writer most likely used the words "squiggly" and "elaborate" for the purpose of:

  1. persuasion.
  2. description.
  3. clarification
  4. transition
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B. "Squiggly" and "elaborate" are descriptive words (Response B) that the writer used to help paint a picture of the images. The writer did not use the words to convince the reader of anything (Response A), to resolve confusion (Response C), or to provide a transition between ideas (Response D).
Objective 0011: Recognize the use of standard writing conventions.

18. Which sentence contains an error in sentence structure?

  1. sentence 1
  2. sentence 3
  3. sentence 5
  4. sentence 6
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C. Sentence 5 (Response C) is a run-on sentence in which two independent clauses are joined only by a comma. This error could be corrected either by dividing the sentence into two separate sentences or by inserting "and" after the comma following the word "scenes." Sentence 1 (Response A), Sentence 3 (Response B), and Sentence 6 (Response D) are all constructed correctly.

Read the selection below; then answer the questions that follow.

1 Educational researchers have long presented classroom teachers with a myriad of instructional approaches. 2 One of the newest methods, known as the flipped classroom approach, has been met with great excitement and interest. 3 The flipped classroom inverts traditional instruction by introducing the content outside of regular school hours and moving homework into the classroom. 4 That way, students practice content application and higher-level cognitive skills in a setting where they can receive guidance and support from their teachers. 5 Proponents of the flipped classroom argue that providing more time on content application leads to deeper understanding, develops critical-thinking skills, and more effectively engages students in the learning process, which motivates students to learn. 6 Supporting advocates of the new instructional approach are numerous research studies demonstrating that students in flipped classrooms make significant progress and consistently outperform their peers in traditional classroom settings. 7 Researchers recommend field testing the flipped classroom with a single class before instituting it throughout a school or grade level.

Objective 0009: Recognize writing that effectively communicates intended messages.

19. Which sentence from the selection should be deleted to eliminate unnecessary information?

  1. sentence 3
  2. sentence 4
  3. sentence 6
  4. sentence 7
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D. The writer's purpose is to inform readers about a new instructional approach. Providing incomplete suggestions for implementation of the flipped classroom (Response D) is unnecessary and diverts attention from the main idea. Sentence 3 (Response A) provides a definition of the flipped classroom approach, sentence 4 (Response B) describes the purpose and goal of the flipped classroom model, while sentence 6 (Response C) summarizes evidence that the flipped classroom approach is effective—each sentence is an important component of the writer's argument about this new instructional method.
Objective 0010: Apply revision strategies to written works.

20. Which sentence from the selection should be revised to eliminate unnecessary wordiness?

  1. sentence 3
  2. sentence 5
  3. sentence 6
  4. sentence 7
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B. The reference in sentence 5 (Response B) to engagement in learning implies a strong motivating component of the new instructional methodology. Therefore, the phrase "which motivates students to learn" is repetitious and unnecessary. Sentences 2 (Response A), 6 (Response B), and 7 (Response D) all convey information important to the topic of the selection in a succinct and concise manner without needless information or the repetition of key ideas.