CSET English Subtest 2 Practice Test

Code-switching refers to the practice of alternating between two or more languages or dialects within a conversation or interaction. In this case, the speaker is using the Standard English dialect when talking to strangers, but switches to a different dialect when interacting with individuals from her own social group. This behavior demonstrates code-switching because the speaker is consciously changing her language or dialect based on the social context and the identity of the people she is communicating with.

English orthography is only partially regular because during the transition to Modern English, the pronunciation of many words changed while their spelling remained the same. This means that the spelling of a word is not always a reliable guide to its pronunciation.

The passage describes the linguistic phenomenon of creolization. When speakers of two mutually unintelligible languages come into contact, they develop a common code that combines features of both languages. This code is then learned as a first language by subsequent generations of children, and over time, the vocabulary expands and the grammar becomes more complex, resulting in a language that is similar in structure to other human languages.

Universal Grammar refers to a set of principles that apply to all languages and are unconsciously accessible to every human language user. It suggests that humans are born with an innate ability to acquire language and that there are underlying grammatical rules that are common to all languages. This concept implies that language acquisition is not solely dependent on environmental factors, but also on a universal cognitive framework that enables language learning.

The word set "can, would, must" is composed of verbs that function as modals. Modals are a type of auxiliary verb that are used to express various meanings such as ability, possibility, necessity, and obligation. In this case, "can" expresses ability, "would" expresses possibility or willingness, and "must" expresses necessity or obligation. Therefore, these verbs fit the criteria of functioning as modals.

Engaging in repeated reading of a text at the reader's independent reading level is most likely to increase a reader's fluency and reading rate. By repeatedly reading a text, the reader becomes more familiar with the words and the content, which leads to improved fluency. Additionally, reading at their independent reading level ensures that the text is not too difficult for the reader, allowing them to read more quickly and smoothly.

A morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning in a language. It can be a word or a part of a word that carries meaning. For example, in the word "unhappiness," there are three morphemes: "un-" (meaning not), "happy" (meaning joyous), and "-ness" (meaning state or quality). Each of these morphemes contributes to the overall meaning of the word. In contrast, a phoneme refers to the smallest unit of sound in a language, a grapheme represents a written letter or combination of letters, and a syntactic unit refers to a group of words that function together in a sentence.

The given passage states that infants start out being able to discriminate between all phonemes in human language but lose this ability as they grow and only recognize the phonemes they hear in their environment. This finding suggests that second-language learners often struggle with recognizing and producing certain phonemes in the target language because they did not hear those specific phonemes in their native language environment.

English-speaking children from different sociocultural backgrounds are most likely to differ in the style and structure of their oral narratives because narrative style and structure are influenced by cultural norms, storytelling traditions, and personal experiences. Different cultures may have different storytelling conventions, such as the use of specific narrative structures, the inclusion of certain themes or motifs, or the emphasis on different aspects of a story. Therefore, children from different sociocultural backgrounds are likely to have varying styles and structures in their oral narratives.

The correct answer combines the two sentences by using an embedded appositional phrase to provide additional information about Gabriel García Márquez. The phrase "my favorite writer" is inserted between the name and the verb "is," clarifying the speaker's personal preference.

If the reader encounters an unfamiliar word in a text and is able to sound it out using phonics and syllabication skills, they are most likely to be able to identify the word's meaning if it is in their oral vocabulary. This means that the reader is familiar with the word and has heard it spoken before, which would give them a better chance of understanding its meaning in context.

A reader will use predicting most effectively as a comprehension strategy if they are familiar with the conventions of different genres. This is because different genres have different structures, language styles, and narrative patterns. By being familiar with these conventions, the reader can make predictions about the content, plot, and characters based on their understanding of how the genre typically unfolds. This allows them to engage more deeply with the text, anticipate what might happen next, and make connections between different parts of the story.

The correct answer is "I will put them in a vase with water." In this sentence, the word "water" functions as a noncount noun because it cannot be counted or pluralized. It is used to refer to a substance rather than individual units.

The diagram represents the structure of the sentence "The woman in the car drives to the opera." The noun phrase "The woman in the car" is followed by the verb phrase "drives to the opera." The prepositional phrase "in the car" modifies the noun phrase "woman." The prepositional phrase "to the opera" functions as an adverbial phrase, indicating the destination of the woman's drive.

The study of pragmatics involves examining how language is used in different contexts and the effects it has on communication. It focuses on understanding the social and cultural aspects of language, as well as the intentions and implications behind utterances. Therefore, the topic of "the uses of different types of utterances in different contexts" is directly related to the study of pragmatics.