NBPTS Component 1 Practice Questions (2026) — Free Sample Questions with Answers

Answer: D

Accuracy; teach a step-by-step decoding routine for multisyllabic words: 98% accuracy is a strong independent-level score, so decoding is not the problem.

Rate; use timed one-minute readings to push for more speed: The rate is already in the expected range, and pressing for speed tends to make phrasing and expression worse.

Comprehension; assign more independent silent reading time: Nothing in the data points to a comprehension deficit, and unmonitored silent reading does not target expression or phrasing.

Prosody; model phrased reading, then use repeated readers' theater: Correct. Flat expression, ignored punctuation, and odd phrase breaks are prosody problems; teacher modeling plus purposeful repeated reading (such as readers' theater) builds phrasing and expression.

Fluency has three parts: accuracy, rate, and prosody. Match the strategy to the weak part; for prosody, model phrasing and use repeated, performance-oriented reading.

Answer: D

The student forgot to simplify; have the student reduce each answer: 2/7 is already in simplest form, and the error is conceptual, not a missing simplification step.

The student made a fact error; review multiplication facts for 3 and 4: No multiplication was performed; the student added numerators and denominators.

The student needs cross-multiplication practice to compare fractions: Cross-multiplication is a comparison procedure and does not build the meaning of adding fractions.

The student treats parts as whole numbers; use area models with like units: Correct. Adding tops and bottoms treats the numerators and denominators as separate whole numbers. Area or fraction-strip models show that thirds and fourths must be renamed as twelfths: 4/12 + 3/12 = 7/12.

Fractions can be added only when they refer to same-size units; a quick reasonableness check (2/7 is less than 1/3 alone) exposes the error.

Answer: A

We see changing amounts of the Moon's sunlit half as it orbits Earth.: Correct. The Sun always lights half of the Moon; as the Moon orbits, the portion of that lit half facing Earth changes, producing the phases.

Earth's shadow covers different amounts of the Moon on different nights.: This restates the misconception. Earth's shadow falls on the Moon only during a lunar eclipse, which happens near full moon.

Clouds in Earth's atmosphere block different parts of the Moon from view.: Clouds are local and random; phases follow the same predictable cycle everywhere on Earth.

The Moon's distance from the Sun changes greatly as it travels around Earth.: The change in Moon–Sun distance is tiny compared with the total distance and does not change how much of the Moon is lit.

Phases come from viewing geometry: half the Moon is always lit, and we see more or less of that half during its roughly monthly orbit.

Answer: B

Ask the Supreme Court to sign the bill into law: The courts review laws in cases brought before them; they do not sign or enact legislation.

Override the veto by a two-thirds vote in each house: Correct. Article I, Section 7 allows Congress to override a veto with a two-thirds vote of both the House and the Senate.

Pass the bill again by a simple majority in the Senate: A simple majority in one chamber is not enough; an override requires two-thirds of both houses.

Hold a national vote so citizens can approve the bill: The Constitution provides no national referendum for passing federal laws.

The veto and the two-thirds override are a classic check and balance between the executive and legislative branches.

Answer: C

Rhythm: Rhythm comes from repeating elements to create a sense of movement, not from making one element stand out.

Unity: Unity is the sense that all parts belong together as a whole; the red circle is deliberately set apart.

Emphasis: Correct. Emphasis creates a focal point, here through contrast in color and size.

Repetition: Repetition uses the same element again and again to unify a work or suggest rhythm; the single contrasting circle is not repeated.

Elements (line, shape, color, value, texture, form, space) are the building blocks; principles such as emphasis organize them. Contrast is the main way artists create emphasis.

Answer: D

Lift heavy weights for three repetitions, one day per week: Low-repetition, heavy lifting targets muscular strength, and one day a week is too infrequent for this goal.

Do ten minutes of static stretching every day after school: Static stretching develops flexibility, not heart and lung endurance.

Run all-out ten-second sprints with long rests, once a week: Very short sprints with long rests mostly train speed, and once a week is too infrequent.

Jog or bike at moderate intensity for 20–30 minutes, 3–5 days a week: Correct. Sustained, moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity done several days a week matches the FITT principle for cardiorespiratory endurance.

Match the type of exercise to the fitness component: sustained aerobic activity for cardiorespiratory endurance, resistance for strength, and stretching for flexibility.