Which statement best describes the difference between Passage · Questions 1–6 what Tessa expected and what her first morning is actually The ovens were already breathing when Tessa pushed through the like? back door at five in the morning. Her uncle Ray stood at the steel

She pictured serving cheerful customers, but she is given up. unglamorous work in a business that is barely surviving.

She expected to work alone, but her uncle supervises every table, sleeves rolled, shaping loaves with the quick, absent motions move she makes. of someone who had done it ten thousand times. He did not look

She expected the bakery to be crowded, but she learns that “Apron’s on the hook,” he said. “Wash your hands twice. Once for it has closed its front counter. the health inspector, once for me.”

She hoped to learn to bake, but her uncle refuses to teach She had imagined this day differently. For years she had begged to her anything. work here, picturing herself behind the glass case, handing warm rolls to smiling customers. Instead Ray set her in front of a mountain of dirty sheet pans and a sink that gurgled as if it had a complaint to

Refer to the passage in Question 19. According to the passage, one difficulty the crews faced on the plains was

a lack of trees to use as poles

competition from Pony Express riders

Refer to the draft in Question 55. Which sentence, if added after sentence 5, would best connect paragraph 2 to the writer’s main argument?

A single class in personal finance would have saved us both time and money.

Summer jobs are a good way for teenagers to earn money.

Tax forms have changed many times over the years.

My friends and I still work at the same restaurant.

Refer to the passage in Question 113. Which of the following best describes the role of lichens as presented in the passage?

They begin breaking down bare rock and add the first organic matter.

They prevent other plants from growing on lava fields.

They supply water that allows ash to weather quickly.

They form the dark minerals that make basalt rich in iron.

Refer to the draft in Question 131. Which is the best way to write the underlined part marked 134?

Working with nervous beginners, I greatly improved my patience

My patience, working with nervous beginners, improved greatly

Working with nervous beginners improved, greatly, my patience

California Proficiency Program (CPP)

Free California Proficiency Practice Questions

10 sample questions for the California Proficiency Program (CPP), with the correct answer and an explanation for each. No account needed. Try each one before you open the answer.

Sections covered on the exam: Language Arts – Reading, Literarytext, Informationaltext, Writingconventions, Languagefacility, Organizationofideas, Mathematics, Numberandoperations, Measurementandgeometry.

Question 1 · Language Arts – Reading
Which statement best describes the difference between Passage · Questions 1–6 what Tessa expected and what her first morning is actually The ovens were already breathing when Tessa pushed through the like? back door at five in the morning. Her uncle Ray stood at the steel
- A.She expected to work alone, but her uncle supervises every table, sleeves rolled, shaping loaves with the quick, absent motions move she makes. of someone who had done it ten thousand times. He did not look
- B.She pictured serving cheerful customers, but she is given up. unglamorous work in a business that is barely surviving.
- C.She expected the bakery to be crowded, but she learns that “Apron’s on the hook,” he said. “Wash your hands twice. Once for it has closed its front counter. the health inspector, once for me.”
- D.She hoped to learn to bake, but her uncle refuses to teach She had imagined this day differently. For years she had begged to her anything. work here, picturing herself behind the glass case, handing warm rolls to smiling customers. Instead Ray set her in front of a mountain of dirty sheet pans and a sink that gurgled as if it had a complaint to
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. She pictured serving cheerful customers, but she is given up. unglamorous work in a business that is barely surviving.
Tessa had pictured herself “handing warm rolls to smiling customers,” yet she is set in front of dirty sheet pans in a bakery with past- due bills and half-empty cases. The idea that her uncle refuses to teach her is contradicted at the end, when he shows her how to knead dough.
Question 2 · Informationaltext
Refer to the passage in Question 19. According to the passage, one difficulty the crews faced on the plains was
- A.a shortage of willing workers
- B.competition from Pony Express riders
- C.a lack of trees to use as poles
- D.deep snow that buried the wire
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. a lack of trees to use as poles
The passage states that “on the treeless plains, crews had to haul wooden poles hundreds of miles by wagon.” Water shortages are mentioned for the deserts, and worker shortages and snow are not mentioned at all.
Question 3 · Writingconventions
Refer to the draft in Question 31. Which is the best way to write the underlined part marked 39?
- A.No change
- B.students, it
- C.students it
- D.students: and it
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. No change
A semicolon correctly joins two closely related independent clauses: “Learning to code can open doors for these students” and “it builds problem-solving skills.” A comma alone creates a comma splice, and no punctuation creates a run-on.
Question 4 · Organizationofideas
Refer to the draft in Question 55. Which sentence, if added after sentence 5, would best connect paragraph 2 to the writer’s main argument?
- A.Summer jobs are a good way for teenagers to earn money.
- B.Tax forms have changed many times over the years.
- C.A single class in personal finance would have saved us both time and money.
- D.My friends and I still work at the same restaurant.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. A single class in personal finance would have saved us both time and money.
The personal story supports the claim in sentence 2 only if the writer links it back to the need for a finance course, which this sentence does. The other sentences stay on side details of the story rather than the argument.
Question 5 · Measurementandgeometry
The points (−2, 3) and (4, −5) are the endpoints of a diameter of a circle. What is the area of the circle?
- A.5π
- B.10π
- C.20π
- D.25π
- E.100π
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. 25π
Diameter = √((4 − (−2))2 + (−5 − 3)2) = √(36 + 64) = √100 = 10, so the radius is 5 and the area is π(5)2 = 25π. Using the diameter as the radius gives 100π, and 10π is the circumference.
Question 6 · Mathematics
If f(x) = 2x − 3 and g(x) = x2 + 1, what is the value of f(g(−2))?
- A.−35
- B.7
- C.11
- D.17
- E.50
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. 7
Work from the inside out: g(−2) = (−2)2 + 1 = 5, and f(5) = 2(5) − 3 = 7. Evaluating in the wrong order, g(f(−2)) = g(−7) = 50.
Question 7 · Informationaltext
Refer to the passage in Question 113. Which of the following best describes the role of lichens as presented in the passage?
- A.They prevent other plants from growing on lava fields.
- B.They supply water that allows ash to weather quickly.
- C.They form the dark minerals that make basalt rich in iron.
- D.They begin breaking down bare rock and add the first organic matter.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. They begin breaking down bare rock and add the first organic matter.
Lichens "release acids that etch" the rock and, when they die, "leave behind small amounts of organic matter" in which mosses can grow. Far from preventing other plants, they prepare the way for mosses, ferns, grasses, and shrubs.
Question 8 · Languagefacility
Refer to the draft in Question 131. Which is the best way to write the underlined part marked 134?
- A.No change
- B.My patience, working with nervous beginners, improved greatly
- C.Working with nervous beginners, I greatly improved my patience
- D.Working with nervous beginners improved, greatly, my patience
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Working with nervous beginners, I greatly improved my patience
The opening phrase "Working with nervous beginners" must describe the person doing the work, so the subject that follows it should be "I." As written, the phrase dangles and seems to say that "my patience" was working with beginners; the version beginning "My patience" keeps the same problem.
Question 9 · Writingconventions
Refer to the draft in Question 143. Which is the best way to write the underlined part marked 153?
- A.No change
- B.materials, such as:
- C.materials; such as
- D.materials such as
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. materials such as
A colon may follow only a complete independent clause, and "materials such as" is not one, so no punctuation belongs before the examples. A semicolon must separate two independent clauses, which "such as aluminum and carbon fiber" is not.
Question 10 · Numberandoperations
Rosa deposits $2,400 in an account that earns 3.5% simple interest per year. She makes no other deposits or withdrawals. What is the total amount in the account after 4 years?
- A.$336
- B.$2,484
- C.$2,736
- D.$2,754
- E.$3,240
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. $2,736
Simple interest: I = Prt = 2,400 × 0.035 × 4 = $336. Total = 2,400 + 336 = $2,736. The interest alone ($336) is a trap because the question asks for the total, and $2,754 results from compounding, which simple interest does not do.

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