Free Practice Questions for North Dakota A+ ELA Grade 10

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North Dakota A+ ELA — Grade 8

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Key Facts: North Dakota A+ ELA Grade 10 Exam

NDDPI

State Agency

North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, Assessment Office

Grade 10

Grade Level

2023 ND ELA Content Standards (9-10 band)

100 Practice Questions

Question Count

OpenExamPrep Bank

2023 ND ELA Grades 9-10 (R, W, L, IR)

Standards

NDDPI ND A+ ELA Blueprint

Prepare for the North Dakota A+ ELA Grade 10 test with 100 practice questions on comprehension, text analysis, and writing, featuring original passages and detailed explanations covering topics from the 2023 ND ELA Content Standards.

Sample North Dakota A+ ELA Grade 10 Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the North Dakota A+ ELA Grade 10 exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Read the poem. The Keeper's Light Beyond the breakers, salt and spray, the keeper tends the steady ray. While fishermen below the steep cast lines into the grinding deep, she winds the clockwork, trims the flame, and speaks the lamp's forgotten name. No moon, no star—her single spark makes certain every safer dark. What is the central idea of the poem?

A.A lighthouse keeper faithfully maintains a light that helps others through danger.

B.A fisherman battles a fierce storm while trying to return to shore.

C.A keeper invents a new kind of lamp to replace the moon and stars.

D.The sea at night is too dangerous for anyone to be out on the water.

Explanation: The poem focuses on the keeper who 'tends the steady ray' and makes the dark 'safer,' showing that her faithful service protects others.

2Read the poem. The Keeper's Light Beyond the breakers, salt and spray, the keeper tends the steady ray. While fishermen below the steep cast lines into the grinding deep, she winds the clockwork, trims the flame, and speaks the lamp's forgotten name. No moon, no star—her single spark makes certain every safer dark. Which line best supports the idea that the keeper is dependable?

A.Beyond the breakers, salt and spray,

B.she winds the clockwork, trims the flame,

C.cast lines into the grinding deep,

D.No moon, no star—

Explanation: Winding the clockwork and trimming the flame are acts of steady maintenance, directly showing the keeper's dependability.

3Read the excerpt from a mayor's address. Friends, we did not gather tonight to mourn what the river took. We gather to declare what we will build in the empty places it left behind. When the water rose, it did not ask for our permission, and it did not check our addresses. It swept through the storefront and the schoolyard alike. Yet notice what remained: every hand that reached for another hand, every door that opened to a stranger. That is the foundation no flood can carry off. So let the surveyors count the damaged structures; we will count the unbroken promises between neighbors. What is the main purpose of the speech?

A.To request government aid for rebuilding damaged buildings

B.To inspire the community by focusing on its resilience and unity

C.To explain the scientific causes of the flooding

D.To criticize city officials for failing to prepare for the flood

Explanation: The speaker emphasizes what 'remained'—neighbors helping neighbors—and calls these the true 'foundation,' aiming to uplift the community.

4Read the excerpt from a mayor's address. Friends, we did not gather tonight to mourn what the river took. We gather to declare what we will build in the empty places it left behind. When the water rose, it did not ask for our permission, and it did not check our addresses. It swept through the storefront and the schoolyard alike. Yet notice what remained: every hand that reached for another hand, every door that opened to a stranger. That is the foundation no flood can carry off. So let the surveyors count the damaged structures; we will count the unbroken promises between neighbors. Which detail best supports the idea that the flood affected everyone equally?

A.We did not gather tonight to mourn what the river took.

B.we will build in the empty places it left behind

C.It swept through the storefront and the schoolyard alike.

D.we will count the unbroken promises between neighbors

Explanation: Saying the water hit both 'the storefront and the schoolyard alike' shows the flood spared neither businesses nor public spaces.

5Read the excerpt from a mayor's address. Friends, we did not gather tonight to mourn what the river took. We gather to declare what we will build in the empty places it left behind. When the water rose, it did not ask for our permission, and it did not check our addresses. It swept through the storefront and the schoolyard alike. Yet notice what remained: every hand that reached for another hand, every door that opened to a stranger. That is the foundation no flood can carry off. So let the surveyors count the damaged structures; we will count the unbroken promises between neighbors. As used in the speech, what does the word 'foundation' most nearly mean?

A.A physical base on which a building rests

B.The underlying strength that supports a community

C.A charitable organization that raises money

D.The first draft of a public announcement

Explanation: The speaker calls neighbors' promises the 'foundation no flood can carry off,' using the word figuratively to mean the community's enduring strength.

6Read the passage. Less than one percent of North Dakota's original tallgrass prairie survives. Restoring even small parcels would benefit both wildlife and people. Native grasses send roots ten feet deep, holding soil against wind and drought, while imported lawns demand constant watering and mowing. A prairie yard feeds pollinators that nearby crops depend on, and it stores carbon that turf grass cannot. Critics argue that prairie plantings look 'untidy.' But tidy should not mean barren. A monoculture of Kentucky bluegrass is, ecologically, a desert in green clothing. We have spent a century replacing richness with neatness; it is time to let some of that richness back. What is the author's main claim?

A.Lawns of Kentucky bluegrass are the best choice for residential yards.

B.Restoring native prairie provides benefits that outweigh concerns about appearance.

C.North Dakota has lost nearly all of its wildlife due to urban development.

D.Constant mowing and watering are necessary for a healthy environment.

Explanation: The passage argues that prairie restoration helps wildlife and people, and that the 'untidy' criticism does not outweigh those benefits.

7Read the passage. Less than one percent of North Dakota's original tallgrass prairie survives. Restoring even small parcels would benefit both wildlife and people. Native grasses send roots ten feet deep, holding soil against wind and drought, while imported lawns demand constant watering and mowing. A prairie yard feeds pollinators that nearby crops depend on, and it stores carbon that turf grass cannot. Critics argue that prairie plantings look 'untidy.' But tidy should not mean barren. A monoculture of Kentucky bluegrass is, ecologically, a desert in green clothing. We have spent a century replacing richness with neatness; it is time to let some of that richness back. Which detail best supports the claim that prairie plants are better for the environment than lawns?

A.Critics argue that prairie plantings look 'untidy.'

B.We have spent a century replacing richness with neatness.

C.Native grasses send roots ten feet deep, holding soil against wind and drought.

D.Less than one percent of North Dakota's original tallgrass prairie survives.

Explanation: Deep roots holding soil against wind and drought is direct evidence of an environmental benefit lawns lack.

8Read the passage. Beneath every prairie lies a second, invisible landscape: a network of fungal threads called mycorrhizae. These threads wrap around plant roots and exchange sugars for minerals, extending each plant's reach far beyond its own root system. When a pathogen attacks one plant, warning compounds can travel through the fungal network, prompting neighbors to raise their chemical defenses before the threat arrives. Scientists describe this as a commons—not a charity, since every partner contributes, but a shared infrastructure that makes the whole grassland more resilient than any plant growing alone. What is the main idea of the passage?

A.Fungi are parasites that damage prairie plants by stealing their sugars.

B.An underground fungal network helps prairie plants share resources and survive threats.

C.Scientists have proven that prairie plants cannot survive without human intervention.

D.Pathogens spread rapidly through grasslands and destroy entire plant communities.

Explanation: The passage describes mycorrhizae exchanging sugars for minerals and carrying warning compounds, making the grassland more resilient together.

9Read the passage. The Homestead Act of 1862 offered 160 acres to anyone willing to live on and improve the land for five years. To families in crowded eastern cities, the offer sounded generous. But the Northern Plains posed challenges that promotional brochures never mentioned: blizzards, grasshopper plagues, and rainfall so scarce that 160 acres could barely support a family. By the 1890s, many homesteads had failed. Those who succeeded often did so not through farming alone but through careful community cooperation—sharing threshing crews, building schools together, and establishing mutual aid societies that the law never anticipated. What is the central idea of the passage?

A.The Homestead Act guaranteed success for anyone willing to farm the Great Plains.

B.Homesteading on the Northern Plains was harder than expected, and survival often depended on community cooperation.

C.The federal government deliberately misled settlers about conditions on the plains.

D.Grasshopper plagues were the single main reason homesteads failed in the 1890s.

Explanation: The passage stresses the unexpected hardships and concludes that success came through community cooperation, not farming alone.

10Read the passage. The Homestead Act of 1862 offered 160 acres to anyone willing to live on and improve the land for five years. To families in crowded eastern cities, the offer sounded generous. But the Northern Plains posed challenges that promotional brochures never mentioned: blizzards, grasshopper plagues, and rainfall so scarce that 160 acres could barely support a family. By the 1890s, many homesteads had failed. Those who succeeded often did so not through farming alone but through careful community cooperation—sharing threshing crews, building schools together, and establishing mutual aid societies that the law never anticipated. Which detail best supports the idea that settlers survived through cooperation?

A.The Homestead Act of 1862 offered 160 acres to anyone willing to live on and improve the land

B.To families in crowded eastern cities, the offer sounded generous.

C.rainfall so scarce that 160 acres could barely support a family

D.sharing threshing crews, building schools together, and establishing mutual aid societies

Explanation: Sharing crews, building schools together, and mutual aid societies are concrete examples of community cooperation.

About the North Dakota A+ ELA Grade 10 Exam

The North Dakota A+ Summative English Language Arts assessment at Grade 10 measures reading and writing proficiency on the 2023 North Dakota ELA Content Standards (9-10 band) across Comprehension, Text Analysis, and Writing. It is administered online through TestNav in spring, replacing the former NDSA beginning Spring 2025. This 100-question practice bank uses original passages and four-option MCQs as an English-language study adaptation.

Exam sponsor: North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI). The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

Online criterion-referenced assessment delivered through TestNav with Reading and Writing sessions; selected-response, constructed-response, technology-enhanced items, and a short essay scored with an 8-point rubric. This local bank contains 100 English four-option practice MCQs across 3 reporting categories.

Time Limit

Untimed; 2025 average about 50 minutes (Reading) and 50 minutes (Writing)

Passing Score

Four performance levels: Level 1 Novice, Level 2 Approaching Proficient, Level 3 Proficient, Level 4 Advanced. Level 3 and above denotes proficiency. Scale scores range 850-1150.

Exam / Certification Fees

No fee to students

Exam sponsor website

Reported exam pass rate: Not applicable (performance levels are reported). Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Official sources

NDDPI ND A+ Summative ELA Grade 3-10 Blueprint
2023 North Dakota English Language Arts Content Standards (9-10 band)
ND A+ Portal Summative Resources and Test Administration Manual

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

32-33%

Comprehension

Cite strong and thorough textual evidence, determine theme and central idea, summarize, analyze how complex characters develop and advance the plot, and analyze how events and ideas develop and connect.

40-41%

Text Analysis

Determine word meaning including figurative and connotative language, analyze author's choices concerning structure and order, analyze a point of view or cultural experience, and delineate and evaluate argument, claims, and reasoning.

27-28%

Writing

Text types (argument, informative, narrative), organization and writing process, and language usage (grammar, capitalization, punctuation, parallel structure, style).

Preparing for the North Dakota A+ ELA Grade 10 Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: Four performance levels: Level 1 Novice, Level 2 Approaching Proficient, Level 3 Proficient, Level 4 Advanced. Level 3 and above denotes proficiency. Scale scores range 850-1150.
Assessment: Online criterion-referenced assessment delivered through TestNav with Reading and Writing sessions; selected-response, constructed-response, technology-enhanced items, and a short essay scored with an 8-point rubric. This local bank contains 100 English four-option practice MCQs across 3 reporting categories.
Time limit: Untimed; 2025 average about 50 minutes (Reading) and 50 minutes (Writing)
Exam / certification fees: No fee to students Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

Work through all 100 available questions
Review every answer and explanation
Track weak areas and revisit them
Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

North Dakota A+ ELA Grade 10: Suggested Study Strategy

1Cite strong and thorough evidence; quote and paraphrase precisely to support inferences about theme and character.

2Analyze how an author's structural choices (flashback, pacing, ordering) shape meaning and tone.

3Delineate an argument: identify the claim, the reasons, and the evidence, then evaluate the reasoning's validity.

4Distinguish literal, figurative, and connotative meanings, and explain the cumulative impact of word choices.

5For writing items, check for parallel structure, precise language, and correct punctuation of complex sentences.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ND A+ ELA Grade 10 test?

The North Dakota A+ Summative English Language Arts assessment at Grade 10 measures reading and writing proficiency on the 2023 ND ELA Content Standards (9-10 band). It is an online, criterion-referenced assessment delivered through TestNav with Reading and Writing sessions, including selected-response, constructed-response, technology-enhanced items, and a short essay scored with an 8-point rubric.

What performance levels are reported?

Four levels are reported: Level 1 Novice, Level 2 Approaching Proficient, Level 3 Proficient, and Level 4 Advanced. Level 3 and above denotes grade-level proficiency. Scale scores range from 850 to 1150.

Is this practice bank affiliated with NDDPI?

No. This is an independent study resource covering topics from the public 2023 ND ELA Content Standards. It uses original passages and four-option MCQs as a study adaptation; it is not an official ND A+ product or format simulation.

Free Practice Questions for North Dakota A+ ELA Grade 10

North Dakota A+ ELA — Grade 10