Sample questions for Teaching

Professionals’ Olympiad (TPO)

with detailed analysis

Senior Secondary School English

Centre for Teacher Accreditation (CENTA) aims to empower teachers and catalyze teacher professional
development through its Teaching Professionals’ Olympiad (TPO) and CENTA Certification and Micro-
Credentials.
Table of Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 3
Section A. Subject Expertise ...................................................................................................... 4
Section B. Content Development & Planning ............................................................................. 5
Section C. Student Assessment & Remediation ......................................................................... 7
Section D. Classroom Communication & Professional Competencies ........................................ 9

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Introduction

Overview of this document

The document provides sample questions for Teaching Professionals’ Olympiad (TPO) with detailed
analysis, for Senior Secondary School English.

In line with the four sections of TPO 2018, this document also consists of the following four sections:
A. Subject Expertise
B. Content Development & Planning
C. Student Assessment & Remediation
D. Classroom Communication & Professional Competencies
Subject Expertise section: It will have questions related to the subject test track chosen by you. For
example, Sample questions in this document are related to Senior Secondary School English Test Track.
Content Development & Planning section: It will have few questions which are independent of the test
track chosen and assess general planning skills and few questions which are related to subject-specific
content development.
Student Assessment & Remediation: Similar to Section B, this section will have few questions which
are independent of the test track chosen and which test general assessment skills and few questions
which are related to subject-specific assessment and remediation.
Classroom Communication & Professional Competencies: This section has questions which are
independent of the test track chosen by you. It has questions from different topics, for example Logical
Ability, Communication, Classroom Management, Involvement of Parents, Teamwork and Leadership.

Purpose of the document

The document is intended to serve as a guide for participants and prospective candidates to familiarize
themselves with the type of questions asked in TPO. Please note that this is only a sample and NOT
an exhaustive compilation of ALL types of questions which will be included in TPO.

Through this document CENTA intends to provide candidates an exposure to different types of questions,
in terms of:
• Broad themes
• Cognitive Level (Knowledge, Understanding and Application)
• Difficulty Level
For each question, the correct answer has been shared, along with the explanation highlighting why the
correct answer is the most appropriate choice and why other options are not correct.

We hope these sample questions and their analysis add value to your TPO experience!

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Section A. Subject Expertise
Question 1

Which of the following sentences uses 'pathetic fallacy' as a literary device?

A. "Her mouth was a fountain of delight."

B. "I have wandered lonely as a cloud"
C. “But thy eternal summer shall not fade …”
D. Romeo: But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

Marks: 1

Correct Response: Option B

This question tests teachers’ ability to identify the use of ‘pathetic fallacy’ as a literary device. Pathetic
fallacy is the attribution of human feelings and responses to inanimate things or animals, especially in
art and literature. The right answer is Option B since loneliness - a human condition- is attributed to a
cloud, an inanimate object.
▪ The literary device used in options A, C and D is a metaphor. However, this does not qualify as an
example of pathetic fallacy as no real emotional or intellectual content is ascribed to the use of
this device. Choosing Option A, C and D may indicate that the teacher might have a misconception
with regards to differentiating between metaphor and pathetic fallacy.

Question 2

Change the following from direct to indirect speech, without changing the meaning:

She said, "I am watching a movie today."

A. She said that she is watching a movie that day.

B. She told me that she is watching a movie today.
C. She said that she was watching a movie that day.
D. She said that she will be watching a movie that day.

Marks: 1

Correct Response: Option C

This question tests teachers’ ability to convert sentences from direct to indirect speech. Indirect

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 speech conveys the message of the speaker in the reporter’s words. Given below are rules to be
followed to convert the sentence given in the question to indirect speech.
a. All inverted commas or quotation marks are omitted and the sentence ends with a full stop.
b. Conjunction ‘that’ is added before the indirect statement.
c. The pronoun ‘I’ is changed to ‘she’. (First person to third person.)
d. The verb ‘am’ is changed to ‘was’. (Present tense is changed to past)
e. The adverb ‘today’ is changed to ‘that day’.
Therefore, the correct answer is option C.

▪ Choosing Option A and B indicates that the teacher has a misconception about changing the tense
of the verb to past tense. She/he has used present continuous tense instead of past tense.

▪ Choosing Option D indicates that the teacher has a misconception in changing the tense of the
verb in indirect speech. She/he has used future continuous tense instead of past tense.

Section B. Content Development & Planning

Question 3

Mr. Narayanan wanted to review and take ahead the topic of 'conjunctions', ensuring the conceptual
fundamentals are strong. Arrange the following four parts of his lesson plan in the most appropriate
order.

I. Complete a sentence with the correct conjunctions and identify the category of the conjunction
used.
II. Recognize the use of coordinating, subordinating and correlative conjunctions in different type of
sentences.
III. Analyse the difference between the use of ‘and’ and ‘but’ in a writing piece and how it changes
meaning of a sentence.
IV. Review a writing piece, correcting it for conjunction mistakes.

A. III, I, II, IV
B. I,II, IV, III
C. I, II, III, IV
D. III, II, I, IV

Marks: 1

Correct Response: Option D

This question identifies teachers’ ability to sequence and plan a lesson based on the topic/objective

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 that they want to teach. Teacher should start the lesson by ensuring that the students know their
basics: identifying the difference between use of ‘and’ and ‘but’. Next comes teaching students the
use of coordinating, subordinating and correlative conjunctions. This will help develop students’
knowledge of conjunctions. Thereafter, the teacher should check if students have understood the
concept. This is done by making the students complete a sentence with the correct conjunctions and
identifying the category of the conjunction used. Lastly, students apply the concept they have learnt
by reviewing a writing piece, correcting it for conjunction mistakes.
▪ Choosing Option A indicates that teacher has misinterpreted that completing a sentence with
right conjunction is an advanced skill as compared to identifying the right conjunction in a given
sentence.
▪ Choosing Option B indicates that the teacher has misconception as indicated in Option A as well
as considers review of an entire piece to be simpler than a comparison in a directed manner. This
is the most incorrect option.
▪ Choosing Option C indicates while teacher has got the complexity between III and IV right, the
teacher may have a misconception that analysis and reviews are always of higher cognitive order
than completion and recognition.

Question 4

If you are helping a student build METACOGNITIVE SKILLS, which of the following questions would be
the most appropriate one to ask BEFORE a learning task?

A. How much time will you need to complete this task?

B. What are the resources you need to complete this task?
C. How will you decide your first step to approach this task?
D. What are the activities involved in this task and in what sequence will you plan them?

Marks: 2

Correct Response: Option C

This question tests teachers’ understanding of metacognitive skills (an important topic in child
learning and development) and what kinds of activities and questions can promote these skills in the
classroom. Since metacognition refers to awareness and understanding of one’s own thought
processes, questions that promote metacognitive skills will typically make the student think about his
or her own thought process.

▪ Option C does this by asking the student to think about “how” he or she will decide the first step
(to reiterate, not to decide the first step, but to reflect on how the decision will be taken).

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 ▪ All the other options (A, B, D) refer to various aspects of thinking about the task itself, rather than
thinking about the thought process behind the task; therefore choosing any of these options
indicates an insufficient understanding of the concept of metacognition.

Section C. Student Assessment & Remediation

Question 5

After teaching a set of lessons on past participle, an English teacher asked her students to identify the
past participles that are acting as verbs in the given sentences:

1. The message was whispered to me by him.

2. She brought her children up to be polite.
3. That was a laminated copy.
4. She has completed her homework rapidly.
5. Broken by the news, he hasn't eaten the whole day.

Here are the responses of three students:

X: 1. was whispered, 2. brought up, 3. was [none in 4 and 5]

Y: 1. was whispered, 2. brought, 3. laminated, 4. completed, rapidly, 5. broken, eaten
Z: 1. was whispered, 3. was laminated, 4. has completed, 5. broken, hasn't eaten [none in 2]

Though none of them are fully correct, each student has a different misconception. Based on a typical
pedagogical sequence, arrange the students starting from the one who is struggling with an earlier
concept to one who is struggling with a latter concept.

A. X, Y, Z
B. Z, X, Y
C. Y, X, Z
D. Y, Z, X

Marks: 3

Correct Response: Option C

This question tests teachers’ ability to derive insights from student assessment on their conceptual
understanding participles acting as verbs. In the sentences, past participle that are acting as verbs are
‘whispered’, ‘completed’ and ‘eaten’. There are none in sentences two and three. ‘Brought’ and ‘was’

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 are verbs-past tense, ‘be’ is a verb and ‘has’ is a verb [3rd person singular present]. Y has not
understood the difference between verbs, adjectives and adverbs, X can identify verbs, but not when
other parts of speech is acting as a verb (in this case, past participle) and Z can identify any verb usage
in a sentence but cannot differentiate between the usage, for instance when a past participle is acting
as a verb. Therefore, the correct answer is Option C.

▪ Choosing Option A may indicate that the teacher is unable to identify that Student Y has a
misconception about identifying the difference between verbs, adjectives and adverbs.
▪ Choosing Option B may indicate that the teacher herself/himself has a misconception on the usage
of a past participle as a verb.
▪ Choosing Option D may indicate that the teacher is unable to identify that Student Z has more
conceptual clarity than Student X, as Student Z is able to identify all the verb usages (in this case
past participle acting as a verb) while Student X is unable to identify when a past participle acts as a
verb even though Student X maybe familiar with the concept of verbs.

Question 6

If you take a multiple-choice test on a short topic, tabulate scores and write each student’s score in
his/her notebook, would it serve the purpose of formative assessment, or not?
A. Yes: formative assessments are taken to evaluate student performance on short topics.
B. No: formative assessments are taken to give students explicit feedback which is not given here.
C. Yes: formative assessments are taken to provide the teacher with a view of comparative student
performance.
D. No: formative assessments are taken in the form of activities and not written tests.
Marks: 1

Correct Response: Option B

This question tests teachers’ understanding of the purpose of formative assessments and what kinds of
actions are aligned with the purpose. The goal of formative assessment is to derive and provide
feedback on student learning, which can be used by teachers to improve their teaching and by
students to improve their learning. Here the purpose of formative assessments is not being served
since the teacher is only providing the tabulated score to the student and not explicit feedback on
his/her strength and misconceptions. Therefore, Option B is correct.
▪ Choosing Option A indicates a reasonable though not accurate understanding of formative
assessments. Although it is true that formative assessments are often used with short topics, it is
not necessary. Further, Option A does not address the issue that the teacher is not providing
feedback.

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▪ Option C could be considered the ‘most incorrect’ answer and choosing it indicates a fundamental
misunderstanding that formative assessments are used for comparison.
▪ Option D represents a common misconception that formative assessments need to be activity-
based. ‘Formative’ is a definition of the purpose of the assessment and not the method.

Section D. Classroom Communication & Professional

Competencies
Question 7

You have started collaborative learning in your classroom. Every student is paired with another and
given the following tasks:
1. Read and understand the meaning of the paragraph, along with your partner.
2. In your own notebooks, write the answers to questions given on the board.
3. Pass your notebooks to the front of the class for correction.

Which one of the following would be the best change to make in order to increase collaborative
learning?

A. Change Step 3 with students correcting each other’s work.

B. Change Step 2 with each of the two students working on different questions which would then be
submitted together.
C. Change Step 1 with suitable thinking questions on the board as that would help in building reading
skills.
D. Change Step 2 with students working on the same worksheet of questions together required for
submission.

Marks: 1

Correct Response: Option D

Collaborative learning is a pedagogical method in which students are grouped together to explore a
significant question or complete a particular task that can lead to a learning outcome. This question
tests teachers’ ability to design classroom activities to implement collaborative learning.
▪ Choosing Option A indicates that the teacher might be seeing ‘correcting each other’s work’ as a
way to increase collaboration and learning. While this could be a close choice, it does not allow

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 students to be ‘working together’; e.g. they could have gotten corrected answers from other
sources.
▪ Choosing Option B indicates that the teacher is using the term ‘collaboration’ in a more general
sense of the word (e.g. ‘submitting together’) rather than the technical or pedagogical meaning as
a learning method.
▪ Option C is clearly the ‘most wrong choice’ since it talks about the content rather than the
method of collaborative learning.
▪ Option D makes students discuss the same questions together and arrive at common answers
that they submit, and therefore increases collaborative learning.

Question 8

You have given three different tasks to three groups in your classroom.
Group 1: Compare the given figures and find out which one occupies more area.
Group 2: Calculate the perimeter of the given shapes using a ruler.
Group 3: Find out how many steps you can take along the sides of the classroom walls by walking heel
to toe.

On what basis have these groups most likely been created?

A. Based on student learning styles.

B. Based on student learning levels.
C. Based on student interest in Maths.
D. Based on students’ cognitive ability.

Marks: 2

Correct Response: Option B

This question tests teachers’ ability to group students based on different criteria, and how they are
likely to look in a classroom (grouping being a commonly used classroom management technique). In
the question, the three groups are working on different concepts or learning goals in geometry. The
topics are in increasing order of difficulty and typically covered in sequence, i.e. understanding
perimeter, measuring perimeter in standard units and calculating the area. This points to the grouping
being based on ‘learning levels’ that refers to which concepts have been mastered by a student so far.
Irrespective of what a student’s learning style or interest is, all three concepts need to be eventually
learnt.

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 ▪ Choosing Option A indicates that this difference of lesson goals has not been noticed and instead
the more superficial difference in the type of activity is driving the answer. Ideally, while grouping
based on learning styles, a teacher should have similar lesson goals for all the groups.
▪ Choosing Option C indicates a misunderstanding of the idea of catering to various interests in a
classroom and potentially a ‘layman’ level usage of the word ‘interest’. Students, when grouped
based on interest, are involved in different aspects of the same theme like research, model
creation etc.
▪ Option D could have been chosen assuming that the activities are at different levels of cognitive
ability (i.e. knowledge, understanding, application), which is not exactly true for the activities
themselves. Option D could have also been chosen assuming that the students are at different
levels of cognitive ability, which would make it an ‘absolutely wrong’ answer since there is no data
on cognitive ability available here.

Question 9

Ms. Divya has been a teacher in a high-end school for 10 years and has always tried to involve parents
of her students in school activities. She has recently relocated to a small town and is now teaching in a
low-cost private school serving mostly children from under-privileged families. Should she continue to
try and involve parents in school activities, which is currently not being done in this school?

A. Yes. The school has limited resources and she should continue to get parents involved and
contribute.
B. Yes. Parents are an integral part of a child’s education and should be involved in school activities.
C. Yes. She would be able to establish herself as a pioneer in her new school with this initiative.
D. Yes. The parents here are likely illiterate and poor, and this is a good opportunity for them also to
learn.

Marks: 1

Correct Response: Option B

This question checks teachers’ reasoning for parental engagement. Engaging parents in their children’s
school life is important for their holistic development. Parent engagement in schools is closely linked to
better student behaviour, higher academic achievement and enhanced social skills irrespective of
parents’ socio-economic backgrounds. Therefore, the right option is B.

▪ Choosing Option A indicates that the teacher has misunderstood the reasoning behind parental

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 engagement. Parents should be involved in their child’s education whether the school has limited
resources or not. Limited resources in school should not be the driving factor for involving parents in
their child’s education. However, parent involvement may help address some of these issues.
▪ Choosing Option C indicates that the teacher is considering establishing herself as a pioneer in the
school by involving parents in the student education, which should not be driving her actions.
▪ Choosing Option D indicates that the teacher has misunderstood the reasoning behind parental
engagement. Involving parents who are uneducated is a good opportunity for the parents also but
despite what educational background that parents come from, all parents should be involved in
their child’s education as studies have shown that parental engagement improves student
performance.

Question 10

A student in your class has been sent to school in an untidy and shabby school uniform for many days
now. You as the class teacher have to write a note to his parents to ensure that they address this. The
note has to be clear and at the same time not offend or embarrass the parents. Which of the following
notes will you select from?

A. As per the school's guidelines on health and hygiene, your child may not be meeting the expected
standards. I request you to re-read the guidelines in detail.
B. Your child has been coming to school in an untidy uniform. I request you to look into the matter and
send him in a clean uniform, as per the school's guidelines on health and hygiene.
C. Health is wealth and cleanliness is Godliness! Please help your child experience wealth and
Godliness by sending him to school in a neat and tidy uniform.
D. Your child's unclean attire might lead other students to file a complaint with the hygiene
department of the school. Please avoid your child the embarrassment and address the issue quickly.

Marks: 2

Correct Response: Option B

This question tests teachers’ ability to incorporate sensitivity in their communication, using “notes to
parents” as the sample situation. In such situations, it becomes imperative for the teachers to uphold
the student's and parent’s dignity. Option B is the correct option as it lays out the issue clearly, is still
polite in the request to the parent and refers to an objective school guideline rather than an opinion.
▪ Choosing Option A indicates that the teacher is aware of the need to be sensitive in parent
communication because he/she refers entirely to the objective school guideline rather than to the

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 individual student. However, it is unclear in terms of both the issue and the next step and is
therefore sub-optimal (“sensitivity” being the ability to have a difficult conversation without hurting
the other person, rather than avoiding the difficult conversation altogether).
▪ Choosing Option C indicates a misconception that while addressing sensitive issues it is helpful to
cloud them with flowery language and beliefs. In this particular situation, the reference to a broader
belief makes the teacher’s note unclear and diverts from the issue at hand.
▪ Choosing Option D indicates both misunderstanding of sensitivity and a tendency to shift the source
of a particular complaint from the “school” to “other children” which is not helpful in resolving the
issue.

Question 11

Five companies - Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma and Theta - transports cars, clothes, fish, paint and steel (not
necessarily in that order). There is only one truck available and each company transports its product on
different days of the week - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (not necessarily in that
order). Below is some information we know:
1. Alpha does not transport on the first day and it transports edibles.
2. Beta transports on the last day.
3. The company that transports on the first day transports cars.
4. Delta transports clothes and it cannot be transported on adjacent days of transportation of fish.
5. Gamma transports after Theta.

What does Gamma transport and when?

I. Steel on Wednesday
II. Steel on Thursday
III. Paint on Wednesday
IV. Paint on Thursday

A. Only I
B. Only II
C. I or II
D. I or III

Marks: 3

Correct Response: Option: D

This question tests teachers’ logical reasoning skills - ability to connect the data and reach a conclusion.

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 Below each of the given statements is explained on step-by-step basis.

1. Alpha does not transport on the first day and it transports edibles.
a. Alpha transports fish on any day except Friday
Alpha Monday Fish

Alpha Tuesday Fish

Alpha Wednesday Fish

Alpha Thursday Fish

Friday

2. Beta transports on the last day.

a. Beta transports on Friday
Alpha Monday Fish

Alpha Tuesday Fish

Alpha Wednesday Fish

Alpha Thursday Fish

Beta Friday

3. The company that transports on the first day transports cars.

a. Cars are transported on Monday
Monday Cars

Alpha Tuesday Fish

Alpha Wednesday Fish

Alpha Thursday Fish

Beta Friday

4. Delta transports clothes and it cannot be transported on adjacent days of transportation of fish.
a. Therefore, fish cannot be transported on Wednesday. One of Alpha or Delta transports on
Tuesday, and the other on Thursday.

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 Monday Cars

Alpha/Delta Tuesday Fish/Clothes

Wednesday

Alpha/Delta Thursday Fish/Clothes

Beta Friday

5. Gamma transports after Theta.

a. Therefore, Theta transports on Monday and Gamma on Wednesday. It transports either
paint or steel.
Theta Monday Cars

Alpha/Delta Tuesday Fish/Clothes

Gamma Wednesday Paint/Steel

Alpha/Delta Thursday Fish/Clothes

Beta Friday Paint/Steel

Therefore, Gamma transports either paint or steel on Wednesday - which gives us the correct answer
Option D.

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