Foundations of PE Study Guide

Biomechanical Foundations

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True/False - (Please note that although True or False items are used in this study guide, the real Praxis PE Content Knowledge Exam is exclusively multiple choice.)

1. The difference between walking and running is the period of nonsupport. - TRUE
    
2. The kick up during the running recovery phase is a running fault. - FALSE
    
3. The height to which the knee is lifted depends upon the running speed. - TRUE
    
4. Over striding is characterized by the foot contacting the ground in front of the center of gravity. - TRUE
    
5. The speed of running is dependent upon stride length and stride frequency. - TRUE
    
6. Initial force is an essential consideration in jumping performance. - TRUE
    
7. An angle of projection of 45 degrees will provide the greatest amount of time in the air because all available force is in a direction to resist gravity. - FALSE
    
8. Any movement in the airborne phase of a jump will create an equal and opposite movement. - TRUE
    
9. The length of the back swing has no effect on throwing velocity. - FALSE
    
10. A ball thrown with top spin will have a longer period of flight than a ball thrown with back spin. - FALSE
     
11. A firm wrist will contribute to greater striking impact. - TRUE
     
12. The lighter the object being struck the greater the resultant velocity. - TRUE
     
13. The number of muscles contracted has no effect on the force of impact in striking. - FALSE
     
14. Body lean is related to the rate of acceleration of a runner. - TRUE
     
15. The amount of bend in the arms decreases as the running speed decreases. TRUE
     
16. In running and jumping explosive leg strength is needed to produce large forces in a short period of time. - TRUE

Multiple Choice

17. Which of the following concepts would explain why it is easier to maintain balance during a headstand than during a handstand?
    1. the height of the center of gravity is lower in the headstand than in the handstand *
    2. the line of gravity is over the base of support in the headstand, and outside the base of support in the handstand
    3. the length of the moment arm is longer in the headstand than in the handstand
    4. the magnitude and direction of force are greater in the headstand than in the handstand
    5. the frictional forces are greater in the headstand than in the handstand
        
18. For more balance to exist, the center of gravity must be
    1. between the object and the line of direction
    2. outside the base of support
    3. over the base of support *
    4. all of the above
        
19. Balance is directly proportional to the
    1. area of the base of support *
    2. area of the force application
    3. area of the acceleration application
    4. area of the momentum
    5. all of the above
        
20. Velocity of an object after impact can be increased by
    1. Increasing the mass of the striking implement
    2. increasing the mass of the object
    3. increasing the initial velocity of the object
    4. all of the above
    5. a and c only *
        
21. When the angle of push or pull is less than 90 degrees
    1. the total force moves the object
    2. part of the force moves the object
    3. part of the force is wasted
    4. all of the above
    5. b and c above *
        
22. Friction is
    1. force opposing motion
    2. necessary for movement
    3. necessary to invoke ground reaction forces
    4. all of the above *
    5. b and c above
        
23. Swinging the arm upward with a positive acceleration will cause the ground reaction force to
    1. decrease and lift the body from the ground
    2. increase and lift the body from the ground *
    3. decrease without affecting body movement
    4. increase without affecting body movement
        
24. The force of impact may be decreased by
    1. increasing the distance over which the force is applied *
    2. decreasing the surface area over which the force is applied
    3. increasing the hardness of the object
    4. all of the above
    5. a and b above
        
25. When the foot strikes the ground ahead of the body, as in walking, the reaction force is;
    1. backward and retarding forward movement *
    2. forward and retarding forward movement
    3. downward and retarding forward movement
    4. upward and retarding forward movement
        
26. The characteristic that distinguishes walking from other forms of locomotion is
    1. the swinging of the leg forward and backward
    2. the swing of the arm forward and backward
    3. the double support period *
    4. the placement of the foot
    5. none of the above
        
27. Efficient walking involves
    1. a heel first contact with the ground *
    2. pointing the toes outward
    3. transferring the body to the inside border of the foot
    4. maintaining four inches width between feet
        
28. Once in the air an athlete can only change
    1. momentum
    2. flight of the center of gravity
    3. moment of inertia *
    4. angle of projectile
    5. initial velocity
        
29. A volleyball player performing a vertical jump may increase the reaction force by
    1. stamping the feet hard on the floor prior to take off
    2. exert a vertical force against the floor at take off *
    3. taking one or more steps prior to take off
    4. taking a short jump prior to take off
    5. increasing the momentum prior to take off
        
30. What factors determine the initial path of a projectile
    1. air resistance, and acceleration
    2. angle of release and initial velocity *
    3. friction and drag
    4. reaction forces and momentum
    5. height of release and impulse
        
31. The rationale for taking short choppy strides at the beginning of a sprint is related to
    1. the time a force can be applied *
    2. force applied
    3. the torque applied
    4. the moment of inertia
    5. the kinetic energy

Psychological Foundations

32. One view of why a student responds is that drives are the result of a psychological or physiological deficit condition called a(n)
    1. motive
    2. emotion
    3. conflict
    4. need *
        
33. Of the following, the most likely psychological deficit motivating a child’s desire to play a sport is
    1. wanting to win
    2. seeking physical fitness
    3. wanting to improve sport skills *
    4. seeking relief from physical pain
        
34. Level of motivation is often measured by deprivation, which is
    1. a point on the inverted-U curve
    2. how much time has passed since last satisfying the motive *
    3. the prevailing level of anxiety
    4. equivalent to functional autonomy
        
35. Sport psychologists call the best level of motivation for each person the
    1. zone of optimal functioning *
    2. functional autonomy level
    3. non-conflict level
    4. inverted-U zone
        
36. Even though she is now in terrific shape, the person who started roller-blading as a way to get in shape, but now finds she feels deprived if she misses three or four days in a row of going skating illustrates
    1. functional autonomy *
    2. conflict resolution
    3. the retention interval
    4. differentiation
        
37. Tom would really like to take gymnastics classes, but knows that his parents want him to become a springboard or platform diver. He would like to make his parents happy. but if he does, knows he will not be as happy. Tom’s situation represents
    1. zone of optimal functioning
    2. psychological conflict *
    3. discrimination
    4. negative reinforcement
        
38. The relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs as a result of experiences defines
    1. performance
    2. maturation
    3. learning *
    4. generalization
        
39. Many successful professional golfers have swings that are “less than ideal,” but they still manage to make good scores. Their success represents concern with the
    1. process
    2. practice
    3. proactivity
    4. product *
        
40. The first day Rosa went running, she finished one mile in 15 minutes. Three months later, she ran three miles in an average of 9 minutes per mile. Rosa is likely to treat the increases in mileage and in the improvements in the time per mile as
    1. an aversive stimulus
    2. stimulus generalization
    3. negative reinforcement
    4. positive reinforcement *
        
41. Rosa, the runner in the previous question, also found that she had lost 20 unwanted pounds. Rosa’s pleasure in this loss of weight should be viewed as
    1. an aversive stimulus
    2. functional autonomy
    3. negative reinforcement *
    4. positive reinforcement
        
42. Which of the following best illustrates the concept of punishment?
    1. Tom lifts extra weights and feels severe pain in his upper body
    2. Ellen skips weight training and has her grade lowered *
    3. Ralph hits a foul ball into his toe and suffers a bad bruise
    4. Louise misses two days of practice and feels guilty about this
        
43. When a response leads to an aversive stimulus, __________ is said to have occurred
    1. punishment *
    2. negative reinforcement
    3. positive reinforcement
    4. more than one of the above may be correct
        
44. Alter a number of days. Esther's silly antics in class become “old,” and the other children no longer laugh at her behaviors. Within a few days, Esther stops acting silly during class. Her change in behavior illustrates
    1. extinction *
    2. negative reinforcement
    3. punishment
    4. modeling
        
45. Reinforcing a substitute or replacement response in a particular stimulus situation describes
    1. extinction
    2. counter conditioning *
    3. spontaneous recovery
    4. differentiation
        
46. After practicing the more efficient instep kick many times, Gary reverts to a toe kick at a crucial moment of a soccer match. Gary’s behavior probably illustrates
    1. counter conditioning
    2. negative reinforcement
    3. spontaneous recovery *
    4. shaping
        
47. Because he once made a hole-in-one, John continues to use a poorly-conceived golf swing, despite advice that would help him improve his skill. John’s behavior represents
    1. modeling
    2. vicarious reinforcement
    3. negative transfer of training
    4. the partial reinforcement effect *
        
48. Which of the following is the most likely reason that your text emphasizes that “practice makes permanent” rather than that “practice makes perfect”?
    1. negative transfer of training
    2. superstitious responding
    3. avoidance behavior
    4. the partial reinforcement effect *
        
49. Those who truly believe that “practice makes permanent” and thus continue to practice a physical activity long after it seems to have been mastered illustrate the principles of
    1. differentiation
    2. transfer of training
    3. knowledge of results
    4. over learning *
        
50. Out for a jog, Latoya sees a runner just ahead of her slip on some ice and nearly falls. Latoya swerves around the ice and continues without difficulty. Her behavior illustrates the principle of
    1. positive transfer of training
    2. the partial reinforcement effect
    3. vicarious learning *
    4. over learning
        
51. When first learning to serve a tennis ball, Anthony’s teacher expresses happiness when Anthony makes contact between the racquet and the ball. With additional practice, however, the teacher expects better and better control over the shots, praising Anthony only when improvement is noted. The teacher’s technique for teaching represents
    1. counter conditioning
    2. shaping *
    3. transfer of training
    4. social facilitation
        
52. When already knowing one response makes the acquisition of a new response more difficult than it otherwise might be, __________ can be said to have occurred.
    1. massed practice
    2. negative transfer of training *
    3. social interference
    4. failure to retrieve
        
53. Many marathon races provide “split times” at several points in the competition. Such information can be thought of as
    1. positive transfer of training
    2. social facilitation
    3. immediate knowledge of results *
    4. delayed feedback
        
54. The fact that David first learned to shoot a basketball on an outdoor court and now seems to have difficulty doing well inside a gymnasium may illustrate
    1. stimulus generalization
    2. positive transfer of training
    3. state-dependent learning *
    4. social facilitation
        
55. The teacher who gets all of her players involved in each of a number of different techniques during any one day’s practice appears to believe in__________ practices.
    1. distributed, passive
    2. massed, passive
    3. massed, active
    4. distributed, active *
        
56. Players seem to perform best when they employ
    1. active practice only
    2. mental Imagery only
    3. passive practice and mental imagery
    4. active practice and mental imagery *
        
57. The period during which one must remember a response to be used at a later time is called
    1. the retroactive period
    2. the habit interval
    3. the hypothesis
    4. the retention interval *
        
58. Unprocessed information, received by the various receptors of the body, goes into ______________ first.
    1. long-term storage
    2. short-term storage
    3. sensory storage *
    4. proactive storage
        
59. Players who return for an alumni match and comment that they “hope to be able to resurrect the old responses” are trying to produce memories from
    1. short-term storage
    2. long-term storage *
    3. sensory storage
    4. deprivation
        
60. Novice fly-fishermen find that, even after considerable practice, they have difficulty making the correct motion to cast the fly onto the water because so many other responses they have learned in the past seem to take precedence. This difficulty illustrates the principle of
    1. proactive interference *
    2. negative transfer of training
    3. retroactive interference
    4. social interference
        
61. The first step in problem solving is
    1. defining the problem accurately
    2. recognizing there is a problem *
    3. generating some possible solutions to the problem
    4. knowing that problems are often very complex
        
62. A very skilled football player, who had very little experience playing tennis, expressed his considerable “terror” when he had to play in an exhibition tennis match in front of the school assembly. His behavior illustrates the principle of
    1. spontaneous recovery
    2. stimulus generalization
    3. social interference *
    4. social facilitation
        
63. One coach noted that one of her players was “terrible in practice,” but “great when the crowd was cheering.” This represents
    1. spontaneous recovery
    2. stimulus generalization
    3. social interference
    4. social facilitation *
        
64. Successful competitors
    1. want to win at all costs
    2. are usually very anxious
    3. expect good accomplishments *
    4. never want to cooperate with others
        
65. If Randy has the ability to distinguish among the many waves and “catch” those that are best for surf boarding, he illustrates excellent
    1. stimulus generalization
    2. discrimination *
    3. facilitation
    4. superstition
        
66. Content standards for physical education have been developed by
    1. NEA
    2. NTE
    3. NASPE *
    4. ASCM

Biomechanical Foundations

Matching - (Please note that although Matching items are used in this study guide, the real Praxis PE Content Knowledge Exam is exclusively multiple choice.)