ETS Domain: Assessment

Praxis 5331 Aphasia Questions

Aphasia is one of the highest-yield Praxis 5331 topics: expect 10-15 items ranging from classification (fluent vs non-fluent) to specific assessment tools and treatment approaches. Most questions give a language sample or a lesion location and ask you to identify the subtype or the next best step.

Why this topic matters

Aphasia spans all three ETS domains — you'll see it in Foundations (neuroanatomy), Assessment (WAB-R, BDAE), and Treatment (CILT, MIT, SFA).
Getting the classification wrong cascades: it changes your assessment and treatment answers on multi-part scenarios.

High-yield concepts

Broca's: non-fluent, agrammatic, good comprehension, poor repetition, frontal lesion.
Wernicke's: fluent but empty/paraphasic, poor comprehension, poor repetition, temporal lesion.
Global: non-fluent, poor comprehension, poor repetition — large MCA territory.
Conduction: fluent, good comprehension, POOR repetition — arcuate fasciculus.
Transcortical motor/sensory: like Broca's/Wernicke's but with SPARED repetition.
Anomia: fluent, good comprehension, word-finding difficulty — most common residual.
Assessments: WAB-R (AQ, classification), BDAE, Boston Naming Test.
Treatments: SFA (anomia), MIT (non-fluent), CILT (constraint), Response Elaboration Training, script training.

Sample practice questions

Try answering before revealing the rationale — mark misses to retry later.

Q1.A 62-year-old post-left-MCA stroke produces effortful, telegraphic speech ('want... water... now'), understands 3-step commands, and struggles to repeat 'no ifs, ands, or buts.' The most likely aphasia classification is:

A.Wernicke's aphasia
B.Broca's aphasia
C.Conduction aphasia
D.Transcortical motor aphasia

Show answer & rationale

Correct: B. Non-fluent + agrammatic + preserved comprehension + poor repetition = Broca's. Transcortical motor would have SPARED repetition; conduction would be fluent.

Q2.Which treatment approach has the strongest evidence for improving confrontation naming in a client with anomic aphasia?

A.Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT)
B.Semantic Feature Analysis (SFA)
C.Constraint-Induced Language Therapy (CILT)
D.Oral motor exercises

Show answer & rationale

Correct: B. SFA targets naming by activating semantic networks (category, function, use, features) and has strong evidence for anomia. MIT targets non-fluent speech; CILT targets communication in mild-moderate aphasia broadly; oral-motor exercises are not evidence-based for aphasia naming.

Q3.A client presents with fluent, well-articulated speech full of neologisms and paraphasias, poor comprehension of yes/no questions, and poor repetition. The lesion is most likely in:

A.Left inferior frontal gyrus
B.Left posterior superior temporal gyrus
C.Arcuate fasciculus
D.Right parietal cortex

Show answer & rationale

Correct: B. Fluent + poor comprehension + poor repetition = Wernicke's aphasia, classically caused by damage to the posterior superior temporal gyrus (Wernicke's area) in the dominant hemisphere.

Common wrong-answer traps

Assuming all non-fluent aphasia is Broca's — check repetition to rule in/out transcortical motor.
Selecting oral-motor exercises for any aphasia treatment question — never evidence-based for language.
Confusing anomia (word-finding) with agraphia or alexia when the stem mentions 'difficulty naming.'

Study moves this week

Make a 3x3 grid: fluency × comprehension × repetition, and fill in the 8 classic subtypes.
For each subtype, memorize one signature treatment (Broca's → MIT, anomia → SFA, moderate → CILT).
Practice classifying 5 language samples per day for a week.

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FAQ

What's the fastest way to classify aphasia on Praxis questions?

Use the fluency → comprehension → repetition decision tree. Ninety percent of Praxis aphasia items resolve in those three checks.

Is Melodic Intonation Therapy ever the right answer?

Yes — for non-fluent aphasia with relatively preserved comprehension and right-hemisphere melodic processing intact. It's the go-to when the stem specifies non-fluent with intact singing.

Do I need to know Boston vs WAB assessments in detail?

You should know what each measures (WAB-R = classification + AQ; BDAE = subtest profile) and when each is preferred, but not memorize every subtest.

Praxis 5331 Aphasia Questions

Why this topic matters

High-yield concepts

Sample practice questions

Common wrong-answer traps

Study moves this week

Want 400+ scenario questions with rationales?

FAQ

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