Vocabulary & Word Usage
Scientists pick individual animals and fit them with lightweight, comfortable radio transmitters.
Which set of words has the same meanings as the underlined words in the sentence in the box?
a) select, equip
b) claim, connect
c) examine, link
d) determine, tame
a) select, equip
When you are making an inference, you are _______________.
a) giving a summary of the text
b) providing a conclusion based on text evidence
c) comparing and contrasting two details from the text
d) determining the cause and effect of events in the text
b) providing a conclusion based on text evidence
When is dialogue used in a text? What punctuation marks are used with dialogue?
When a character is speaking (quotation marks are used " ")
You are given a performance task where you must write an informational essay comparing pollution on Earth with pollution on space after reading several articles. As you plan your essay, what would be the most effective thinking map to use to organize your ideas?
a) Bubble map
b) Double bubble map
c) Tree map
d) Flow map
b) Double bubble map (compare and contrast)
Read the sentence and answer the question.
The boy was especially hungry for any details about Greek mythology.
What effect does the author create by using the underlined phrase?
a) an empty feeling
b) a feeling of anticipation
c) a sense of curiosity
d) an atmosphere of anxiety
c) a sense of curiosity
In New Zealand, dancers perform the fearsome Haka to welcome visitors, inspire warriors, and celebrate important occasions.
Based on the root word and suffix, what does fearsome mean?
a) complicated
b) astonishing
c) different
d) lengthy
b) astonishing
The following sentence contains errors in punctuation. Which three words should be followed by a comma?
Did Jonathan do anything exciting while he was on vacation? Yes he went bowling swimming biking, and dancing.
Yes, bowling, swimming
A narrative typically contains plot, characters, setting, theme, and point of view. In your own words, define each of these literary elements.
Plot - what happens in the narrative
Characters - who is present in the narrative
Setting - where the narrative takes place
Theme - the central idea or message of the narrative
Point of View - whose perspective the narrative is told from
What are the main differences between the following genres of text: narrative, informative, and opinion?
Narrative: tells a story, has a narrator (different points of view), follows an order of events
Informative: provides information, may have text features such as captions/images/charts/maps
Opinion: tells what the writer thinks or believes about a topic, backed with evidence/reasoning
From a young age, the boy started playing the piano - and he was good at it, too. It seems that he knew he was going to go places.
What does the underlined idiom mean in this sentence?
a) He was anxious to leave the home where he grew up.
b) He was prepared to visit many cities around the world.
c) He was determined to become a famous piano player.
c) He was determined to become a famous piano player.
List three words each for the following suffixes:
-able
-ful
-ly
___
___
___
Select the best correct correlative conjunctions for the sentence.
Dentists ________ care for their patients' teeth ________ monitor the health of their gums.
a) neither, nor
b) not only, but also
c) both, and
d) whether, or
b) not only, but also
What are the main differences between a simile and a metaphor? Give one example of each type of figurative language.
A simile compares two things using the words "like" or "as", while a metaphor directly compares one thing with another without using "like" or "as".
Similes are more direct comparisons, while metaphors are more implied.
When a question is asking for you to give citations, what is it asking you to do?
A citation is a reference back to a detail from the text, so it would be asking you to provide text evidence for your answer.
A student made a plan for a research report:
Topic: seahorses
Purpose: to inform
Question: Why is the seahorse population decreasing?
What piece of information should the student use in her report?
a) Seahorses are small and able to hide easily.
b) Adult seahorses do not move around much.
c) Wild seahorses are captured and sold all around the world.
d) Seahorses like to live among the seagrass in warm ocean waters.
c) Wild seahorses are captured and sold all around the world.
Select the word that best means "an open or available position".
Representatives in the United States Congress are elected for two-year terms. Sometimes, though, a vacancy occurs before the term ends. The only way to fill it is by holding a special election.
vacancy
Which of the following is the correct rule for punctuating texts?
a) Magazine titles should be underlined. (Time for Kids)
b) Article titles should be in quotation marks. ("5 Benefits of Getting a Full Night's Sleep")
c) Book titles should be bolded. (Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet)
d) Poem titles should be italicized. (The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost)
b) Article titles should be in quotation marks. ("5 Benefits of Getting a Full Night's Sleep")
Read the sentence and determine which answer best describes how the author's use of figurative language adds to the tone of the text.
When the gigantic trunk hit the ground, the whole world shook.
a) The phrase adds a cheerful tone.
b) The phrase adds a hopeless tone.
c) The phrase adds a nervous tone.
d) The phrase adds an exciting tone.
d) The phrase adds an exciting tone.
Retell the story by adding dialogue and descriptive details without changing the events or characters.
A farmer bought five peaches. He gave one to his wife and one to each of his two sons. The next day, he asked his sons what they had done with their peaches. The oldest son told him that he planted the seed of the peach in the ground. The second son told his father that he sold his peach so he could buy more.
____________
Punctuate the following sentence correctly.
Yes I have completed the essay Ms Su said the student
"Yes, I have completed the essay, Ms. Su," said the student.
Which word in the paragraph best represents the author's use of a word that means "fake"?
These artificial shells have two important purposes. First, people who own hermit crabs can give them to their pets. The shells are also placed in the wild for hermit crabs to find. Lucky hermit crabs can move into these new dream homes and leave those plastic ones behind.
artificial
Which of the following sentences correctly uses the perfect verb tense? (describes actions that are completed or relate to other points in time, whether in the past, present, or future )
a) She had already ate lunch by the time I arrived at the tables.
b) By the end of the year, I will have finish my narrative about my favorite memory of 5th grade.
c) The man is looking to buy a new tire to replace the flat tire on his car.
d) I have lived in Costa Mesa all of my life.
d) I have lived in Costa Mesa all of my life.
What is a stanza in a poem?
A section of a poem, usually divided into groups of lines (2 or 4), that often have a recurring structure or rhyme
Ex: Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
You are writing an opinion essay for your principal about organized recess. State your inference (What is your opinion on organized recess? Should we have it or not?), provide supporting evidence (What are some reasons you believe that?), and include a concluding statement (So what is the takeaway?).
____
What is connotation? Give one example of both positive and negative connotation.
Connotation is the implied, or suggested, meaning of a word.
Ex: Generous vs. Greedy