Central Idea
In a short story where a character learns to trust others after being lonely, what is likely a central idea?
Learning to trust leads to connection
OR others about trust
If a character closes the door quietly and hides the torn letter, what can you infer about their feelings toward the letter?
Inference: they feel guilty, secretive, or ashamed about the letter.
In the sentence “The arid land cracked under the hot sun,” what clue in the sentence helps you determine the meaning of “arid”?
Clue: “cracked under the hot sun” suggests “arid” means dry.
Identify two central ideas that might appear in a text about a community rebuilding after a storm.
Community resilience and cooperation
(or loss and recovery, hope and rebuilding)
A narrator describes the town’s empty playground at dusk and a single swing moving slowly. What inference about the town’s mood can a reader make?
Inference: the town feels empty, sad, or abandoned.
Identify the meaning of the bolded word using context: “She was elated after the test; she could hardly stop smiling.” What does “elated” mean here and which words help you decide?
“Elated” means very happy
clue words: “could hardly stop smiling.”
Describe how an author can develop the central idea of “resilience” across a novel (name at least two techniques).
Techniques: character growth, plot events that test the character, dialogue, and narration that reflect the idea.
Given a passage where a speaker avoids answering questions about their past and changes the subject, infer two possible reasons for the avoidance and cite what textual hints would support each reason.
Possible reasons: painful memory, shame, desire to protect someone
textual hints: evasive language, physical signs of discomfort, sudden topic shifts.
Find the meaning of the word in this short sentence using context clues: “He offered a terse reply, leaving no room for discussion.”
What does “terse” most likely mean and which words give it away?
“Terse” means brief or curt; clue: “leaving no room for discussion.”
Read this brief excerpt: “Every morning she rose before sunrise, tending the garden that fed the whole neighborhood; when crops failed, she taught others how to save seeds.”
What central idea does this excerpt support, and what two pieces of evidence from the excerpt support it?
Central idea: community care or leadership by example
Evidence: tending the garden that fed the neighborhood, teaching others to save seeds.
After reading a scene where a character apologizes but their hands are clenched and they avoid eye contact, infer the character’s true emotions and explain which lines of the scene give the strongest clues.
True emotion: likely anger or unresolved frustration despite the apology
clues: clenched hands, avoiding eye contact.
Explain how contrast clues in a sentence can help determine a word’s meaning. Provide a short example sentence and identify the clue.
Contrast clue explanation: words like “but” or “however” show opposites.
Example: “Unlike his cheerful brother, Mark was taciturn.” The contrast word “Unlike” signals meaning.
Compare and contrast two central ideas that could appear in a text about technology: one focused on connection, the other on isolation. Explain how an author might develop both ideas and how they could interact by the end of the text.
Possible central ideas: “technology fosters connection” vs “technology increases isolation.”
Development: show characters using tech to communicate and form bonds vs characters retreating into devices and losing face‑to‑face bonds;
Interaction: resolution could show balance or dominance of one idea.
A character acts kindly toward a rival in public but writes angrily about them in a private journal. Infer the character’s internal conflict and explain how a reader could track the development of that conflict throughout the text.
Internal conflict: public persona vs private feelings
how to track: compare public actions to private thoughts/journal entries across chapters.
In a paragraph where an author writes, “Though he appeared sanguine, his eyes betrayed exhaustion and dread,” use context clues to define “sanguine” and explain why the surrounding words change the reader’s understanding of the character.
“Sanguine” usually means optimistic; context (“eyes betrayed exhaustion and dread”) suggests the optimism is only outward, so define as “optimistic in appearance but possibly hiding worry.”