Context Clues
Use a definition within this sentence to find the meaning of the word arrogant:
The baseball player was overly prideful, or arrogant, about his playing.
Overly prideful
All Pam could think about was her family and her cats. When she closed her eyes to go to sleep, tears rolled down her cheeks. She rolled over so her friend wouldn’t see her crying. She didn’t know it would be so hard to stay at camp for two weeks. She thought camp was fun, but she still wanted to go home.
a. Pam is homesick. b. Pam cries at night. c. Pam doesn’t like camp. d. Pam’s friends like camp.
A. Pam is homesick.
DOUBLE JEOPARDY
First, caffeine enters the bloodstream through the membranes of the stomach and small intestine. It is then metabolized by the liver, which breaks it down into other chemicals. Within fifteen minutes of consumption, most people begin to feel the effects of caffeine, which can include increased heart rate and feelings of alertness or well-being. Within six hours of consumption, about half of the original dose of the drug will have been eliminated from the body.
Sequence
DOUBLE JEOPARDY
American race car driver Danica Patrick got her start racing go-karts. As a teenager, she won national go-kart championships in 1994, 1996, and 1997. When she was sixteen, Patrick moved to Europe to compete in road racing. In 2000, she placed second in the Formula Ford Festival in England.
Sequential
Use an antonym in this sentence to find the meaning of the word benevolent.
"He was greedy and unkind, unlike his benevolent brother."
Kind
DOUBLE JEOPARDY
Mrs. Meredith was a most kind and thoughtful woman. She spent a great deal of time visiting the poor. She knew they had problems. She wanted to help them. She brought food. She brought medicine, too.
a. Mrs. Meredith was poor. b. Many people are poor. c. Mrs. Meredith helped poor people. d. Mrs. Meredith was worried.
C
Many people divide exercise into one of two categories: strength training or aerobic. Strength training refers to activity that uses weights or a person's body weight to strengthen muscle, while aerobic exercise refers to activity that increases the heart rate for an extended period of time. Athletic trainers often advise people to wait at least forty-eight hours between strength training workouts, to give their muscles time to heal. Aerobic workouts, on the other hand, can be done more frequently.
Compare and contrast
The Vancouver Island marmot is a kind of large rodent that lives high in the mountains of Vancouver Island in Canada. Climate change and logging have caused a large decrease in their population. Scientists believe that there are less than a hundred of them left in the wild.
Cause and effect
Use a synonym to find the meaning of the word glee.
Jamie was full of glee. Her joy radiated from her smile.
Joy
TRIPLE JEOPARDY
“You must stop talking and settle down,” said Mrs. Henry. Nobody in the class could sit still. Time was dragging this morning. Soon, we would get on the bus and go to the pep rally. “Class, you are acting like you have ants in your pants,” said our teacher as she chuckled. No matter how many times she asked us to settle down, we just couldn’t. It was almost time to leave.
a. The pep rally is today. b. Mrs. Henry was strict. c. There were ants in the room. d. The class was excited about the pep rally.
D
Between the years 300 BCE and 300 CE, two great empires arose: one surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, the other in China. The rulers of China's Han dynasty extended their power to unite much of what is today's China. The Han created a strong military and expanded trade with far-off peoples over the Silk Road.
Compare and contrast
A blacksmith makes objects such as tools, decorative items, horseshoes, and weapons from iron or steel. Before working with the metal, the blacksmith will first heat it. To do this, he or she places it in a fire or furnace, often holding it with tongs until it turns red hot. Then the metal is ready to work, and the blacksmith can hammer it flat, bend it, or twist it. As soon as the object is shaped just right, the blacksmith plunges it into a container of water. This quenches the metal, solidifying it quickly and hardening it.
Sequence
Use examples to find the meaning of the word trigonometry.
There are many branches of math, such as geometry, algebra, and trigonometry.
A branch of math
Before you put on that skeleton costume and rove door-to-door pandering for candy, take a minute to reflect on this tradition. Halloween is believed to have come from an ancient Celtic festival dating back some 2,000 years.
A. Halloween comes from an old Celtic festival. B. You shouldn't trick-or-treat if you don't know the traditions. C. Halloween is 2,000 years old.
A
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) examines published research in order to address the question of how to reduce injuries and deaths in traffic collisions. Based on the research findings, the CDC has concluded that the most effective way to improve safety is to increase seat belt use.
Problem and solution
Of the 1.3 billion residents of China, approximately 850 million speak Mandarin Chinese as their first language. For more than 60 million others, Cantonese Chinese is their first language. Although both languages are sometimes called "Chinese," the two sound so different that a Mandarin speaker and a Cantonese speaker cannot understand one another. Mandarin, spoken in Beijing and much of northern China, is the official language of mainland China.
Compare and contrast
DOUBLE JEOPARDY
Find the meaning of the word diverted.
Fortunately, the explosion diverted the asteroid from a course that would have sent it hurdling into our planet.
Changed the direction of
A penny for your thoughts? If it’s a 1943 copper penny, it could be worth as much as fifty thousand dollars. In 1943, most pennies were made out of steel since copper was needed for World War II, so the 1943 copper penny is ultra-rare. Another rarity is the 1955 double die penny. These pennies were mistakenly double stamped, so they have overlapping dates and letters. If it’s uncirculated, it’d easily fetch $25,000 at an auction. Now that’s a pretty penny.
A. Pennies are all worth a lot of money. B. In 1955, they made a double die penny. C. Some rare pennies are actually worth a lot of money now. D. Old pennies were made of steel.
C
A group of students in a summer program in India recently put their minds together to propose a new and improved design for prosthetics for patients who have lost their hands. The difficulty is that many prosthetic, or artificial, hands are hard to fit and move, as well as tiring to use. With robotics, the students in the program succeeded in creating a soft, flexible prosthetic hand that uses a hinged aluminum mechanism and is easier to operate. This innovation has the potential to improve thousands of lives around the world.
Problem / Solution
When non-native species are introduced into new areas, the consequences often include widespread disruption of the native ecosystem. This has happened repeatedly in Australia, where native species evolved in an isolated environment.
Cause and effect