Commas, Semicolons, and Colons
Context Clues
Text Structure
Textual Evidence
Argument
100
For her work as a surgeon during the Civil War Dr. Mary Edwards Walker became the first woman to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.
For her work as a surgeon during the Civil War, Dr. Mary Edwards Walker became the first woman to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.
100
Francine's beauty was counteracted by her SLOTH. SLOTH means: a. largeness b. loud mouth c. meanness d. ignorance e. laziness
SLOTH means LAZINESS or sluggishness, to dislike work or exercise.
100
The number of wood thrushes is declining, or going down. A main cause of this decline is habitat loss. The wood thrush is losing habitat in two places—the United States and Central America. In the United States, forests are being turned into shopping centers, developments, and factories. As a result, the wood thrush has fewer places to build nests and raise young. In Central America, tropical rainforests are being cut down to make room for farms. This means that migrating wood thrushes have trouble finding territory for the winter months.
Cause and Effect
100
When the narrator says, “If you really want to hear about it” in the first sentence, what does he MOST likely mean by “it”? (A)How his parents will react if they find out he’s telling strangers about their personal lives. (B)His brother D.B.’s job in Hollywood. (C)His hatred of movies. (D)His life and how he got to where he is now. (E)Why he is writing his autobiography.
(D)His life and how he got to where he is now. Explanation: The rest of the sentence discusses basic biographical info like where he was born and what his parents did, which is all background to this particular moment in his life.
100
What part of the argument is this? It is not just for teens to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
A claim.
200
He just made a hole-in-one there was no one there to see it but him.
He just made a hole-in-one; there was no one there to see it but him.
200
Jason's PROLIFIGATE spending on expensive clothes, liquor, and wild parties pushed his wife to cancel all of their credit cards. PROLIFIGATE means: a. foolish b. wasteful and immoral c. uncontrollable d. meant to impress e. constantly increasing
PROLIFIGATE means WASTEFUL and IMMORAL, very wicked, shamelessly bad.
200
Hurricane Katrina began as Tropical Depression Twelve over the southeastern Bahamas on August 23, 2005. The depression later strengthened into a tropical storm on the morning of August 24, where the storm was also named Katrina. Katrina continued to move into Florida, and became a Category 1 hurricane only two hours before it made landfall around Hallandale Beach on the morning of August 25. The storm weakened over land, but became a hurricane again while entering the Gulf of Mexico.
Chronological
200
The narrator describes his parents as both “nice” and “touchy as hell.” Based on this information, his relationship with his parents is probably: (A)Warm and loving (B)Polite, but distant (C)Angry, with lots of yelling (D)Silent, because they don’t trust each other (E)The author hates his parents
(B)Polite, but distant Explanation: (b) - “Nice” parents would probably act decently, but “touchy” parents might be hard for the author to confide in.
200
What part of the argument is this? Yes, obesity in children is a major epidemic; however, some teens take exercise to the extreme and it may progress into an obsession.
A concession and refutation
300
Mr. Joe owns Kelsey's Bakery coincidentally Kelsey owns Joe's Bar and Grill.
Mr. Joe owns Kelsey's Bakery; coincidentally, Kelsey owns Joe's Bar and Grill.
300
My mother did not ESPOUSE living together before marriage. To ESPOUSE means: a. to condemn b. to advocate c. to suggest d. to experiment with e. to understand
To ESPOUSE is to ADVOCATE or to support.
300
Education in our society serves many purposes, but there are three main functions. First, students learn skills that will help prepare them for society. Writing, reading, and mathematics are essential in today’s workplace and many people learn these skills in school. Second, schools serve communities. Whether by functioning as polling locations during elections, or providing safe havens for students in temporary living situations, public schools add value to communities. Third, public schools provide a structured environment for children to engage in productive activities during many days of the year while their adult caretakers may be working. In other words, public schools also provide day care. These are three of the primary reasons why we have schools in our society.
Sequence
300
Which of the following phrases indicates that the narrator is writing from inside a hospital or mental institution? (A)“They’re nice and all - I’m not saying that - but they’re also touchy as hell.” (B)“I got pretty run-down and had to come out here and take it easy.” (C)“He comes over and visits me practically every weekend.” (D)“If there’s one thing I hate, it’s the movies. Don’t even mention them to me.” (E)“Now he’s out in Hollywood.”
(B)“I got pretty run-down and had to come out here and take it easy.” Explanation: (b) - Getting “run-down” indicates a physical or mental problem, and having to go someplace to “take it easy” implies an institution that can help with the problem. His vagueness in calling it a place “out here” indicates it’s more likely a mental hospital since it carries more stigma. *correct answer (c) - The narrator could be visited by his brother at home or college as well as in a hospital, making (b) the better answer.
300
First, studies show that smoking contributes to throat and lung cancers.
A reason
400
Daren admires Winston Churchill's quote "We make a living by what we get we make a life by what we give."
Daren admires Winston Churchill's quote: "We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give."
400
The criminal was forced to CAPITULATE as soon as the police showed up. To CAPITULATE means: a. to surrender b. to reinforce c. to rethink d. to cry e. to shift directions
To CAPITULATE is to SURRENDER, cave in to pressure, or to collapse.
400
The Revolutionary War was a time of great division. Americans were split into two groups: Patriots and Loyalists. Patriots were Americans who supported the struggle for independence. They believed that Americans should be free from the control of an English king. They fought against the English to establish a new government in America. Loyalists were Americans who remained loyal to the crown. Some of them were happy under English rule. Others believed that they might be rewarded after the Americans lost the war. Though both Patriots and Loyalists lived in America, a deep division ran between them.
Compare and Contrast
400
How does the author indicate that D.B. now writes movie scripts instead of short stories or books? (A)He calls D.B. a “prostitute” and then says, “If there’s one thing I hate, it’s the movies,” which indicates that D.B.’s “prostitution” has to do with selling his writing skills to moviemakers. (B)He points out that D.B.’s car cost about “four thousand dollars,” but that D.B. “didn’t use to” have that kind of money. (C)He explains that D.B. is the author of The Secret Goldfish and that the title story in that book “killed me.” (D)He notes that D.B. comes to visit him “practically every week end” and will probably drive him home when he leaves “next month maybe.” (E)He explains that D.B. lives in Hollywood, which is near where he is staying.
(A)He calls D.B. a “prostitute” and then says, “If there’s one thing I hate, it’s the movies,” which indicates that D.B.’s “prostitution” has to do with selling his writing skills to moviemakers.
400
The next time you see litter in your community, do your part and dispose of it properly.
A Call to Action
500
The Blue Ridge Mountains part of the Appalachian Mountain Range begin in Georgia and run through North Carolina Tennessee Virginia and Maryland and end in Pennsylvania.
The Blue Ridge Mountains, part of the Appalachian Mountain Range, begin in Georgia and run through North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Maryland, and end in Pennsylvania.
500
He ADMONISHED those on his staff about their chronic lateness. To ADMONISH is to: a. encourage b. threaten c. beg d. warn/scold e. terminate
To ADMONISH is to WARN, scold, caution, or to remind of a duty.
500
Freezer burn may have wasted more ice-cream than sidewalks. If you don’t know, freezer burn is when ice crystals form on the surface of ice-cream. These ice crystals can ruin the texture and flavor of the ice cream. But you can prevent freezer burn. Since freezer burn is caused when melted ice-cream is refrozen, rather than eating your ice-cream from the container as it melts, scoop your ice-cream into a bowl and put the container back in the fridge immediately. Doing this ought to help you with your freezer burn issues.
Problem-solution
500
Although the narrator says he’s going to tell the reader about “this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas,” he then goes off on a tangent about his brother’s career. The fact that he does this MOST likely means that: (A)The narrator only learned about his brother’s writing career last Christmas. (B)The narrator is in the hospital for destroying his brother’s Jaguar, but it doesn’t matter because his brother has so much money now. (C)The narrator doesn’t understand why his brother moved to Hollywood and abandoned him. (D)The narrator doesn’t really want to talk about what happened to him. (E)The narrator’s parents have forbidden him to talk about what happened to him. (d) - This also explains why he rambles about not wanting to talk about his life.
(D)The narrator doesn’t really want to talk about what happened to him. Explanation: (d) - This also explains why he rambles about not wanting to talk about his life.
500
Probably the most important impact that drugs have on our society is destroying families.
A Reason
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