Context Clues
When Jose found out that his little brother Emilio carelessly broke Jose’s Xbox disc tray, Jose was vexed and sure let Emilio know it.
What does vexed mean?
a. angry
b. thrilled
c. cheerful
d. distraught
a. angry
What is the main idea (or central idea) of a written text?
What the article is mostly about.
What is the theme of a story?
A lesson or idea that can apply to most readers
What is the difference between an inference and a guess?
An inference uses evidence from the text to create a logical conclusion.
In the READ method, what does A stand for?
R-Restate the question.
E- Expand
A- ?
D- Draw a conclusion
Add more
After a long and dangerous chase, the police finally apprehended the car thief.
What does apprehended mean?
a. punished
b. released
c. caught
d. spoke with
c. caught
Christopher Paolini was just 15 years old when he wrote the first draft to the fantasy book Eragon. His parents helped him to self-publish and promote the book in schools and libraries. Three years later, Knopf books for Young Readers asked Christopher's family if they could publish the book. Today, Eragon is a best-seller!
What is the main idea of this paragraph?
Christopher Paolini became an author at a young age
Evie did not want to go babysit. She had promised her neighbor last week that she could watch the twins today, but all she wanted to do was watch movies and chat with her friends. She contemplated telling her neighbor she was sick but didn’t because she didn’t want to cancel at the last minute. She was in a bad mood when she got to her neighbor’s house, but the kids were so excited to see Evie that she quickly perked up. Her neighbor had bought all of her favorite snacks and Evie really enjoyed getting to watch movies and play make believe with the twins. She couldn’t believe she had almost canceled because she was having such a great time. When her neighbor got home, she gave Evie a $40 bonus for babysitting on a Saturday night.
What is the theme of the passage?
Doing the right thing often pays off.
When the internet first became popular in the United States, Wi-Fi was not an option. Computers all across the country used phone lines to connect to the internet, which was known as dial-up internet. In hindsight, there were lots of problems with dial-up internet, but at the time it was the only option many people had to access the internet. Dial-up internet required an open phone line, so if someone’s parents were on the phone, then getting on the internet to do homework would have to wait. When someone called, the internet connection was often lost. Once internet service became popular, a lot of people had trouble connecting and would have to wait to log on to the internet. While there were many drawbacks to dial-up internet, the benefits outweighed them at the time.
What inference can be made about phone lines?
a. You could not use the internet and make a call from the same phone line.
b. The phone lines were not connected to the internet.
c. You could use the internet and make a call from the same phone line.
a. You could not use the internet and make a call from the same phone line.
What is the first sentence in a paragraph?
The topic sentence
What does thwarted mean?
a. confused
b. allowed
c. stopped
d. created
c. stopped
Before toothbrushes were invented, people cleaned their teeth with small twigs. The first toothbrushes were made of bones and bristles from boars, horse hairs, or even feathers. Today, the bristles on most brushes are made from nylon.
What is the main idea of this paragraph?
Before toothbrushes, people found other ways to brush their teeth, usually finding items in nature.
Samantha and Savannah’s mom came home later than usual. Earlier, Samantha had sent her mom a message grousing about being hungry. Savannah decided to go ahead and get started on dinner so it would be ready by the time their mom got home. When their mom arrived, Samantha had already eaten and was busy playing on her phone while Savannah talked to her mom and asked her how her day went. Afterwards, when Samantha was asked to clean up she pretended like she didn’t hear anything. Savannah told her mom to relax and cleaned up after she had already cooked. A few hours later both sisters were invited to a party. Savannah asked first and her mom told her that she could go. When Samantha asked if she could go, her mother simply acted like she hadn’t heard her.
What is the theme of this passage?
If you are good to people, they will be good to you.
Polio, also known as poliomyelitis, is a devastating disease that terrified children and families before a vaccination was created. Polio is very contagious and incredibly dangerous in young children. Early symptoms of polio include sore throat, upset stomach and fever. In a small percentage of cases, the virus can attack the brain and spinal cord, which can lead to paralysis or even death. In the United States, polio outbreaks frightened families who felt helpless in protecting their children from the disease. The onset of the polio vaccine helped stop the spread of polio and the United States was declared polio free in 1994. Unfortunately, in some countries that do not have access to the vaccine, many children still have to suffer the effects of this disease.
What inference can be made from today’s passage?
a. Polio is not much more serious than a cold.
b. The polio vaccine cannot prevent the disease in all people.
c. Many people who get Polio do recover.
c. Many people who get Polio do recover.
What do you use to connect thoughts and ideas? These can show time, narration. comparison, etc.
Transition words
Judging by their house on the golf course, I could tell the couple was affluent.
What does affluent meant?
a. wealthy
b. educated
c. poor
d. phony.
a. wealthy
95% of adults in American own a cell phone, and some individuals have developed an addiction to them. Cell phone addiction has been linked to an increase in sleep disorders and fatigue in users. Using your cell phone before bed increases the likelihood of insomnia. Cell phones can also lead to relationship problems because loved ones can feel neglected.
What is the main idea of this paragraph?
Many people are addicted to their cell phones and it causes issues.
Cameron had seen the new girl walking around with the school counselor earlier that day and couldn’t help but perceive how angry she looked. Maybe angry wasn’t the right word, but she definitely didn’t look like she was there to make friends. She was in his fourth period class and she refused to get out of her seat when the teacher tried to introduce her. It didn’t take very long for rumors to spread about how mean she was. Cameron wasn’t surprised to see her sitting by herself at lunch. He initially went to sit with his friends, but he couldn’t help but think about how awful it would be to eat by yourself on the first day at a new school, so he went to sit with her. His heart raced as he walked up to her because he didn’t want her to be mean to him. As soon as he sat down beside her, she began talking about how happy she was that she didn’t have to eat lunch alone and how nervous she was earlier in the day.
What is the theme of this passage?
Don't judge people that you don't know.
or
Don't judge a book by its cover.
Eating contests have been around for years. More recently, many competitive eating contests have focused on consuming as many hot dogs in a specific amount of time as possible. There are some annual competitions that receive a lot of media attention. One event has even aired on television. The winners of some hot dog eating competitions have consumed as many as 70 hot dogs in a span of ten minutes. There are a number of strategies that competitors use in order to win. Some people will avoid eating anything in the days leading up to the competition. Another popular strategy is to dunk the food in water, which will help with chewing. Nearly every competitor will shove as much food into their cheeks as they can in the last few moments of the competition, in order to get their numbers up.
What inference can be made about competitive eaters?
a. It is difficult to consume more than ten hot dogs.
b. The strategies people use are generally unhelpful.
c. Successful competitors enjoy some degree of fame.
c. Successful competitors enjoy some degree of fame.
Chances are very good that you’ve watched a video on YouTube®. It is one of the most popular websites in the world and is the default site to go to when someone wants to share a video. YouTube was founded in 2005 by three men who worked for a different web company. The very first video showed one of the founders at the zoo. YouTube grew quickly throughout the following year and was purchased by Google® for $1.65 billion in stock in 2006. Since then, YouTube has continued to grow. Now, many people create their own unique content for YouTube. People can actually become quite famous on YouTube and some can even make a career out of it. The impact that YouTube has had on the world is remarkable considering that it was only established in 2005.
What is the conclusion sentence?
The impact that YouTube has had on the world is remarkable considering that it was only established in 2005.
After the mysterious woman left, I noticed she pilfered my necklace.
What does pilfered mean?
a. stole
b. admired
c. touched
d. borrowed
a. stole
All living organisms on Earth are divided into cells. The main concept of a cell theory is that cells are basic structural units for all organisms. Cells are small compartments that the hold biological equipment necessary to keep an organism alive and successful. Living things may be single-celled or they may be very complex, such as a human being.
What is the main idea of this paragraph?
All living things are made up of cells.
Cali’s mom gave her $50 and a shopping list. Cali had protested against going but relented when her mom told her that she could keep the change. Cali had been saving up for a phone for a few months and wasn’t that far away so the extra money would really help. On the way to the store, she passed by a parking lot where people often sold stuff out of their cars on the weekends. As she was walking by she saw an official looking sign advertising cell phones. The phones were the newest model, so she walked up and asked how much they were. The guy told her that they were usually $200 but because it was the last one and he wanted to go home he would sell it to her for $50. Cali couldn’t believe her luck! These phones were over $400 and she was about to get one for $50. The box was brand new and still sealed, so she happily handed over the money and went home to get more grocery money out of her savings. As she was telling her mom what happened she opened up the box only to find that it was filled with rocks.
What is the theme of this passage?
If something seems to be good to be true, it probably is.
Although popular all over the world, roller coasters had their origins in Russia. As far back as the 1700s, Russians used mountains of ice for sled rides. Later in the United States, a mining company that had created a railway for the transportation of coal began selling rides for thrill-seekers. The idea evolved, and eventually roller coasters on wooden tracks became popular around the country. In 1959, Disneyland debuted the first roller coaster on steel tracks. Wooden roller coasters are still being built today, although the majority of newer roller coasters use steel tracks because they provide smoother and faster rides. The designs of roller coasters have changed dramatically and there seems to be no limit to how high or fast they can go, much to the pleasure of people who enjoy the thrill of riding one.
What inference can be made about roller coasters?
a. Most people prefer wooden roller coasters.
b. Most people prefer steel roller coasters.
c. No one is sure why roller coasters are so popular.
b. Most people prefer steel roller coasters.
One plant that lives in the tundra is an evergreen plant called bearberry. Bearberry is a shrub that can grow up to 8 inches tall. Since the bearberry plant can grow on dry, poor soil, it can live up to 50 years in the tundra. Its strong root system helps it stand up to the harsh winds of the tundra. Also, the bearberry can survive long periods of cold weather. Bears absolutely love to eat the fruit of the bearberry plant, which explains its name. Surprisingly, the bearberry plant is one of some 1,700 plants in the tundra biome.
What transition words are being used in this paragraph?
"Also" and "surprisingly"