Understanding Texts
“Fear spread through Salem like wildfire.” What type of figurative language is used?
What is a simile?
In the rhyme scheme AABB, how many different end sounds appear in the first four lines of a poem?
What is 2?
A character who opposes the main character
What is an antagonist?
A statement that asserts something is true, tells what you believe, and must be debatable rather than a fact.
What is a claim?
In the sentence “These are my favorite books,” identify the demonstrative pronoun.
What is These?
The words “home” and “house” have similar meanings, but “home” feels warmer and more emotional. What type of language difference is this?
What is connotative meaning (or connotation)?
You want to write a line of poetry that describes a snake moving through grass. Which sound device would be most effective to use, and why?
What is consonance or alliteration? (Accept either answer if the student explains that repeating the "s" sound would imitate the hissing sound of a snake.)
The use of specific, exact words to make writing clear and easy to understand, which helps readers form specific pictures in their minds.
What is imagery?
It acknowledges the opposing viewpoint, makes your argument stronger, shows you understand multiple perspectives.
Identify whether this sentence is active or passive voice: “The scientist conducted the experiment.”
What is active voice?
The Salem Witch Trials happened during a time of strict religious beliefs and fear. What type of background information is this?
What is historical context?
What is a stanza in a poem similar to in prose writing?
What is a paragraph?
The narrator is not a character in the story but can only describe the experiences and thoughts of one character.
What is third person limited point of view?
Facts, statistics, expert testimony, or data that directly supports your claim and helps prove that your argument is true or reasonable.
What is evidence?
Change this sentence to passive voice: “The class read the novel.”
What is The novel was ready by the class.
Read this sentence: “Fear crawled through the town, wrapping around every home.” Identify the figurative language AND explain how it affects the mood.
“What is personification, and it creates a tense or fearful mood by making fear seem alive and powerful?”
Read this poem: "Softly, slowly, snow falls down / Blanketing the sleeping town / Crystals catch the morning light / Transforming darkness into white." Identify two poetic techniques used in this poem and explain how each one helps create the poem's meaning.
What is any two of the following: (1) Alliteration with "s" sounds creates a soft, gentle feeling; (2) AABB rhyme scheme creates a smooth, flowing rhythm; (3) Visual imagery with words like "crystals" and "light" helps readers picture the snow; (4) Personification with "sleeping town" gives human qualities to the town?
Language that uses words in ways other than their literal meanings to make comparisons, add emphasis, or say something in a fresh, creative way.
What is figurative language?
A writer could use all three of these to persuade an audience by establishing credibility through expertise, connecting emotionally to the reader's feelings, and supporting their position with logical facts and reasoning.
What are ethos, pathos, & logos?
Identify the dangling modifier in this sentence: “Running down the hallway, the backpack fell off Maya’s shoulder.”
“What is ‘Running down the hallway’ is dangling because the backpack is not running?”
A Salem Witch Trials text explains the events of the trials but also warns readers about the dangers of fear and false accusations. Analyze TWO purposes the author may have for writing this text.
“What are to inform readers about history and to reveal a theme/message about fear and injustice?”
Write a line of poetry that uses both visual imagery and a simile to describe a sunset. What techniques did you use?
What is a line that includes sensory words describing colors/light AND a comparison using "like" or "as"? (Example: "The sunset was like a painting of orange and red across the sky.")
The conversation between characters that can reveal information, create conflict, show personality, and bring characters together.
What is dialogue?
If a student wrote "We need better lunch options, and better schedules," they would be using this rhetorical device, and it would make their argument more memorable and persuasive because it emphasizes the pattern of their demands.
What is repetition?
Revise this sentence to fix the dangling modifier: “After studying all night, the test was easy.”
What is ‘After studying all night, Marcus thought the test was easy’? (The student's answer must include an added subject).