Figurative Language
Subject Verb Agreement
Domain Terms
Finding the Central Idea
Various Standards
100
Words that describe sounds
Examples: buzz, ding-dong, woof
What is onomatopoiea?
100
Mickey Mouse __________ funny comments during his cartoons.
a. make
b. makes
c. making
What is makes?
100
The central message the author intends to convey to the reader
What is theme?
100
It is often said that lightning never strikes twice in the same place, but this isn’t true. Go ask the forest rangers. Rangers who spend their summers as fire-fighters will tell you that every thundershower brings several bolts of lightning to their lookout stations.
What is the central idea of the passage?
a. Rangers can tell you where lightening strikes.
b. Thundershowers cause lightening.
c. Lightening can strike the same place twice.
What is "lightening can strike the same place twice?
100
Excerpt from Building Green
Elizabeth Kibler
Currently, most of the world’s energy comes from burning fossil fuels. These fuels are dirty and when they are burned they pollute the air and water.
According to the passage, the word pollute means
A. to use.
B. to dirty.
C. to renew.
D to reduce.
What is b (to dirty)?
200
An exaggerated statement
Example: When Josh said Stacy was cute, she got the big head.
What is hyperbole?
200
There _____ five pencils on the floor.
a. is
b. are
What is are?
200
The point of view in which the narrator participates in a story's events
What is first person point of view?
200
The attitudes of Americans toward gambling are amazingly contradictory. You may find, for example, that horse racing is legal in your state, but that you cannot legally play poker for money on your front porch; bookies may be prosecuted by state law, but they are supposed to purchase a federal license nonetheless; one church condemns gambling, while another raises money by sponsoring Bingo games. Gambling laws are inconsistent from state to state or even from town to town and are very difficult to enforce.
What is the central idea of this passage?
a. Americans have negative attitudes toward gambling.
b. Gambling laws are difficult to enforce
c. Gambling laws are inconsistent from community to community. b
d. Churches do not have uniform ideas about gambling.
What is (Gambling laws are difficult to enforce.)?
200
Excerpt from A Screamingly Good Science Lesson
Elizabeth Kibler
(3) Without warning, the energy-loaded cart begins to descend the first hill. As the cart careens down the hill, it has kinetic energy.
A synonym for the word careens in paragraph 3 is
A. drifts.
B. creeps.
C. speeds.
D. splashes.
What is c (speeds)?
300
Giving nonhuman objects human characteristics
Example: The flowers danced in the golden sun.
What is personification?
300
Louise and Rita ____ going to Disneyland.
a. is
b. are
What is are?
300
A typical character that represents universal patterns of human nature
Examples: the hero, the lover, the villain
What is archetype?
300
The Louisiana Purchase proved to be one of the shrewdest business pacts in the entire history of the United States. The purchase doubled in the area of the country and provided territory from which fourteen new states were created either wholly or in part. It also gave us control over the mouth of the Mississippi River and opened up the way to foreign trade. Prior to the purchase, the waterway had been blocked by the Spanish, probably with the approval of Napoleon. The land that was bought was rich in timber, minerals, and natural resources of many kinds. Finally, the cost of the transaction was unbelievably low; the total of $15 million amounted to about four cents an acre.
What is the central idea of the passage?
a. The land bought by the Louisiana Purchase was very cheap.
b. The Louisiana Purchase was a very good business deal for the U.S.
c. The land bought by the Louisiana Purchase was rich in minerals.
d. Most Americans were very pleased with the purchase.
What is b (The Louisiana Purchase was a very good business deal for the U.S.)?
300
Excerpt from Home Emergencies
Carole Jenkins
(1)Many people have never thought about what they would do when faced with a home emergency, such as a tornado, a hurricane, or a fire. (2)People get scared and don't act right. (3)Being prepared in case of emergencies can reduce the risk of danger and prevent panic should emergencies occur.
The passage suggests that being prepared in case of an emergency is important because
A. it is a law that all families have an emergency plan..
B. forest fires can become dangerous in a matter of seconds.
C. many people do not own a battery operated radio in their home.
D. it prevents chaos and risk of injury in the event of an emergency.
What is d (it prevents chaos and risk of injury in the event of an emergency)?
400
Consecutive words that begin with the same consonant sound.
I held my head high as we headed home.
What is alliteration?
400
Steve, in addition to Mike, ______ all the locks in the building every night.
a. check
b. checks
What is checks?
(Remember to read the sentence without the phrase to determine the correct verb form to agree with the subject!)
400
The author's use of words that appeal to the five senses
What are sensory details?
400
The fact that electronic computers are now used for data processing has led the general public to believe that it is a mysterious, complicated science and that the computers are giant brains. Both of these ideas are false. A computer is basically just a high-speed adding machine that performs the functions it is told to. If the input data are varied even a little, the computer is unable to operate until it is programmed to accept the variations. The business operations it performs are impressive only because of the extremely high speed of manipulation, but most of these operations have been used for decades. Unlike man, the computer performs repetitive calculations without getting tired or bored.
a. A computer is a high-speed adding machine.
b. A computer is a mysterious giant brain.
c. A computer is impressive because of its high speed.
d. A computer is superior to man in many ways.
What is a (a computer is a high speed adding machine)?
400
Excerpt from Frost’s Laws and Bylaws of American Society (#2)
Sarah Annie Frost
5) The gentleman of the house offers his arm to the lady most honored amongst the guests, the gentleman most distinguished offers his arm to the lady of the house.
The gentleman of the house offers his arm to whom?
A. the lady of the house
B. the eldest female at the party
C. the eldest daughter of the house
D. the most distinguished female guest
What is d (the most distinguished female guest)?
500
A pair of word that contradict themselves.
Example: Even though I was upset, I tried to act natural.
What is oxymoron?
500
Neither Sheila nor Tanya _______ seafood.
a. eat
b. eats
What is eats?
500
A character that does not change as the result of the events in a story.
What is static character?
500
People often refer to taxes in terms of their being much too high. In reality, they are probably even higher than you think, because in addition to the federal income tax we are now studying, there are many other Federal, State, and local taxes, including sales taxes, inheritance taxes, state income taxes, personal property taxes, real estate taxes, and others. These are just some of the most obvious ones.
a. Taxes are much too high.
b. We pay more taxes than we may realize.
c. Inheritance taxes and real estate taxes are unfair.
d. Some taxes are hidden.
What is b (we pay more taxes than we realize)?
500
Excerpt from Mother Nature’s Fury
Tracy Wilson
While I cannot remember the actual impact, pictures from the aftermath tell the story word for word. The tin can that once was a car was belly up in the top of a 100-foot maple. We hung there for hours oblivious to the disaster around us. When rescuers could finally get to us, power lines made it too dangerous to touch the metal car. I awoke first 32 days after my ride in the sky and remembered much of the ordeal. My sister, however, after lying in a coma for nearly three months, has no recollection of any detail from her life before the accident. Lack of oxygen erased her past. My physical wounds have long since healed, but I spend many hours below ground. The slightest hint of thunder or an awkward colored sunset sends me racing to my life below to hide from her.
Which word describes the author's emotions since the storm?
A. fearful C. hateful
B. grateful D. joyful
What is a (fearful)?