Make! That! Inference!
“Larry, as your boss, I must say it’s been very interesting working with you,” Miss Valdez said. “However, it seems that our company’s needs and your performance style are not well matched. Therefore, it makes me very sad to have to ask you to resign your position effective today.”
What is Miss Valdez telling Larry?
He's being fired.
What is the answer - and justification - for question 2?
A, D!
Pay attention to the CONNOTATION of the target sentence and of the answer choices. That will absolutely help you when we are paying attention to adjectives.
What is the answer - and justification - for question 10?
D, E!
A simile is a comparison using like or as. Example: the stars sparkle like diamonds in the sky.
What bird is commonly used as a symbol for hope and peace?
The dove!
No, Honey, I don’t want you to spend a lot of money on my birthday present. Just having you for a husband is the only gift I need. In fact, I’ll just drive my old rusty bucket of bolts down to the mall and buy myself a little present. And if the poor old car doesn't break down, I’ll be back soon.
What is the message?
The narrator wants a new car for their birthday.
What is the answer - and justification - for question 3?
D! It is the only replacement that makes sense in the target sentence.
What is the answer - and justification - for question 12?
C! Make sure you are paying attention to the connotation of the target sentence!
What is a metaphor? And give me one example.
A comparison that does NOT use like or as. Example: the stars were diamonds in the sky.
What is a group of owls called?
A parliament!
A!
What is the answer - and justification - for part 4?
D, B! Take a look at that paragraph and see which quote has PROXIMITY, CONNOTATION, and RELEVANCE.
What is the answer - and justification - for question 15?
D, E! Once again, make sure you are paying attention to the connotation of different words!
What is personification? And give me one example.
When something non-human is given human characteristics. Example: the flowers dance in the breeze.
How long can the Great Albatross fly without resting?
This sea bird can fly for up to 10,000 miles without stopping to rest. These nomadic birds spend their first few years of life at sea!
A!
These kinds of questions make you break down a sentence and ENSURE that you are properly comprehending. The way you are looking at this sentence should be how you are looking at every question you answer.
What is the answer - and justification - for question 8?
C, C!
Make sure you are looking at how the word is used in a sentence. "Board" and "bored" sound alike - make sure you aren't mixing them up!
B!
What is hyperbole? And give me one example.
When something is emphasized dramatically. Example: I'm so hungry I could eat a whole cow. This class is so long I might die.
What were canaries used for in the coal mining industry?
Canaries like to sing and were used to test if the air in a mine shaft was safe to breathe. They would be sent down to the bottom of the shaft and if they continued singing it was considered safe. If they stopped singing the miners know there was carbon monoxide in the air!
This is where the idiom "sing like a canary" comes from.
Illegible handwriting does not indicate weakness of character, as even a quick glance at the penmanship of George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, or John Kennedy reveals.
C!
What is the answer - and justification - for question 5?
C!
Make sure you are practicing your ability to go into the passage and look for these target words. They will NOT be bolded or underlined on the test and I want to make sure you aren't wasting time looking for a context clue for a target word.
What is the answer - and justification - for question 17?
B! pay attention to the tone of the quotation - it is extremely sarcastic. That's how I know the connotation is negative and that this is the correct answer choice.
What is alliteration? And give me one example.
For a bonus point, what is assonance?
Alliteration is when the first letter of a word is repeated in adjacent words. Example: Sally sells sea shells.
Assonance is when vowel sounds are repeated in close succession. Example: his tender heir might bear his memory.
What bird did humans domesticate and use as a mail service and then discard so they can suffer a life of domestication without ownership on the streets? What bird did human beings neglect to the point of mass suffering?
THE PIGEON.