Main Idea/Summary
The central, or most important, idea in a paragraph or passage.
What is Main Idea.
The reason or intention behind an author's writing.
What is the Author's Purpose
Hints that authors provide to help readers understand the meaning of unfamiliar words.
What is Context Clues.
What is a type of descriptive language used to convey meaning in a way that differs from its literal meaning.
What is Figurative Language.
A conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning.
What is an Inference
What is the main idea of Sinners?
What is humans are inherently sinful and constantly at risk of damnation, but God is the only thing keeping you from that damnation.
What are the different types of purposes for writing?
What is Persuasive, Inform, and Entertain.
His emaciation, that is, his skeleton-like appearance, was frightening to see.
Using context clues what does emaciation mean?
What is abnormally thin or weak.
A comparison using like or as.
Davon is as quiet as a mouse.
What is Simile.
Turner almost wished that he hadn’t listened to the radio. He went to the closet and grabbed his umbrella. He would feel silly carrying it to the bus stop on such a sunny morning. What probably happened?
A. Turner realized that he had an unnatural fear of falling radio parts.
B. Turner had promised himself to do something silly that morning.
C. Turner had heard a weather forecast that predicted rain.
D. Turner planned to trade his umbrella for a bus ride.
What is C.
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
The word is terracide. It is not committed with guns and knives, but with relentless bulldozers, roaring dump trucks, and giant shovels like mythological beasts. Dynamite cuts and rips apart mountains to reach the minerals inside, leaving nothing but empty, naked hills. The land is left wasted and allowed to slide down upon houses and into streams, making the land unlivable and the stream water undrinkable. This is terracide, or if you prefer, strip mining.
1. The author’s purpose is to
a. inform you about the purposes of strip mining.
b. describe a strip mining operation.
c. persuade you that strip mining is bad for the environment.
d. define terracide.
What is C
Piscatorial creatures, such as flounder, salmon, and trout, live in the coldest parts of the ocean.
Using context clues, what does piscatorial mean?
What is Fish
An extreme exaggeration.
We have told you 20,000 times what you are supposed to do.
What is Hyperbole.
A man ran after a retreating bus, waving his briefcase frantically.
Make an inference.
What is... Teacher discretion
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
To make a delicious New England pie, proceed as follows: take some water and flour; then construct a bullet-proof dough. Make this into a disk-shaped object. Dry it for a couple of days in a mild temperature. Pour on stewed dried apples and slabs of citron; leave it in a safe place until it petrifies. Serve cold at breakfast and invite your mother-in-law.
3. The author’s purpose is to
a. tell the steps in making a pie.
b. make fun of (satirize) New England cooking.
c. persuade the reader to buy New England pie.
d. describe New England pie.
What is A.
The lugubrious wails of the gypsies matched the dreary whistling of the wind in the all-but-deserted cemetery.
What does Lugubrious mean and what words helped you come to that conclusion.
What is Sorrowful. What is "wails," "dreary"
What is the deeper meaning of the following Symbols?
Black, Water, and Deer
What is Evil, Rebirth, and Innocence.
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.
Make an inference.
What is... teacher discretion
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.
a. The Louisiana Purchase was a very good business deal for the U.S.
b. The land bought by the Louisiana Purchase was rich in minerals.
c. The land bought by the Louisiana Purchase was very cheap.
d. Most Americans were very pleased with the purchase.
What is A
Our criminal justice system today is a disgrace. Modern day criminals have more rights than an honest citizen ever imagined were written into our U.S. Constitution. Murderers and rapists are typically set free on legal technicalities and seldom face any jail time. While that scum is back to work finding new victims, the pleas of those they have killed, maimed, or violated go unheard. Until we begin giving some real consideration to people who obey the law, instead of those who break it, things are going to continue getting worse.
8. The author’s purpose is to
a. describe the actions of the criminals.
b. compare criminals with honest citizens.
c. inform the reader about the extent of crime in America.
d. criticize our criminal justice system.
What is D.
Such are the vicissitudes of history. Nothing remains the same. Three hundred years of peace ended in darkness and confusion.
a. evils
b. mistakes
c. changes
d. rules
What is C.
The trees danced in the wind.
What is personification.
Provide one piece of Imagery that is present in the paragraph.
The cloudy night cast scant amounts of moonlight down upon the ominous expanse of the shadow-infested backyard. The blackness mocked me with the prospective ghoulish figures it could be cloaking within its dark embrace (personification). I released the air I’d been holding captive in my lungs in one long, shaky laugh. “Listen to yourself!” I scolded aloud at a volume louder than was strictly necessary, “You sound completely irrational! Seeing ghosts and demons around every corner. You’re acting like a crazy person. Now stop talking to yourself before you wake up Lexi.” Obediently, I ceased my nervous chatter and anxiously peered out the window once more.
What is... Teacher approval of response.