Central Idea
Structure & Features
P.I.E.
Meaning & Context
Characters & Plot
100

This phrase refers to the most important point the author is making about a topic.

Central Idea. 

100

These are the titles found at the top of a section that tell you what you are about to read.

Headings

100

This is the reason an author writes a story (to explain, entertain, or persuade).

Authors Purpose.

100

These are the words or sentences around an unknown word that help you figure out its meaning.

Context Clues.

100

This word describes the time and place where a story happens.

Setting.

200

What does it mean when a question says "supports"?

When a question asks how a detail "supports" an idea, it wants to know how the detail proves or backs up an idea.

200

This text feature is a drawing or photo with a small box of text explaining what is happening in it.

Caption.

200

When a question asks what the author "claims," it is asking for the author's _______.

Opinion.

200

A "stems" or "roots" word part that is added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning.

Prefix.

200

To tell how two characters are the same or different.

Compare and Contrast.

300

To give a brief statement of the main points of a text without including your own opinion.

Summarize. 

300

A question might ask how the author "organized" the text; this refers to the text ________.

Structure

300

This word means to show or make something clear using examples or pictures.

Illustrate.

300

This is a word that has the same, or almost the same, meaning as another word.

Synonym.

300

This is the specific "vantage point" from which a story is told (1st person or 3rd person).

Point of View.

400

This word describes a lesson or message about life that the author wants the reader to learn.

Lesson or Theme. 

400

This specific structure explains why something happened and what happened as a result.

Cause and Effect.

400

What does it mean when a question says, "What message is the author trying to convey?"

What message is the authors communicating with us?

400

When the test asks for the "literal" meaning of a word, it wants the ________ definition.

Real.

400

When you use what you know and what the book says to make a "smart or good guess."

Inference.

500

What does it mean when a question says "connected" or "related"?

Similar.
500

What does it mean when a question says, "adds to" or "helps the reader understand"?

If a test asks how a text feature "contributes" to the text, it wants to know how it ________.

500

If the test asks how an author "persuades" the reader, it means they are trying to do this.

Convince.

500

To "interpret" a phrase or word means you are trying to find the _____ of the word. 

Meaning.

500

This word refers to the qualities or personality of a person in a story.

Character Traits.