Vocabulary Words
Inference
Main or Central Idea
Theme
Context Clues
100

To produce or make something

What is generate?

100

John left his house this morning with a suitcase. I can infer that John is doing what?

John is going somewhere.

100

What is the central idea?

Being a clown isn't all fun and games. Rodeo clowns expose themselves to great danger every time they perform. When cowboys dismount or bulls buck them off, rodeo clowns jump in front of the bulls and motion wildly to get their attention. In this way rodeo clowns provide an alternate target, and in doing so protect the rider. Of course, this is a very dangerous thing to do. So you see, sometimes clowning around can be serious business.

What is rodeo clowns?

100

When Katie Clean invited Messy Missy to her house to work on their biology project, she had no idea what a visit from Messy Missy entailed. First of all, it was raining and Messy Missy neither bothered to take her boots off nor thoroughly wiped them on the doormat. Then Messy Missy ate a bag of hot chips on Katie Clean’s white bedspread without asking. Messy Missy is a sloppy eater too, so hot chip powder got all over the bedspread. Katie Clean tried to be polite and ignore Messy Missy’s sloppy behavior. But then Messy Missy threw her chip wrapper on the floor. Offended, Katie Clean pretended that she was sick and asked Messy Missy to leave. The next day Katie Clean asked the teacher if she could work by herself. After Katie explained the situation, the teacher allowed Katie to work alone. Messy Missy almost finished the assignment alone, but she spilled grape soda all over it and quit.

What is "Make sure your space/work is clean."

100

Unlike her older brother Jerome, who stayed out all hours of the night, Kate obediently followed the curfew her parents set.

What is does what she is supposed to do all the time?

200

When you inspect something closer

What is analyze?

200

Paul was dragging his feet and looked like he was dragging at five o'clock. What can we infer about Paul?

Paul is tired after a long day of work.

200

Sometime in December of 1891, Dr. James Naismith was teaching gym at the YMCA College in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was raining, and Dr. Naismith was trying to keep his students active. He wanted them playing a vigorous game that would keep them moving. He rejected a few ideas that were too rough. Then Naismith had his breakthrough. He wrote out the rules for a game with peach baskets fixed to ten-foot elevated tracks. Naismith's students played against one another, passing the ball around and shooting it into the peach baskets. Dribbling wasn't a part of the original game. Also it took a while to realize that the game would run more smoothly if the bottoms of the baskets were removed. But this game grew to be one of the most popular sports in America today. Can you guess which one?

What is the invention of basketball?

200

Tammy and Sammy were both students in Mr. Morton’s reading class. Mr. Morton wasn’t too strict about deadlines, and Sammy took advantage of that. Sammy did all his homework in his other classes. But he never bothered to complete Mr. Morton’s reading assignments. He figured that he could complete them later. Tammy, on the other hand, completed each assignment Mr. Morton had assigned every night. She had to stay up a little later, but she knew that reading was the most important subject. She knew that if she learned to read well, then she could teach herself anything. So she always worked hard in her reading class. When the end of the quarter came, Tammy and Sammy had both planned on going to the Magic Castle amusement park. They were both so excited. But then Mr. Morton called Sammy’s mother to report Sammy's grade. She grounded Sammy and that weekend was horrible for him. He stayed up until 2:00 AM each night, yet he still couldn’t complete all the assignments. Meanwhile, Tammy had a great time eating pizza at Enchanted Castle. After that she stayed up late and watched movies. She enjoyed her weekend free of stress and pressure. At the end of the quarter, Sammy was lucky to squeak by with a C minus. Tammy earned an A. Yet, Sammy still hasn’t learned his lesson. He may not complete this activity either.

What is "To do your work on time so you can play."

200

After the bird escaped, Chris tried to coax it back into the cage with treats.

What is persuade?

300

To express the meaning of (the writer or speaker or something written or spoken) using different words, especially to achieve greater clarity.

What is paraphrase?

300

Amy was tapping her foot, looking at her watch, rolling her eyes and looking down the street. What can we infer about Amy?

Amy is waiting on someone and they are late.

300

What's that humming sound? Could it be the hummingbird, the only bird capable of backward flight? Hummingbirds have many unique flight habits that distinguish them from other birds. Most birds flap their wings up and down to fly, but the hummingbird moves its wings forward and backward very rapidly in a figure eight pattern. This allows the hummingbird to hover in position. They can also fly upside down and move about very rapidly. Other birds have to push off with their feet to begin flying and work their ways up to their top speeds. The hummingbird can both start flying at maximum speed and stop flying instantaneously. Once you've seen a hummingbird in flight, it's unlikely that you'll mistake them for another bird.

What is a hummingbird?

300

Mr. Pig and Mr. Dog relaxing at the food court of the animal shopping mall. Mr. Pig was eating a huge feast of pizza and drinking a large jug of fruit punch. Mr. Dog was watching him eat. "Hey, Mr. Pig. If you give me a slice of your pizza, I'll let you have the next bone I find." Mr. Pig declined, even though it hurt his stomach to eat the last three slices of pizza. "I'm sorry, Mr. Dog," Mr. Pig said between grunts, "but I paid for this pizza and it's all mine." Mr. Dog sighed and waited for Mr. Pig to finish. Then they left the animal mall together. On the way out, a hunter spotted them and gave chase. Mr. Pig normally could have escaped the hunter, but he was weighed down by the large meal. Mr. Pig collapsed and the hunter seized him. Mr. Dog easily escaped. Later that night, Mr. Dog returned to the scene. He caught the scent of something delicious and began digging around a trashcan. He found a large ham bone with lots of meat and marrow still stuck to it. Mr. Dog happily ate.

What is "It isn't good to be greedy" or "Always share"?

300

Mr. Pumplehead was a homely man, but what he lacked in looks was compensated by his winning personality.

What is ugly or unaatractive?

400

Determine the amount of something

What is calculate?

400

Susie wrote Peter's name all over her notebook and his picture was her wallpaper on her phone. Anytime Peter came around, Susie couldn't talk. What can we infer about how Susie feels about Peter?

Susie has a crush on Peter

400

You might think that all automobile fuels are the same, but they aren't. Automobiles can run on one of three types of fuel: gasoline, diesel, and biodiesel. All these fuels are burned inside of the engine, which creates the heat and energy that is used to power the car. But there are important differences between these fuels. Gasoline and diesel are more common than biodiesel. But each burns differently. Diesel fuel is heavier and less flammable than gasoline, so it has to be compressed before it will burn. Gasoline may be lighter than diesel, but both fuels are made from crude oil. On the other hand, biodiesel fuel is made from vegetables. Both biodiesel and diesel fuels must be burned in diesel engines, which only use diesel fuel. If gasoline is pumped into a diesel engine, it will have to be pumped out. These fuels may look pretty similar at the gas station, but remember that there are important differences between them or it may cost you.

What is the various kinds of fuels?

400

In his sophomore year of high school, basketball legend Michael Jordan tried out for the varsity basketball team. But at five feet and eleven inches tall, the coach believed that Jordan was too short to play. The coach cut Jordan from the team. Jordan didn’t let this obstacle defeat him. In fact, it pushed him to work even harder. He trained vigorously and grew another four inches the following summer. The next year, Jordan made the varsity squad. He averaged 25 points a game and went on to become one of the greatest basketball players in history.

What is "Never take no for an answer." or "Work hard to get what you want"?

400

"These test scores are horrid! You students should be ashamed of yourselves," is what our teacher might have said if we hadn't done so well on the test.

What is bad?

500

Have an idea for

What is conceptualize?

500

Michael and Larry were looking at each other scowling. They were shouting and cussing at each other. Ben stood between them but he kept looking around because he didn't know what would happen next. What can we infer about Michael and Larry?

Michael and Larry were mad at each other and they were about to fight.

500

It's hard to imagine what things were like before there was money, but such a time did exist. During these times people exchanged goods using the barter system. The word barter means to trade. People using the barter system traded things instead of buying and selling them. So if you were a rice farmer, you would trade your rice with many people to get all the things that you wanted or needed. Unfortunately, the people from whom you needed things might not want your rice. Isn't it nice to just go to the store and buy candy instead of having to trade rice for it?

What is batering/trading?

500

Barry liked playing board games, but he hated losing. He hated losing so much that he would do whatever it took to win, even bending or breaking the rules. He'd steal money from the bank and hide it under the couch cushions. He'd skip spaces while he was moving around the board. He'd shortchange others money that they were owed and argue with them about it. Barry's techniques were effective. He did win most of the games that he played, but the people whom he played with were his friends and family, and it didn't take too long until they caught on to Barry's tricks. They tried to tell Barry to stop cheating. They said that the game wasn't any fun when he cheated, but he didn't listen. He continued with his treacherous style of gameplay, until nobody would play with him anymore. Barry may have won a lot of games, but at what cost?

What is "No one wants to play with a cheater."?

500

The principal came into the study hall and began yelling, "You students better quiet all of that clamor and shut your mouths. Don't you know that people are trying to sleep in here?"

What is talking or making noise?