Declaration of Independence Vocab
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
What does the word endowed mean, as it is used in the first paragraph?
A) encouraged
B) provided
C) taken
D) denied
B) Provided
You would infer the meaning, knowing that being "created equal" means everyone is given, or provided certain rights.
It is a marvel that the Egyptian pyramids were built thousands of years ago, and many remain standing today. You can tell which pyramids are the most ancient, or the oldest, because they are shaped like stairs or steps. Later pyramids were built with sides that were sloped, not flat.
What does the word sloped mean?
A. Sloppy
B. Flat
C. Slanted
D. Level
C. Slanted
The context clues give an antonym for sloped, because it says "not flat." So, the word "sloped," would mean the opposite of flat. The closest answer to that is slanted!
The Ancient Egypt civilization began around 3000 BCE, or 3,000 years before common era. The civilization began when Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt were united as a single region.
What does BCE mean, based off of the context clues?
BCE means "before common era." The context clues give the definition!
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
What does the word unalienable mean, as it is used in paragraph 1?
A) unfair
B) aliens
C) non-negotiable
D) unbelievable
C) non-negotiable
Using background information that you know about the Constitution, you can infer that unalienable means non-negotiable, or unable to be taken away.
In ancient Egypt, the pharaohs, or kings and queens, ruled the land. Ancient Egyptians believed in many different gods and goddesses, and the pharaohs were considered a “living god.” Although there were a few women who were pharaohs, most of them were men.
What is a pharaoh, as it is used in the paragraph above?
The context clues around the word give synonyms, or words that mean the same thing.
A pharaoh is something similar to a king or queen!
The people of ancient Egypt believed that the pharaoh owned everything in Egypt. Every home, treasure, piece of food, and even every person belonged to the pharaoh. In return, the pharaoh was responsible for protecting the ancient Egyptians. When making decisions, the pharaoh had to consider what was in all Egyptians’ best interests, meaning what was most beneficial to all.
What does the phrase "best interests" mean?
The phrase best interests means what was most beneficial to all. The context clues give a synonym.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
As it is used in the first paragraph, what does the word pursuit mean?
A) Search
B) Feeling
C) Question
D) Decision
A) Search
The text includes information that you can use to infer the meaning of the word.
Egypt is a country located in northeast Africa. The ancient Egyptian civilization, which was an individual society with its own government, was considered one of the most powerful empires for over 3,000 years.
What does the word civilization mean, as it is used in the paragraph above?
The context clues around the word give the definition.
A civilization is an "individual society with its own government."
Ancient Egyptians are also well known for creating an intricate irrigation system, which is a system that brings water to crops when there is not enough rain for the crops to grow naturally.
What is an irrigation system?
An irrigation system is "a system that brings water to crops when there is not enough rain for the crops to grow naturally."
The context clues give the definition.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
Based on its use in the paragraph above, what is the best synonym for the word consent.
A) Rules
B) Permission
C) Contest
D) Allowance
B) Permission
Using what you already know about the Constitution of the United States, as well as the clues around the word, you can infer that the meaning of this word is permission.
The Nile River was beneficial to many aspects of Egyptian life, such as farming, transportation, and fishing.
What is the word that best shows the meaning of the word aspects?
A) Speck
B) Characters
C) Examples
D) Areas
D. Areas
The word aspects most closely means areas. The context clues around the word give an example of the "aspects" of life that the Nile River was helpful to.
In ancient Egypt, pyramids were built as a sort of monument, or memorial, when a pharaoh died. A pharaoh would be placed in the tomb with all of his or her most prized possessions. A tomb is a large room or chamber, usually located underground. Unfortunately, many grave robbers came years later and broke in to steal these treasures.
The word "monument" means memorial. What context clue helps you to know that? Use the acronym IDEAS (inference, definition, example, antonym, synonym) to help you find your answer.
Synonym
On July 4th, 1776, the unanimous Declaration of Independence was signed, meaning that all 13 states were in agreement for this declaration of freedom.
Based on the way it is used in the paragraph above, what does the word unanimous mean? (You must come up with your own synonym! This is not a multiple choice question!)
Answer should include something close to:
United, undivided, everyone agreed, undisputed, "all 13 states agreed," etc.
The context clues around the word give the definition.
Located in northeast Africa, the Nile River is the longest river in the world – it is over 4,000 miles long! It flows through Sudan and Egypt and into the Mediterranean Sea to the north of Africa. In Sudan, the Nile River splits into tributaries, which are smaller rivers that merge, or combine, into a larger river. The Nile’s tributaries are called the White Nile and the Blue Nile.
ANSWER BOTH PARTS OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTION.
What does the word tributaries mean, and what context clue supports your answer?
A tributary is a smaller river that merges, or combines, into a larger river.
The context clues give the definition of the word.
Our understanding of hieroglyphics is fairly recent, meaning it developed not that long ago. For a long time, archaeologists knew that the beautiful images had meaning but they had no way to understand what that meaning was.
What is the meaning of the words hieroglyphics AND recent? Explain how you know.
Hieroglyphics are ancient images. You can infer the meaning of this word.
Recent means "not long ago." The definition is provided.