CONTEXT CLUES
The original Pilgrims called themselves the “Saints” and referred to others who joined with them for the voyage as the “Strangers.” In this context, “original” means _______.
a. one of a kind
b. first
c. humorous
c. musical
b.first
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.
Which 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.
c. Turner had heard a weather forecast that predicted rain.
The dodo bird used to roam in large flocks across America. Interestingly, the dodo wasn’t startled by gun shot. Because of this, frontiersmen would kill entire flocks in one sitting. Unable to sustain these attacks, the dodo was hunted to extinction.
Cause and effect
Clue word: because of this
Like burnt-out torches by a sick man's bed
Which technique is being used?
simile
Katie Clean invited Messy Missy to her house to work on their biology project, but Katie Clean 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, and Messy Missy is a sloppy eater, 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 explaining her situation, the teacher allowed Katie to work alone. Messy Missy would have finished the assignment by herself, but she spilled grape soda all over her assignment.
Theme: Respect other peoples'property / Choose your partners carefully
2. Speaking rudely to the judges was rash behavior. You really hurt your chances of winning! In the above context, what does “rash” mean?
a. an itchy skin condition
b. funny
c. trying to hide or disguise a piece of cheese
d. with little thought or consideration
d. With little thought or consideration
“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 was Miss Valdez telling Larry?
a. She would feel really bad if he decided to quit.
b. He was being fired.
c. He was getting a raise in pay.
d. She really enjoyed having him in the office.
b. He was being fired
Jack and Jill ran up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after.
Chronological order
When the stars threw down their spears, / And water'd heaven with their tears, Which technique is being used?
personification
Mr. Pig and Mr. Dog were hanging out 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 and 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, “but I paid for this pizza and it’s all mine.” Mr. Dog sighed and waited for Mr. Pig to finish, and 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 since he was weighed down by such a large meal, Mr. Pig collapsed and the hunter killed him. Mr. Dog easily escaped. Later that night while returning to the scene, Mr. Dog caught the scent of something delicious and began digging around a trash can. He found a large ham bone with lots of meat and marrow still stuck to the bone. Mr. Dog happily ate.
It is better to share / do not be greedy
Some people are always bashing the president just like others bashed the one before him. Wouldn't you think that everyone could find something to praise him for, at least once in a while? What does “bashing” mean in the above selection?
a. hitting hard with a heavy tool
b. going to too many expensive parties
c. speaking or writing harshly about
d. voting for a different candidate
c. speaking or writing harshly about
Bill and Jessica were almost done taking turns choosing the players for their teams. It was Jessica’s turn to choose, and only Kurt was left. Jessica said, “Kurt.”
We can infer that ________
a. Kurt is not a very good player.
b. Jessica was pleased to have Kurt on her team.
c. Kurt was the best player on either team.
d. Jessica was inconsiderate of Kurt’s feelings.
a. Kurt is not a very good player.
Linux and Windows are both operating systems. Computers use them to run programs. Linux is totally free and open source, so users can improve or otherwise modify the source code. Windows is proprietary, so it costs money to use and users are prohibited from altering the source code.
compare and contrast
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor, Which technique is being used?
metaphor
In his sophomore year of high school, Michael Jordan tried out for the varsity basketball team at Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. But at five feet and eleven inches tall, the coach believed that Jordan was too short to play at that level, so Jordan was cut 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. When he finally made the varsity squad, Jordan averaged 25 points a game and went on to become one of the greatest basketball players in history.
never give up/ persistence pays off
Wherever he goes, the esteemed Dr. Sanchez is applauded for his life saving research. What does “esteemed” mean?
a. held over boiling water
b. very old
c. unable to chew gum
d. greatly admired
d. greatly admired
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?
a. I don’t want a gift.
b. Buy me a new car.
c. The mall is fun.
d. I’ll carry a bucket for you.
b. buy me a new car
Thousand of people die each year in car accidents involving drugs or alcohol. Lives could be saved if our town adopts a free public taxi service. By providing such a service, we could prevent intoxicated drivers from endangering themselves or others.
Problem solution
The leaves are little yellow fish / swimming in the river. Which technique is being used?
metaphor
Before you put on that skeleton costume and rove door-to-door pandering for candy, take a minute to reflect on this tradition. Halloween is believed to have come from an ancient Celtic festival dating back some 2,000 years. November 1st was the Celtic New Year and marked the end of summer to the Celts. They celebrated on its eve by wearing costumes made of animal skins and dancing around bon fires. Over the next two millennia, this primitive celebration grew to be the candy fueled costume ball that we know today.
This paragraph talks about the origins of Halloween
No matter where you go, the Internet is following you. Almost every portable device is being made with an Internet connection. Most new TVs and many other appliances come with Internet connections as well. The Internet is truly ubiquitous.
If something is ubiquitous, __________.
a. it is fuzzy and will bite you
b. it is everywhere
c. it costs too much money
d. it causes rashes
c. it is everywhere
Mahlia read a story about a man landing on a planet with aliens, and remembered that she had read an article in a magazine about space earlier in the week. What kind of connection is Mahlia making?
3.text to text
When you walk into my bedroom there is a window facing you. To the right of that is a dresser and television and on the other side of the window is my bed.
Descriptive
I do not care to talk to you although / Your speech evokes a thousand sympathies, Which technique is being used?
Hyperbole/ exaggeration
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?
This paragraph describes the barter system and some of their shortcomings