Citing Evidence & Inferences
This term refers to a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning rather than a direct statement in the text.
What is an inference?
Unlike a topic, which is a word or two, this is the underlying message or "lesson learned" in a fictional story.
What is theme?
"The classroom was a zoo" is an example of this figure of speech that compares two unlike things without using "like" or "as."
What is a metaphor?
This part of the plot marks the turning point or the moment of highest tension in a story.
What is the climax?
Adding this prefix to a word, such as "happy" or "kind," changes the word to its opposite meaning.
What is "un-"?
When a student uses the exact words from a text to support their claim, they are providing this.
What is direct evidence? (or a quote)
This term describes what the text is mostly about in an informational text.
What is central idea?
The climber felt precarious as he hung by one hand over the jagged rocks.) Using the context, this is a synonym for "precarious."
What is dangerous? (insecure)
If an author writes a manual on how to build a birdhouse, their primary purpose is this.
What is inform?
The suffix "-less," as seen in "hopeless" or "fearless," carries this specific meaning.
What is "without"?
The sky turned a bruised purple, and the birds suddenly went silent. Marcus began putting the outdoor cushions into the shed. Based on the passage, this is what Marcus is likely expecting.
What is a storm (or bad weather)?
The tiny sprout pushed through the cracked concrete of the city sidewalk, reaching toward the sun despite the heavy footsteps passing by. This one-word concept best represents the theme of this passage.
What is perseverance? Resilience?
This type of figurative language gives human characteristics to non-human objects, such as "The wind howled in the night."
This plot element follows the climax and shows the results of the main character's decisions, leading toward the end.
What is the falling action?
If the root "bi" means two, this is the literal definition of a "bisect."
What is to cut into two?
After the fire, the town council voted to replace the old wooden bridge with a steel one, despite the higher cost. This is the inference we can make about the council’s new priority.
What is safety?
To find the central idea in a complex article, a reader should look at the first and last paragraphs and these descriptive "mini-titles" throughout the text.
What are subheadings? (subtitles)
Unlike her gregarious sister who loved parties, Sarah was shy and preferred to stay home alone. This type of context clue is used here to define "gregarious."
What is an antonym?
An author who uses emotional language and loaded words to convince a reader to donate to a cause is writing with this purpose.
What is to persuade?
The prefix "re-," found in "rewrite" or "revisit," means this.
What is "again"?
As the final bell rang, Leo didn’t join the rush toward the buses. Instead, he lingered at his locker, slowly rotating the dial of his lock over and over, his eyes fixed on the empty hallway. When a teacher asked if he was headed home, Leo just shrugged and started reorganizing a stack of folders he had already straightened twice.
What is Leo is reluctant/anxious to go home?
This is the primary difference between a "summary" and a "theme statement."
What is summary included details and facts of the text and theme reveals a lesson the author wants you to learn?
This is the term for an exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally, often used for emphasis, such as "I have a million miles of homework."
What is hyperbole?
This is the term for the beginning of a story where the setting, characters, and basic situation are introduced.
What is the exposition?
This suffix is added to a verb to turn it into a noun that describes a person who performs an action, like "teacher" or "actor."
What is "-er" or "-or"?