Vocabulary Skills

Vocabulary Skills

Multiple Choice

His father did not intend to be cruel, but he was himself a hardworking man, an early riser, and a swift workman, and it seemed a natural and necessary thing to have his sons work. He himself had been bound out at nine years of age, and had never known a week's release from toil.

What does the word toil mean?

• vacation

• parenting

• hard work

• calm relief

Multiple Choice

Not all commercial websites are untrustworthy. Indeed, many of these sites are reputable sources of information on the topics they discuss.

What does the word reputable most likely mean.

• useful

• reliable

• suspicious

• tricky

Multiple Choice

At last it began to grow cold, so cold that in the early morning he was obliged to put one hand in his pocket to keep it warm, while holding the plough with the other.

What does obliged mean?

• told

• forced

• asked

• honored

Multiple Choice

His heart was sometimes very bitter and rebellious, because of the relentless drag of his daily toil.

Which is the best definition for the word drag as used in the sentence?

• a motion meant to pull something

• a slow, purposeful movement

• a burden that creates trouble

• a device to pull an object

Multiple Choice

When doing research on the internet, pay close attention to the extension domain -- such as .com, .edu, .gov, .net, .org -- of each website you visit. The extension domain tells you what type of organization owns the site.

Which phrase best describes the meaning of extension domain?

• a part of an internet address

• a page on a website

• a type of government website

• a kind of commercial website

Multiple Choice

Destiny thought that if she could play the trumpet, then she could play them all: trombone, French horn, flugelhorn, tuba, bugle, and cornet.

What is a flugelhorn?

• an electric piano

• a brass instrument

• a type of drum

• a stringed instrument

Multiple Choice

The lightening struck a dead tree and some dry wood, and the next day, there was a conflagration that consumed the acres before it could be put out.

What does conflagration mean?

• a terrible fire

• a group of flags

• a church meeting

• a harsh warning

Multiple Choice

Boxing champion Muhammad Ali famously said that what he did in the boxing ring was "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." The athlete danced and shuffled lightly on his feet, but when he struck, his blows carried powerful force.

The simile, float like a butterfly, means

• flapped his arms wildly

• threw strong punches

• moved quickly and easily

• stayed out of fights

Multiple Choice

Which sentence contains an idiom?

• We were all really excited to see the movie opening tonight

• It was so dark you could barely see your hand in front of your face

• I very nearly let the cat out of the bag about Sam's surprise party

• He was talking for over an hour before he finally introduced himself.