Determining the Meaning of Unfamiliar Words

Determining the Meaning of Unfamiliar Words

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Multiple Choice

The word reflection comes from the Latin word reflectere, meaning “to bend back.” Which word is most closely related in meaning to the word reflection?

• recover

• refresh

• reflex

• reform

Multiple Choice

In the words enshrine and entangle, the prefix en means—

• before

• under

• in

• above

Multiple Choice

Which word describes something that you have a hard time believing but really did happen?

• incredible

• credulous

• creed

• creditor

Multiple Choice

Celebrating Women's Day

International Women's Day, a day to celebrate women both young and old, is celebrated in many parts of the world.In Russia, Women's Day is celebrated as a combination of Valentine's Day and Mother's Day, as we know them in the United States. Women may receive gifts or flowers from men, and often they get a day off from work. This is a gift the women really deserve.

Women's Day was first observed in Russia in 1913 as part of a peace movement surrounding World War I. It was next celebrated in 1917. Russian women organized a strike for "bread and peace" after millions of soldiers were killed during the war.This strike led to Russian women's right to vote. They were among the first women in the world granted this right. The tradition of Women's Day represents about nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace, and development.Today, women in the United States are recognized during Women's History Month in March.

Which word from the passage has a prefix that means "ten"?

• combination

• decade

• international

• deserve

Multiple Choice

The Crater of Diamonds is an Arkansas park that contains the only diamond mine in the world open to the public. Anyone can search and keep what they find. Many diamonds there are too small to be valuable; however, some people have made lucrative finds.

In the passage, lucrative means -

• surprising

• lucky

• profitable

• worthless

Multiple Choice

When Lake Wendouree in Australia dried up, people were able to saunter onto the lakebed. Many treasure hunters were looking for items people had dropped or thrown into the water. One such item is a medal from the 1956 Olympics, which has not yet been found.

In the passage, saunter means -

• walk

• sail

• drive

• row

Multiple Choice

In the 1990s, divers searched a Scottish river for a historic shipwreck. They found what they believed was a ship of King Charles I that sank in 1633. It may hold royal treasures, but the ship is buried in mud. It will be a challenging endeavor to unearth it.

In the passage, endeavor means -

• expense

• request

• task

• order

Multiple Choice

In 2002, three friends using metal detectors in Wales made a staggering discovery. Buried in a field were gold and bronze jewelry and ceramic tools approximately 3,000 years old. A museum paid a substantial sum for the pieces – half to the landowner and half to the discoverers.

In the passage, staggering means -

• ancient

• painful

• astonishing

• changing

Multiple Choice

In 2005, several men in Massachusetts claimed they discovered a box buried in the backyard - a box with tin cans filled with cash. The old bills were from 1899 to 1929 and worth $125,000; however, the men had fabricated the story. They were arrested for stealing the money.

In the passage, fabricated means -

• dreamed

• sold

• invented

• clothed

Multiple Choice

People debate the ownership of sunken treasure – the country it came from or the people who find it. Some feel it belongs to the descendants of the once rightful owners. People who find wrecks often go to court for the right to claim the wrecks as their own.

In the passage, descendants mean -

• relatives

• lawyers

• supportes

• finders

Multiple Choice

A Dirty Flood of Water by Hank Goodacre

In old Calcutta, there was a tame elephant kept by a merchant in one of the town’s busiest neighborhoods. While the merchant worked during the day, his elephant would wander the streets visiting with the locals. The elephant was as quiet and courteous as any of the townspeople. He loved to visit the shops, especially those with fresh fruit and wonderful smelling herbs, where he was welcomed. The local shop owners enjoyed seeing the elephant very much.

Which word is a synonym for locals in paragraph 1?

• tame

• merchant

• townspeople

• cobblers

Multiple Choice

Read this dictionary entry.

ac • cept (ăk-sĕpt’) 1. to receive gladly; take willingly 2. to admit to a group or place 3. to regard as usual, proper, or right 4. to bear up under resignedly or patiently [Middle English accepeten, to receive]

In paragraph 10, accept comes from a word meaning –

• to receive

• to admit

• to regard

• to bear up

Multiple Choice

Read this dictionary entry.

ken• nel (kĕn’ Әl) 1. a shelter for a dog. 2. a pack of dogs, esp. hounds 3. an establishment where dogs are bred, trained, or boarded. 4. the lair of a wild animal, such as a fox [ME kenel Latin, canis, dog]

Kennel comes from a word that means

• shelter

• pack

• liar

• dog