ELA Test Terms

When the directions say choose, I will

• Give the defenition

• Give a brief overview

• select from a number of possibilities

• "read between the line"

When the directions say to define, you need to

• tell the meaning of the phrase or word

• tell us the best chance of something happening

• present a clear picture of the person, place, or thing

• tell how things are the same or different

When the directions say to compare, you need to

• tell how things are different

• tell us the best chances of something happening

• think about the five W's - Who, what, when, where, why

• tell how things are the same

When the directions say to contrast, you need to

• tell how things are the same

• arrive at a decision

• tell the meaning of a word

• tell how things are different

When the directions say to summarize, you need to

• tell how things are the same

• "read between the lines"

• give a brief overview of what main points of a story

• select the correct answer

When the directions say to describe, you need to

• tell the meaning of the word or phrase

• present a clear picture of the person, place, or thing

• arrive at a decision

• tell us the best chances of something happening

When the directions say to explain, you need to

• select the correct answer

• tell how things are the same

• Think about the 5 W's - Who, What, When, Where, Why

• tell us the best chances of something happening

When the directions say to conclude/conclusion, you need to

• "Read between the lines"

• tell how things are different

• arrive at a decision

• tell us the chances of something happening

When the directions say to infer, you need to

• Give an educated guess

• give a brief overview

• tell the meaning of the word

• arrive at a decision

When the directions say to most likely, you need to

• select the best answer

• tell the best chances of something happening

• give a clear picture

• Think about the 5 W's - Who, what, when, where, why