Vocabulary in Context

Read the lines from the poem:

"The lamentable days are come, the saddest of the year,

Of wailing winds, and naked woods, and meadows brown and sear.

Heaped in the hollows of the grove, the autumn leaves lie dead;

They rustle to the eddying gust, and to the rabbit's tread;"

Which phrases from the lines provide the best clues about the meaning of the word lamentable?

• "saddest of the year" and "wailing winds"

• "Heaped in the hollows" and "eddying gust"

• "woods, and meadow" and "autumn leaves"

• "days are come" and "rabbit's tread"

Read the lines from the drama.

"EVELYN: Thank you so much, Melissa. I just can't seem to follow the lessons on gravity. Could you please simplify the concepts for me? I find them too complex."

Which phrase from the lines provide the best clue to the meaning of the word complex?

• simplify the concepts

• lessons on gravity

• for me

• find them

"When Sara looked up to give a reply, I could see a hint of pride in her eyes, but there was an emotion I couldn't identify. An emotion that caused tears to roll down her cheeks and her words to falter."

What is the best meaning of the word falter?

• to doubt something

• to walk unsteadily

• to speak hesitatingly

• to reduce in intensity

When the fire alarm went off, the principal ordered that the protocol go into effect. The school had practiced fire drills every month, so every student should know the rules to this situation.

What does the word protocol mean in the selection above?

• fees

• firefighters

• changs

• procedure

Aubrey worried that people wouldn't interact at her party, so she pulled out games to encourage people to talk.

What does the word interact mean in the sentence above?

• smile

• sleep

• mingle

• eat

Which phrase from the passage provide clues to the meaning of appraise?

A jeweler is a person who sells, repairs, and sometimes designs jewelry. A jeweler performs a variety of job duties. In order to do his or her job, a jeweler must be very knowledgeable. Part of a jeweler's job is to appraise jewelry. Sometimes people go to a jewelry store when they want to know the value of jewelry that they already own.

• designs jewlery

• job duties

• very knowledgeable

• know the value

Read the sentence from the passage.

"If we find where your problem originated, we can fix it."

Which word in the passage helps define the meaning of originated?

• find

• urge

• begin

• recent

What word or words from the passage help the reader know what extremities means?

"Well, I'd like to ask you a few questions so that we can determine what's going on," the doctor said gently. "Do you have a headache? Do you have pain in your extremities?"

Mom shrugged her shoulders. "My head hurts a little bit, but I think that's because I haven't had my morning coffee yet. My hands and feet are fine."

• shoulders

• hurts

• morning coffee

• hands and feet

Which word or words from the passage provide clues to the meaning of famished?

I scooted closer to Mom on the hospital bed and leaned my head against her shoulder. "When do you think the doctor will come back?" I asked. My stomach gurgled.

Mom chuckled. "Jennifer, are you asking because you're concerned about me or because you're famished? I think your stomach is growling loud enough to page the doctor over the loudspeaker."

I laughed. "I'm concerned about you." Then, in a more serious tone, I added, "You're the only family I have. Does your chest still hurt?"

• closer to mom

• stomach gurgled

• serious tone

• the only family

Stephanie sighed at the thought of her hectic schedule today. After school, she had volleyball practice, and then, she had to work at her part-time job. When she got home, she needed to write a report and complete a math assignment that were both due tomorrow. She wished she hadn't waited until the last minute to do her homework.

What does the word hectic mean in the selection above?

• frustrated

• chaotic

• calm

• worried