7th Grade Determining Word Meanings Extra Practice

Which sentence uses figurative language?

• The quadriceps are muscles in the legs. There are four muscles in this group.

• Jane sat there, glaring at her friend Ashley, in silence because Ashley started a rumor.

• Sally ran as fast as a cheetah down her neighborhood streets.

Which paragraph best uses technical meanings?

• A lot of parts go into holding the pages and cover of a book together. Each page, front and back, is called a "leaf," and each part of a leaf has a name. The back of a leaf is called a recto while the front of a leaf is known as a verso. If you have recto on your right and a verso on your left, you have a space in the middle. That space is called the gutter.

• If looking into people’s faces is frightening to you, focus on the back wall of the room. By doing this, you will not be subject to people’s stares. At the same time, though, you will hold your head high, allowing you to project your voice so people will pay attention. This will likely strengthen your confidence and decrease your anguish.

• A steady tapping reached Otis’s ears, and he looked up to see a blind man coming toward him, his walking stick playing a rhythm on the sidewalk in front of him like a long-forgotten jazz song.

Which paragraph best uses connotative meaning?

• A steady tapping reached Otis’s ears, and he looked up to see a blind man coming toward him, his walking stick playing a rhythm on the sidewalk in front of him like a long-forgotten jazz song.

• A lot of parts go into holding the pages and cover of a book together. Each page, front and back, is called a "leaf," and each part of a leaf has a name. The back of a leaf is called a recto while the front of a leaf is known as a verso. If you have recto on your right and a verso on your left, you have a space in the middle. That space is called the gutter.

• If looking into people’s faces is frightening to you, focus on the back wall of the room. By doing this, you will not be subject to people’s stares. At the same time, though, you will hold your head high, allowing you to project your voice so people will pay attention. This will likely strengthen your confidence and decrease your anguish.

Read the text, then answer the question.

One silver lining: Vending machine customers ate 4% less sodium than other students — an average of 3,287 milligrams per day compared with 3,436 mg for those who didn’t buy from vending machines. That’s probably because the extra snacks made kids too full to eat as much at mealtime, when dishes are especially salty. In any event, kids should eat no more than 1,200 to 1,500 mg of sodium each day, according to the Mayo Clinic. (Even for adults, the government recommends a daily limit of 2,300 mg.)

Select the meaning of the phrase, "One silver lining."

• Positive effect of vending machines

• Neutral effect of vending machines

• Vending machines lined with silver

• Negative effect of vending machines

• Emotional connotation of vending machines

Read the text, then answer the question.

One silver lining: Vending machine customers ate 4% less sodium than other students — an average of 3,287 milligrams per day compared with 3,436 mg for those who didn’t buy from vending machines. That’s probably because the extra snacks made kids too full to eat as much at mealtime, when dishes are especially salty. In any event, kids should eat no more than 1,200 to 1,500 mg of sodium each day, according to the Mayo Clinic. (Even for adults, the government recommends a daily limit of 2,300 mg.)

Select the words or phrases that help determine the meaning of "One silver lining."

• “Overall, vending machines in school appear to be taking a toll on public health.

• In any event, kids should eat no more than 1,200 to 1,500 mg of sodium each day, according to the Mayo Clinic.

• That’s probably because the extra snacks made kids too full to eat as much at mealtime, when dishes are especially salty.

• “...Vending machine customers ate 4% less sodium than other students -- an average of 3,287 milligrams per day compared with 3,436 mg for those who didn’t buy from vending machines.”

Read the passage and then answer the question.

Pablo Picasso is often considered one of the greatest and most influential artists of the twentieth century. As a young child, Picasso displayed an exceptional talent for drawing and painting. His extraordinary skill allowed him to enter Barcelona's prestigious School of Fine Arts when he was only fourteen years old—several years younger than the typical students at this well-regarded school. Although Picasso left Barcelona before graduating, the city still inspired him. His experiences there would lead him to break away from traditional ideas about art and create a new style that would change the world of art forever.

Picasso's rise to prominence began in 1907. While living in Paris, he produced a painting that featured five Barcelonian women represented by sharply contrasting geometric shapes. Instead of a realistic representation of the women, the painting presented an abstract scene showing the women's forms from multiple viewpoints at once. That the art world had never seen such a painting before only added to Picasso's growing popularity. This painting, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, would serve as the inspiration for the artistic movement that came to be known as Cubism.

What is the meaning of prestigious as used in the text?

• long-establish

• expensive

• large

• highly respected

Select the sentence from the paragraph that best helps you understand that prestigious means 'highly respected'.

• Pablo Picasso is often considered one of the greatest an dmostinfluential artists of the twentieth century.

• As a young child, Picasso displayed an exceptional talent for drawing and painting.

• His extraordinary skill allowed him to enter barcelon's prestigious School of Fine Arts when he was only fourteen years old-- several years younger than the typical students at this well-regarded school.

• Although Picasso left Barcelona before graduating, the city still inspired him.

Read this excerpt:

“For some students this might be a serious contributor to weight issues,” they wrote. Other public health problems include Type 2 diabetes and cavities.

How does this paragraph create a tone of concern in the text? (RI2.4)

• By using statistics to show how students’ diets are being affected.

• By highlighting a negative health effect of vending machines in schools.

• By stating how many vending machines are in elementary, middle, and high schools.

• By explaining the amount of sugar, sodium, and calories in the vending machine food.

"Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite"

Bedbugs are a nuisance that spread quickly, so if you find bedbugs in your home, you owe it to yourself and others to take decisive and immediate action.

The scientific name for these tiny, bloodsucking insects is Cimex lectularius. They're called bedbugs because they mainly feed on blood at night while their hosts are asleep. They are like an army of minuscule vampires. Places like mattresses, couches, and chairs serve as luxurious havens in which thousands of them can live.

The bedbug inserts a syringe-like proboscis through the host's skin. it takes between three and ten minutes for the bug to drink its fill through this slender appendage. Its bite is small and painless, so the victim rarely wakes during this feeding time. Bedbugs are not known for disseminating disease, but the bumps they leave behind can become infected. Also, the saliva they release into the skin can make you itch so badly you'll want to scratch your skin off.

Select the meaning of "proboscis".

• long nose to smell around the bedbug

• needle-like structure on the bedbug's head

• the person being bitten is helpless and the bedbug is evil

• its bite is small and painless, so the victim rarely wakes during this feeding time

"Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite"

Bedbugs are a nuisance that spread quickly, so if you find bedbugs in your home, you owe it to yourself and others to take decisive and immediate action.

The scientific name for these tiny, bloodsucking insects is Cimex lectularius. They're called bedbugs because they mainly feed on blood at night while their hosts are asleep. They are like an army of minuscule vampires. Places like mattresses, couches, and chairs serve as luxurious havens in which thousands of them can live.

The bedbug inserts a syringe-like proboscis through the host's skin. it takes between three and ten minutes for the bug to drink its fill through this slender appendage. Its bite is small and painless, so the victim rarely wakes during this feeding time. Bedbugs are not known for disseminating disease, but the bumps they leave behind can become infected. Also, the saliva they release into the skin can make you itch so badly you'll want to scratch your skin off.

Select the words or phrases that help determine the meaning of "proboscis"

• "syringe-like"

• "through the host's skin"

• "drink its fill"

• "small and painless"