Determine meaning of words or phrases

Anaconda snakes live in swamps and rivers. Anacondas also climb trees. Adults can get as big as 20 feet long. Anacondas are good swimmers. They have scales and can swim quickly. They kill by constricting their prey tightly so that it cannot breathe. Anacondas then drown their prey. Anacondas are found in South America.

In the passage above, what is the meaning of the word constricting?

• stretching

• killing

• drowning

• squeezing

The colonial family owned few eating utensils. They had no forks and only a few spoons made from pewter, a type of metal. The dinnerware included pewter plates, wooden mugs, and "trenchers," which were wooden bowls with handles.

Based on the paragraph above, what is the meaning of the word utensils?

• carpenter's tools

• tools used during a meal

• furniture for the house

• farm equipment

Sophia was always acting funny. Her brother rolled his eyes and called her loony when she did crazy dances and clucked like a chicken.

Based on the other information in the passage, when Sophia's brother called her loony, he meant that she was

• silly

• serious

• interesting

• sad

Kevin had been sick for days. He looked worn out. His mom said that he was "white as a sheet" because his usually bright, olive-colored skin was dull and pasty.

What is the meaning of the word pasty?

• clear

• healthy

• pale

• shining

Nelly was feeling nervous and frightened in the museum. She could not find her teacher or classmates anywhere. One minute she was with her classmates, and the next minute, they were gone. It was not like her teacher to abandon any of the students. She did not know where the class had vanished to.

What is the meaning of the word abandon?

• to walk with

• to leave behind

• to become scared

• to become lost

I'm sleepy. I'm going to hit the sack tonight.

In the sentence above, the phrase hit the sack means to

• sleep in a sleeping bag.

• go to bed.

• to kick a bed.

• sleep in a burlap sack.

Miguel was worried about giving his book report in front of the class. His hands were shaking like leaves on a tree. He did not like talking in front of a bunch of people. Miguel hoped that having practiced would help him do a good job in front of his classmates.

If Miguel's hands are "shaking like leaves on a tree," how does he feel?

• special

• hungry

• scared

• careless

"I am proud of you for going out on a limb," Tommy's mother said. "That was very brave of you. If you want my two cents, I think you have other friends who treat you much better. You will have lots of fun with them at your party, I just know it."

What is the meaning of the phrase my two cents in the passage above?

• my secret

• my fact

• my money

• my opinion

That noise is very irritating. Cut it out!

In the sentence above, the phrase cut it out means to

• stop doing something.

• be irritating.

• make an annoying noise.

• cut a piece of paper.

fter her very long run, Consuella was dead tired.

What does dead tired mean in the sentence above?

• to be dead

• to want to go to school

• to be extremely tired

• to be full of energy