Word Choice 1

Pretty Words

By Elinor Wylie (1885-1929)

Poets make pets of pretty, docile words:

I love smooth words, like gold-enamelled fish

Which circle slowly with a silken swish,

And tender ones, like downy-feathered birds:

Words shy and dappled, deep-eyed deer in herds,

Come to my hand, and playful if I wish,

Or purring softly at a silver dish,

Blue Persian kittens fed on cream and curds.

I love bright words, words up and singing early;

Words that are luminous in the dark, and sing;

Warm lazy words, white cattle under trees;

I love words opalescent, cool, and pearly,

Like midsummer moths, and honied words like bees,

Gilded and sticky, with a little sting.

What mood does the author of “Pretty Words” create by referring to “downy-feathered birds” and “deep-eyed deer”?

• confusing

• annoying

• powerful

• peaceful

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

What is the best way to change the connotation of this sentence from positive to negative?

• Antonia was smart about her accomplishments.

• Antonia informed me of her accomplishments.

• Antonia was bragging about her accomplishments.

• Antonia was confident in her accomplishments.

Tags

CCSS.L.8.5C

CCSS.L.9-10.5B

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

Which of the following correctly explains the difference between tone and mood?

• Tone is defined as the attitude of the general public towards a specific piece of text, whereas mood is specific to the author's personal attitude towards the text.

• Mood relies on the feeling of the reader toward the text while tone is the attitude of the author toward the subject of the text.

• Tone and mood are the same - there is no difference between them.

• Tone is how the reader feels while mood is how the author feels.

Tags

CCSS.L.3.3A

CCSS.L.4.3A

CCSS.L.5.3A

CCSS.L.6.3A

CCSS.L.6.3B

Examine this sentence.

The investors had additional money, so they agreed to capitalize the construction of the skyscraper.

Which of the following is the MOST likely denotation of the term capitalize?

• prevent from starting on

• provide funding for

• find a use for

• give up ownership of

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

Readers can identify the mood of a text by considering -

• the author's attitude toward the topic of the text.

• how the conflicts are resolved at the end of a text.

• the historical context of a text.

• the setting, imagery, and word choice of the text.

Tags

CCSS.L.3.3A

CCSS.L.4.3A

CCSS.L.5.3A

CCSS.L.6.3A

CCSS.L.6.3B

At the foot of the stairs, the match went out. and he paused to strike another; and at the same moment a knock, so quiet and stealthy as to be scarcely audible, sounded on the front door.

The word choice in these sentences creates a mood of -

• confusion

• tranquility

• suspense

• discomfort

Tags

CCSS.L.3.3A

CCSS.L.4.3A

CCSS.L.5.3A

CCSS.L.6.3A

CCSS.L.6.3B

Figurative Language Refers To -

• the dictionary definition of a word, regardless of how it is used in a sentence.

• the emotions or set of associations that are attached to a word.

• non-literal language that is meant to give you an image, idea, or feeling.

• clear, concise language that is often used for a formal audience.

Tags

CCSS.L.3.5A

CCSS.RL.3.4

Technology Haiku

By John P. Curtin

Knowledge and tools:

Chariot into auto;

Stick into shovel.

It is as simple

As a spoon or as complex

As the space shuttle.

Once it was the wheel.

Now it is the microchip.

What will it be next?

Which words best reflect the speaker's contemplative tone?

• What will it be next?

• It is as simple as a spoon

• knowledge and tools

• once it was the wheel

Tags

CCSS.L.3.3A

CCSS.L.4.3A

CCSS.L.5.3A

CCSS.L.6.3A

CCSS.L.6.3B

Read these sentences.

It sounded impressive, but Yuki thought she had never seen a more dreary place in all her life. There wasn’t a single tree or a blade of grass to break the monotony of the sun-bleached desert.The word choice in these sentences help create a _____ mood.

• boring

• threatening

• bleak

• hopeful

Tags

CCSS.L.3.3A

CCSS.L.4.3A

CCSS.L.5.3A

CCSS.L.6.3A

CCSS.L.6.3B

Excerpt from President Obama’s National Address to America’s Schoolchildren (2009)

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life — what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home — none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. There is no excuse for not trying.

Which words BEST reflect the speaker's straightforward tone in this excerpt?

• not trying

• cutting class

• no excuse

• neglecting your homework

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4