Language and Vocabulary

A student is writing an opinion paper for her teacher about obesity in the United States.

Read the draft of the paper and answer the question that follows.

Feeling full? Over the last twenty years the amount of food being served has increased dramatically. Fast food restaurants want to super-size everything from your sandwich, to your fries, and even your drink. These big portions are a contributing factor to obesity in the United States.

Which more exact word best replaces the underlined word?

A student is writing a report for social studies about Abraham Lincoln. Read the draft of the report and answer the question that follows.

Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky in 1809. Abe worked hard to overcome many problems. His life was not easy. His family was very poor, and his mother died when he was a young child. His father moved the family from home to home but finally settled on a farm in Illinois. His father needed his help on the farm, so Abe was unable to attend school. He loved learning and taught himself to read.

Which more exact word best replaces the underlined word?

A student is writing a narrative for his teacher about an ice hockey game. Read the draft paragraph of the narrative. For each underlined pair of words, click on the word that is the most exact.

“Goal!” the announcer yelled into his microphone. Everyone in the hockey stadium stood up and screamed. My dad jumped up so quickly that he dropped our huge bucket of popcorn right onto the floor! I watched with amazement as people gave each other hugs and highfives. “Dad,” I asked, “why is everyone making such a fuss over that goal?” “Hunter, how can you be serious?” Dad said/demanded. “That goal means that our team has a chance to win this game and go to the play-off game! This is huge!” I shrugged my shoulders, feeling a bit confused/unclear, wondering why it was so important to go to a play-off game.

A student is writing a narrative for her teacher about shopping. Read this draft part of the narrative and answer the question that follows.

My mom and I could not fail. Everything we tried on looked like it had been made especially for us. We were delighted as we put the dresses, shirts, and pants on the checkout counter.

Which of the following is a more descriptive way to say what the writer means by the underlined word?

A student is writing a formal letter for her principal about a class field trip to the state fair. Read the draft of the letter and complete the task that follows. The student wants to make sure that she has used the right words to make her meaning clear. Click on two words that she should change.

Dear Ms. Lincoln: I wanted to thank you for allowing our class to take a field trip to the state fair. I know that you have many demands on the school budget and that money is limited. However, what students gained from the experience is cool. For example, we were able to visit a farming exhibit that showed us the life cycle of corn. I have always enjoyed eating corn, but I never realized how much work goes into its production. Not only that, I learned how corn plants are used in so many other ways: from corn syrup used to sweeten drinks to corn fuel used to power cars. Another interesting fact we learned was how corn is now being used to make food containers that are safer for the environment. I never thought our food and its containers could be made of the same stuff! Sending us to the fair was a spectacular decision! I really appreciate your support. Sincerely, Sara Hass

Liam wrote a narrative for his class about the day he was on television. Read this draft part of the narrative and complete the task that follows.

For each pair of underlined words, click on the word that helps readers understand the narrative

. When the day of the actual weather report arrived, our town was under a special weather watch for an unusually early snowfall of up to eight inches. There wasn’t even a single snowflake falling as my dad and I drove to the station, but when we arrived, the newsroom was buzzing with energy/success. “Liam,” Mr. Anders, the weather reporter, asked, “are you ready for this? The biggest headline of the day today IS the weather!” He pointed to a wall full of computer screens and exclaimed, “Just look at that radar! It looks like we’re about to get over half a foot of snow! And it’s not even November yet!” Mr. Anders’s face lit up with the brightest smile, and there was no hiding his concern/excitement.

Kyle is writing an opinion paper for his teacher about the school's spending decisions. Read this draft paragraph from the opinion paper and complete the task that follows.

When I was in kindergarten, our school spent a great deal of money on new sports equipment for our gym classes. The gym teachers received new field hockey gear, expensive new softball gear, and a costly climbing wall with ropes. Then, when I entered the third grade, I discovered that our school had spent even more money for additional gym equipment. This time, our gym was updated with a new sound system, and the gym teachers got new office things such as notebooks and staplers. While it is fine that our gym classes receive nice new things, I think that this year's money should be used to buy instruments for our music classes. Our music teachers need more recorders and drum sets for their students. There are not enough instruments for everyone here.

Choose two pairs of more exact words or phrases that Kyle could use in place of each of the underlined words.

A student is writing a narrative for her teacher about a hunt. Read this draft part of the narrative and answer the question that follows.

The robin fluttered onto the dewy green grass as gently as a feather. He began pecking busily at the earth as if hunting for a needle in a haystack. While the bird's attention was on the ground, the cat's attention was on the bird. The cat was nearby, waiting patiently for the right moment to pounce. Which of the following descriptive words would best replace was?