Ayers Rock

Read the sentence from paragraph 2.

"At times, the rock reflects the light of sunrise and sunset."

What is the meaning of reflects in this sentence?

• thinks about

• takes in

• throws back

• casts blame

What is the best way to figure out the meaning of reflects in paragraph 2?

• by looking at the definition given in the text

• by breaking the word into its different parts

• by looking at words and sentences around it

• by looking at synonyms with similar meanings

Which word from the passage means "something that has been created"?

• erosion

• formation

• monolith

• sandstone

Which context clue in paragraph 3 gives a hint about the meaning of native?

• The author tells that Aborigines have lived in Australia for thousands of years.

• The author tells that Aborigines gave this famous rock the name Uluru.

• The author tells the William Gosse named the island mountain Ayers Rock.

• The author tells that Uluru is an important part of the culture of the Aborigines

Read the sentences from paragraph 3.

"He called Ayers Rock. It is commonly known as Ayers Rock today, but it is located in Uluru National park. This way, both names for the mountain are preserved, or kept."

Which two strategies help you determine the meaning of the word preserved?

• Separate the word into a base word with a suffix.

• Use background knowledge about Australia.

• Find the Greek or Latin roots in the word.

• Look for a definition of synonym in the sentence.

• Examine nearby sentences for more information.

Which phrases from paragraph 4 give clues about the meaning of erosion? Fill in the bubble before two groups of words from the paragraph that are good clues.

The monolith, or single rock formation, A) was created over 600 million years ago. It began with the creation of mountains known as the Petermann Ranges. The mountains B) broke down over time. Rising seawaters C) formed a hard layer of rock about 500 million years ago. Then the seawaters disappeared. Slowly, the rock layers became exposed. D) A natural process called erosion E) wore down the soft rock. The hardest rock became Uluru, or Ayers Rock.

• A

• B

• C

• D

• E

How does the author give a clue to the meaning of the word brilliant in paragraph 2?

• by relying on the reader's background knowledge about rocks

• by giving a definition within the same sentence

• by using figurative language to compare the rock to something familiar

• by assuming the reader has a dictionary nearby

Read these sentences from paragraph 4.

"Then the sea waters disappeared. Slowly, the rock layers became exposed."

What is the meaning of the word exposed in these sentences?

• dried

• covered

• faded

• unhidden

Which word from the paragraph best supports the answer from part A?

• waters

• disappeared

• layers

• became

What is the best way to determine the meaning of monolith in paragraph 4?

• by relying on background knowledge about rocks

• by looking for a synonym in the passage

• by reading the definition the author provides in the sentence

• by finding figurative language from earlier in the passage