Unusual Normality Vocabulary

Read each sentence carefully. Then answer the question that follows. Highlight or underline the part of the sentence where you find your answer. Sentence: "The skills I developed were not meant for peacetime—they were for staying alive in the chaos of war." Which word in the sentence is similar in meaning to "disorder"?

• Skills

• Developed

• Chaos

• War

Read each sentence carefully. Then answer the question that follows. Highlight or underline the part of the sentence where you find your answer. Sentence: "At interviews, I faced questions about report cards I didn’t have." Which word in the sentence is similar in meaning to "encountered"?

• Faced

• Questions

• Report

• Cards

Read each sentence carefully. Then answer the question that follows. Highlight or underline the part of the sentence where you find your answer. Sentence: "My survival instincts, honed during the war, remained with me." Which word in the sentence is similar in meaning to "sharpened"?

• Survival

• Instincts

• Honed

• War

Read each sentence carefully. Then answer the question that follows. Highlight or underline the part of the sentence where you find your answer. "Their world, though foreign, allowed me to experience something close to the childhood I had been denied." Which word in the sentence is similar in meaning to "strange"?

• World

• Foreign

• Allowed

• Childhood

Read each sentence carefully. Then answer the question that follows. Highlight or underline the part of the sentence where you find your answer. Sentence: "My silence wasn’t just about protecting myself—it was about preserving the fragile normality I was beginning to experience." Which word in the sentence is similar in meaning to "delicate"?

• Silence

• Protecting

• Fragile

• Preserving

Use context clues from the text to determine the meaning of the underlined words. Select the best answer for each question. Sentence: “It was such a simple act—buying clothes—but it felt monumental to me.” What does monumental most likely mean in this sentence?

• Insignificant

• Overwhelming

• Very important

• Easy to forget

Use context clues from the text to determine the meaning of the underlined words. Select the best answer for each question. Sentence: “My mother tirelessly called school principals, advocating for me.” What does advocating most likely mean?

• Opposing

• Supporting

• Ignoring

• Criticizing

Use context clues from the text to determine the meaning of the underlined words. Select the best answer for each question. Sentence: “My answers often unsettled them. My mother would interject, explaining my background.” What does interject most likely mean?

• Interrupt with a comment

• Ignore the conversation

• Support silently

• Disagree strongly

Use context clues from the text to determine the meaning of the underlined words. Select the best answer for each question. Sentence: “My survival instincts, honed during the war, remained with me.” What does honed most likely mean?

• Blurred or forgotten

• Perfected or sharpened

• Disregarded

• Unimportant

Use context clues from the text to determine the meaning of the underlined words. Select the best answer for each question. Sentence: “At dinner, they speculated about my talents but didn’t invite me back.” What does speculated most likely mean?

• Wondered or guessed

• Ignored completely

• Stated confidently

• Dismissed without care