Precise Language and Sensory Details

The amount of gravity by an object is proportional to the mass of the object. In other words, objects with more mass will exert more gravity than objects with less mass. Distance also affects gravity. The amount of gravity decreases as the distance between two objects increases. These changes in the amount of gravity occur even on Earth. The farther away you are from the center of the Earth, the less gravity there is between you and the Earth. If you were on the Moon, the amount of gravity between you and the Earth would be even less.

Which word would best replace the underlined word to make the meaning more precise?

• variations

• movements

• inequalities

• departures

Last Saturday, I went to a farm with my dad and my younger brother to pick peaches. The farmer taught us how to choose the best fruit from the trees because we had never picked peaches before. After we climbed onto ladders and started picking the fruit, I reached for a peach that was hanging at the very end of a nearby branch. When I squeezed the peach to pull it off the branch, it burst open

all over my face and T-shirt. My dad and my brother laughed very hard, and I smelled like a sticky peach for the rest of the day.

• moved

• spilled

• splattered

• covered

Animals can be classified and grouped based on similarities in their characteristics. One example of an animal classification is a mammal. Mammals are warm-blooded beings that breathe air with their lungs. Mammals have fur or hair, and they have sweat glands. They also produce milk to feed their young. Most mammals have babies that are born alive. Dogs, cats, bears, elephants, dolphins, whales, and people are all examples of mammals.

What is the most precise word to use in the passage?

• beasts

• vertebrates

• creatures

• creations

Which of the following describes the way something feels?

• Invisible ropes of baked apple cobbler tugged my nose toward the kitchen.

• His head was like a helium balloon with a thin string dangling from it.

• The chair springs squeaked like a pack of wild mice when Granny Jean sat down.

• The warm milk comforted my stomach like a warm blanket covering a child.

As cameras flashed, Ellie raised the trophy high above her head with both hands. She felt like a great heroine. She had won the National Spelling Bee! The room hummed with excited voices. Above the dull roar, Ellie easily identified her mother's shriek of joy and pride. Soon, Ellie's mother's arms were around her, cutting off her air supply.

"Ellie, congrats! Ellie—your trophy—it's amazing! Ellie, I am so proud of you, darling!" Ellie's mother gushed.

Swarms of friends, family, and fellow spellers bombarded Ellie with hugs and praise. It was the best night of Ellie's life.

Which sensory detail helps the reader imagine the way the setting sounds?

• Swarms of friends, family, and fellow spellers bombarded Ellie with hugs and praise.

• As cameras flashed, Ellie raised the trophy high above her head with both hands.

• Above the dull roar, Ellie easily identified her mother's shriek of joy and pride.

• Soon, Ellie's mother's arms were around her, cutting off her air supply.

The amount of gravity by an object is proportional to the mass of the object. In other words, objects with more mass will exert more gravity than objects with less mass. Distance also affects gravity. The amount of gravity decreases as the distance between two objects increases. These changes in the amount of gravity occur even on Earth. The farther away you are from the center of the Earth, the less gravity there is between you and the Earth. If you were on the Moon, the amount of gravity between you and the Earth would be even less.

Which word would best replace the underlined word to make the meaning more precise?

• variations

• movements

• inequalities

• departures

Last Saturday, I went to a farm with my dad and my younger brother to pick peaches. The farmer taught us how to choose the best fruit from the trees because we had never picked peaches before. After we climbed onto ladders and started picking the fruit, I reached for a peach that was hanging at the very end of a nearby branch. When I squeezed the peach to pull it off the branch, it burst open

all over my face and T-shirt. My dad and my brother laughed very hard, and I smelled like a sticky peach for the rest of the day.

• moved

• spilled

• splattered

• covered

That was a good movie that changed my life forever.

• trustworthy

• compelling

• baseless

• ok

The good fans cheered the winning team.

• compelling

• few

• crazy

• loyal

How can you write this sentence MOST VIVIDLY?

The waves came into the shore.

• All day long, the blue waves crashed into the sand.
• The waves came into the shore with a great whooshing sound.
• The waves crashed and danced along the shore, moving up and down in a graceful and gentle rhythm like they were dancing.