Understanding Essay Structure and Vocabulary

Read this sentence. Pay special attention to the underlined words.

The sound of the sirens in the middle of the night scared me.

Which resource would be most helpful for finding other words with meanings similar to sound and scared?

• an English textbook

• a thesaurus

• a dictionary

• an encyclopedia

What does the Latin prefix mal-, as in the word malpractice, mean?

• bad

• across

• again

• not

Which of the following answers describes the most suitable structure for an informative essay about poison dart frogs?

• The essay presents a paragraph explaining that the writer's father studied poison dart frogs, followed by a paragraph about a time when one of the father's frogs escaped.

• The essay presents a paragraph telling about threats to various species of frogs, followed by paragraphs giving reasons why it is vital for readers to help protect these species.

• The essay presents a paragraph listing the types of animals that have backbones, including mammals, birds, and frogs, followed by a paragraph telling where poison dart frogs live.

• The essay presents a paragraph describing the poison dart frog's small size and bright colors, followed by a paragraph discussing the frog's deadly venom.

Which plot detail describes a story's conflict?

• Jacklyn finds a wallet containing $200 and no identification.

• Jacklyn considers whether she should keep the wallet or try to find its owner.

• Jacklyn takes the wallet to the police and explains the situation.

• The owner of the wallet praises Jacklyn's honesty and gives her a $25 reward.

Which sentence contains cumulative adjectives?

• Pat often wears her royal blue sweater because the loves the color.

• Glenda gave a funny, emotional toast at her brother's wedding.

• Sore, tired feet are one of the downsides of my job at the mall.

• Enjoy large, exciting discounts at our store!

What is the primary purpose of a persuasive essay?

• To inform the reader about a specific topic.

• To entertain the reader with a story.

• To convince the reader to adopt a particular viewpoint.

• To describe a process or procedure.

What is the function of a topic sentence in a paragraph?

• To provide a concluding thought.

• To offer a detailed example.

• To introduce the main idea of the paragraph.

• To summarize the entire essay.

Select the sentence that correctly uses cumulative adjectives.

• The pink baby doll was missing an eye.

• We loved the coffee-drinking baby.

• Rhonda finally woke up from her slumber.

• Olivia requested some sticky, sugary pancakes.

Select the sentence that correctly uses cumulative adjectives.

• The brown deer ran out of the woods.

• The baby nodded her chubby head to the music.

• The long, enchanting poem hypnotized me.

• The yellow brick road led home.

Select the sentence that correctly uses coordinating adjectives.

• The beautiful elegant dress shimmered.

• The ten angry birds started to sing angry songs.

• The big, tall dinosaur had many horns.

• The mermaid swam in the large, blue ocean.