STAAR Prep 3: Word Choice & Effective Phrases

The word “a lot of” is not the most effective in the following sentence. "The scientist did a lot of research to prove the theory." Which word should replace “a lot of”?

• Important

• lots

• Extensive

• Many

A student has not used an effective phrase in the following sentence. "The speech was kind of interesting, but some parts were boring." Which phrase should replace “kind of interesting”?

• Extremely engaging

• Slightly interesting

• Somewhat cool

• Moderately nice

The word “very tired” is not the most effective to use in the following sentence. After running five miles, Julia was very tired and needed a break. Which word should replace “very tired”?

• Sleepy

• Worn out

• Exhausted

• Sluggish

Ms. North has not used an effective phrase in the following sentence. "The new law was a big deal because it changed the rules." Which phrase should replace “a big deal”?

• A significant policy shift

• An okay thing

• A pretty big event

• A kind of important rule

The word “talks about” is not the most effective to use in the following sentence. The author talks about a bunch of things in the article. Which word should replace “talks about”?

• Discusses

• Speaks on

• Mentions

• Says

The word “really hard” is not the most effective to use in the following sentence. The math test was really hard for most students. Which word should replace “really hard”?

• Difficult

• Challenging

• Tough

• Complex

Luke has not used an effective phrase in the following sentence. "The team won the championship, which was pretty good." Which phrase should replace “pretty good”?

• An incredible achievement

• A decent event

• A solid win

• A reasonable success

The word “stuff” is not the most effective to use in the following sentence. In history class, we learned about a lot of stuff from the 1800s. Which word should replace “stuff”?

• Events

• Topics

• Facts

• All of the above

The word “kind of” is not the most effective to use in the following sentence. She was kind of excited about her vacation. Which word should replace “kind of”?

• Extremely

• Slightly

• Genuinely

• Moderately

Olivia has not used an effective phrase in the following sentence. "The speech was okay, but it could have been better." Which phrase should replace “okay?"

• Insightful and thought-provoking

• meh

• Not terrible

• Kind of good