Academic Vocabulary to Know for Tests

If a question asks you to "Trace the author's argument," the question wants you to​ (a)   the argument.

• outline

• summarize

• respond

If you're analyzing a story, you are

• summarizing the plot

• criticizing the characters

• rewriting the ending

• looking at it closely

If you were to evaluate an author's position, you would ​ (a)  

• justify the answer with evidence

• solve the problem

If a question asks you to infer what a character is feeling, what is it asking you to do?

• It is asking you to summarize the character's backstory.

• It is asking you to predict the character's future actions.

• It is asking you to describe the character's physical appearance.

• It is asking you to analyze the character's emotions based on their behavior and context.

If you are asked to formulate an opinion, you are (a)  

• putting your ideas together.

• breaking your ideas apart. 

When asked to describe something, you will ​ (a)  

• give details about the topic.

• ignore the topic entirely

• provide a vague summary

• ask someone else for details

When you are asked how to best summarize the text, you should...

• provide a personal opinion on the text.

• list every detail in the text.

• rewrite the text word for word.

• identify main ideas and condense them into a brief statement.

If you are asked to support a claim, you will...

• provide personal opinions instead of evidence.

• accept the claim without question.

• ignore the claim and move on.

• gather evidence and reasoning to validate the claim.

When asked to explain something from a text, you would...

• summarize the key points in your own words.

• read the text aloud to someone else.

• copy the text verbatim without changes.

• ignore the text and provide your opinion.

If you are comparing two texts, you are finding something that is ​ (a)  

• similar

• different

• unrelated

• dissimilar