Unfamiliar words and phrases

In the sentence, "Maria is a diligent student; she always completes her homework carefully and on time," what does the word diligent mean?

• Lazy and careless

• Smart but messy

• Hardworking and careful

• Popular and friendly

Answer explanation

The context clue "always completes her homework carefully and on time" suggests that diligent means hardworking and careful, as this describes her actions.

Match each sentence to the type of context clue it uses to define the underlined word.

• Antonym/Contrast Clue

• Celestial bodies, such as the sun, moon, and stars, are fascinating to study.

• Example Clue

• He felt jubilant, unlike his sad and disappointed brother.

• Synonym/Definition Clue

• The journey was perilous; we faced many dangers along the way.

Answer explanation

Each sentence uses a different type of clue: 'dangers' defines perilous (definition), 'unlike his sad brother' contrasts with jubilant (antonym), and 'sun, moon, and stars' are examples of celestial bodies (example).

In the sentence, "She batted her eyelashes at her dad to get a new toy," what does the word batted mean?

• Hit something with a baseball bat

• Fluttered or blinked quickly

• A flying mammal

• Struggled with a difficult task

Answer explanation

The context of 'eyelashes' indicates that 'batted' refers to the action of blinking or fluttering. The other meanings of 'bat' (a piece of sports equipment or an animal) do not fit the sentence.

Sort the following phrases into two categories: Literal Meaning or Figurative Meaning.

Groups:

(a) Literal Meaning

,

(b) Figurative Meaning

• The rock is heavy.

• He is a rock.

• The gold ring is shiny.

• She has a heart of gold.

Answer explanation

'Literal' means the words mean exactly what they say. 'Figurative' means the words are used to create an image or comparison. A person cannot literally be a rock or have a heart made of gold.

Read the sentence below.

My friend is very versatile; for instance, she can play soccer, paint beautiful pictures, and code video games.

Based on the examples in the sentence, what does the word versatile mean?

• Having many different skills or abilities

• Being very focused on one activity

• Enjoying sports more than art

• Needing help to finish a task

Answer explanation

The sentence gives examples of the friend's different talents (soccer, painting, coding). This list helps the reader understand that 'versatile' means being able to do many different things well.

Match each word to the meaning of its prefix.

• Before

• premonition

• Again

• reiterate

• Not

• unprecedented

Answer explanation

The prefix 'un-' means not (unprecedented means never done before). The prefix 're-' means again (reiterate means to say something again). The prefix 'pre-' means before (a premonition is a feeling about something before it happens).

When someone says, "After the long hike, my backpack felt like it weighed a ton," what is the figurative meaning of the sentence?

• The backpack's actual weight was 2,000 pounds.

• The backpack was extremely heavy.

• The backpack was empty.

• The hike was very short.

Answer explanation

"Weighed a ton" is a hyperbole, a type of figurative language. It is an exaggeration used to express that the backpack felt very heavy, not that it literally weighed a ton.

Sort these sentences based on the meaning of the word trip.

Groups:

(a) A journey or vacation

,

(b) To stumble or fall

• Be careful not to trip over the cord.

• Our family took a trip to the beach.

• He will trip if he doesn't tie his shoes.

• I can't wait for our summer trip!

Answer explanation

The word 'trip' has multiple meanings. In some sentences, it refers to a journey (a vacation), while in others, it refers to the action of stumbling.

Based on the context, what does gregarious mean in the sentence: "Unlike his shy and quiet brother, Marco is quite gregarious."

• Artistic and creative

• Studious and serious

• Sociable and outgoing

• Quiet and reserved

Answer explanation

The clue "Unlike his shy and quiet brother" is a contrast clue. It shows that 'gregarious' is the opposite of shy and quiet, which means sociable and outgoing.

Match each word to its synonym.

• Tired

• Tiny

• Small

• Swift

• Huge

• Weary

• Fast

• Enormous

Answer explanation

A synonym is a word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. 'Enormous' means huge, 'tiny' means small, 'swift' means fast, and 'weary' means tired.