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WorksheetsDenotation and Connotation Test
Total questions: 12
Worksheet time: 28mins
Define the term "denotation"
(a)
Define the term "connotation"
(a)
Connotations refers to a meaning that is implied by a word. Connotations are often decided by cultural and emotional meanings. If someone called you childish, would it be considered a negative or positive connotation?
negative
positive
denotative
tone
.
Which phrase has a negative connotation?
thrifty persom
stingy person
Choose the word that best completes the sentence. Hint: Determine the connotation (positive or negative) through context clues.
My friend is very careful about spending money. I admire that, so I call him _____
miserly
cheap
thrifty
selfish
Choose the word that best completes the sentence. Hint: Determine the connotation (positive or negative) through context clues.
Although the problem was difficult to resolve, Sandra and John were ________________ in searching for an answer. Their teacher was quite proud.
persistent
bullheaded
headstrong
stubborn
Which phrase has negative connotation?
a box filled with documents
a box crammed with documents
The teacher was mildly intimated by Merdine's bossy behavior. If you change the word bossy to assertive, the word now has a ____ connotation.
positive
negative
Reread paragraph 12 of Rosa Parks: My Story to determine the connotation of key words.
From the autobiography Rosa Parks: My Story.
12 At the city desk they filled out the necessary forms as I answered questions such as what my name was and where I lived. I asked if I could make a telephone call and they said, “No.” Since that was my first arrest, I didn’t know if that was more discrimination because I was black or if it was standard practice. But it seemed to me to be more discrimination. Then they escorted me back to the squad car, and we went to the city jail on North Ripley Street.
What is the intended connotation of the word discrimination? Is it a negative or positive connotation? what does the word imply?
(a)
Read the excerpt from Medusa's Gaze and Vampire's Bite: Defined as horrible and behold and a threat to all who cross them, monsters are creatures we run from and beasts we warn our children about. Yet something about them is enticing, mesmerizing, and addictive. Terrible as they may be, we cannot help even looking closer, parting the fingers that are covering our eyes. There is no getting around it. Something deep inside monsters fascinates us.
Look at the underlined words. What two words show a positive connotation?
(a)
All words have a connotation and a denotation. If you look up the word 'snake' in the dictionary, it would define a reptile. If you called someone 'snake', it would be an example of a
positive connotation
negative connotation
Read the following excerpt from the “Letter to Xavier High School” by Kurt Vonnegut. Read each passage. Then explain the connotative meaning of the word, including whether the word has a positive or negative connotation.
I thank you for your friendly letters. You sure know how to cheer up a really old geezer (84) in his sunset years. I don’t make public appearances anymore because I now resemble nothing so much as an iguana.
The word iguana has a negative connotation here because the author is saying he is very, very old and is more like a lizard these days.
The word iguana has a positive connotation here because the author is saying he is very, very old and is more like a lizard these days.
The word iguana has a negative connotation here because the author is saying he is boring.
The word iguana has a positive connotation here because the author is saying he is very, very youthful.
