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Determine Connotative Meanings

Total questions: 17

Worksheet time: 22mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

1. Which phrase has a positive connotation?

a)

A strong reek

b)

A strong aroma

2.

3. Which phrase has a negative connotation?

a)

A bold plan

b)

A reckless plan

3.

4. Which phrase has a positive connotation?

a)

Energetic dogs

b)

Rambunctious dogs

4.

5. Connotation is a word's ___________.

a)

synonym

b)

anyonym

c)

emotional meaning

d)

literal, dictionary definition

5.

7. I recognized the familiar smell of my roommate's cooking. If you change the word smell to stench, the word now has a ____________ connotation.

a)

positive

b)

negative

6.

8. Why do people use figurative language?

a)

To make their writing interesting and visual, or to emphasize an idea and make a point.

b)

To be grammatically correct.

c)

To structure their writing into paragraphs.

d)

Because Beyonce uses it in her songs.

7.

9. The word scrawny, as in "Jason appeared scrawny," has a _________ connotation.

a)

positive

b)

negative

8.

10. What's the meaning of this simile?

"My mom can be as fiery as a volcano when I don't do my chores on time."

a)

Her hair is red.

b)

She talks really loudly.

c)

She gets really angry.

d)

She spits when she talks.

9.

This house isn't perfect, but it's where my babies grew up. I know it all by heart. I know every stain on the carpet, every creaking floorboard and every paint chip on the windowsills. Each corner of this small space is filled with memories that I relive when I walk through the narrow hallways.


What words best describe the author's tone in the passage above?

a)

hopeless and afraid

b)

angry and violent

c)

sentimental and tender

10.

Depending on what you're writing or reading, you'll want to have a specific tone. If you were describing your favorite book to a friend, you might have an sentimental tone. That means gushing and heartfelt. If you're writing a research paper, you'll want to keep your tone more objective. Textbooks tend to have a neutral tone, sticking to just the facts without showing the author's attitude toward the subject. Tone can be related to purpose. If you want to inform your reader, and not persuade her, an objective tone might be best.


Based on the passage, which of the following most likely has an objective tone?

a)

a wikipedia entry

b)

a letter to a friend

c)

an argumentative essay

11.

The school was dark and cold, and the hallways were empty. I walked by rows of blue-gray locker doors, dented and bent into strange shapes until I reached it: Room 209. It was here that I was a freshman in high school, new to the town and without a friend in the world. All those years ago, I had sat in a desk in this room, surrounded by strangers who could not pronounce my name and did not bother to ask me.


Which detail from the passage best creates a gloomy, lonely mood?

a)

"All those years ago, I had sat in a desk in this room..."

b)

"The school was dark and cold, and the hallways were empty."

c)

"It was here that I was a freshman in high school... "

12.

Maya Angelou was known for including figurative language in her books and poems. Figurative language is language that means something other than its literal meaning. It adds color and vividness to writing. Similes are one type of figurative language. Similes compare two things using the words “like” or “as.” For example: “His shirt was pure white like freshly fallen snow.” Other types of figurative language include metaphors, in which two unlike things are compared without using “like” or “as,” and imagery, or very vivid, descriptive language.


Which of the following contains a simile?

a)

A ripple in a pond looks similar to the rings of a tree trunk. They’re both made up of concentric circles.

b)

The frog croaked so loudly that it scared away all the birds and butterflies.

c)

On the inside, Ravi felt nervous, but on the outside, he looked as cool as a cucumber.

13.
Choose the sentence below that is closest in meaning to the figurative expression.  
 His room is a train wreck. It is ____________________
a)
well organized
b)
well laid out
c)
a mess
d)
full of nice toys
14.
Choose the sentence below that is closest in meaning to the figurative expression.
She's my rock. She always _____________ me.
a)
puts me down
b)
leans on
c)
criticizes
d)
supports
15.
Below is an example of what type of figurative language?
The wind whispered lonely sounds as it blew through the old creaky windows.
a)
Simile
b)
Hyperbole
c)
Metaphor
d)
Personification
16.
Choose the best answer.Thanks to that stream, we had plenty of water for them. What is another word for plenty?
a)
enough
b)
pretty
c)
little
d)
fresh
17.
Tonya was relaxing with a magazine when her father walked in, looking perturbed and sounding annoyed, too. What words give you clues to the meaning of perturbed?
a)
can you help me
b)
her father walked in 
c)
sounding annoyed, too
d)
relaxing with a magazine