L6.4 Study Guide
Learning Target: I can choose flexibly from a range of strategies to
determine or clarify unknown word meanings based on grade 6
reading and content.
Strategy 1: Try substituting words in place of the
unknown word.
Example: I know that Jeff is smart, so I was confused when he did such
a vacuous thing as to jump off the roof of our house.
In this sentence, the word vacuous means______________________.
A. outstanding
B. cowardly
C. annoying
D. stupid
I know that Jeff is smart, so I was confused when
he did such a vacuous thing as to jump off the roof
of our house.
If you try substituting each of the choices into
the sentence, it should be easy to eliminate some
choices right away. The speaker is confused, so he
would not say it was an outstanding thing to do.
Cowardly and annoying do not seem to fit well, either.
The speaker began by calling Jeff smart, so it makes
sense that he was confused because Jeff did
something stupid. Stupid makes the most sense in
this example.
Strategy 2: Look for other words in the sentence
or paragraph that may give clues to the meaning
of the unknown word.
Example: The departing president of the organization gave his
valediction. When he was through, he welcomed the new president to
the podium.
In this sentence, the word valediction means
___________________________________.
A. welcome
B. beginning
C. farewell
D. starting
Example: The departing president of the
organization gave his valediction. When he was
through, he welcomed the new president to the
podium.
If you look at the rest of the sentence, you can tell that
the person who spoke is leaving his position. The word
departing is a clue. The next sentence says that the
speaker welcomed the new president. These clues
help us understand that valediction means farewell.
1. Define inarticulate in this sentence: The
new speaker from the health clinic was so
inarticulate that we left the auditorium
wondering what the message was.
A. full of anger
B. unclearly spoken
C. conflicted
D. cowardly
2. The tornado annihilated the whole town to
the point that nothing was left standing.
In this sentence, the word annihilated meansA. created
B. constructed
C. saved
D. destroyed
3. I felt sorry for the poor pathetic dog after
he was dropped off along the road in the rain.
In this sentence, the word pathetic means ---A. cheerful
B. joyful
C. happy
D. sad
4. The heavy rain made it difficult to see. Jill meant
to turn right on King Street, but she inadvertently
turned onto Cedar Street instead.
What does inadvertently mean?
A. carefully
B. deliberately
C. unintentionally
D. slowly
Learning Target: I can choose flexibly from a
range of strategies to determine or clarify
meanings of multiple meaning words and
phrases based on grade 6 reading and content.
Multiple meaning words and phrases are words
and/or phrases that look the same, but have
different meanings depending on the context of
the sentence or paragraph in which they occur.
Example:
last – (adv.) being after all the others. He was the last one in line for
lunch
(v) to continue in time; to endure. No one knew how long the storm
would last.
(n) a wooden frame on which boots and shoes are formed. The cobbler
inherited the last from his grandfather.
5. Our best hitter ground his teeth, determined
not to hit a fly ball.
Choose the definition below that best expresses the meaning
of the word ground as it is used in the sentence above.
ground – 1. (n) the solid surface of the earth 2. (v) to punish by
restricting activities 3. (v) rubbed together harshly 4. (n)
sediment at the bottom of a liquid
A. Definition 1
B. Definition 2
C. Definition 3
D. Definition 4
6. During a fire drill, it is important to remain quiet
so the teacher can call roll.
What does roll mean in this sentence?
A. the sound of thunder
B. a list of students
C. a type of bread
D. to turn over
7. The contestant was voted off American Idol because her
pitch was off.
Which sentence uses pitch the same way as the sentence
above?
A. The pitch came across home plate before the batter was
ready.
B. They used pitch from the fir tree to make patches for the
roof.
C. They bought the vacuum because the salesman’s pitch was
very convincing.
D. It was difficult to hear him because the pitch of his voice was
so low.
8. His comment hurt me to the core.
Choose the definition below that best expresses the meaning of the
word core as it is used in the sentence above.
core – 1. (n) the center or inner part 2. (n) the center of the earth 3.(n)
the chamber of a nuclear reactor 4. (v) to remove the inner section
A. Definition 1
B. Definition 2
C. Definition 3
D. Definition 4
Learning Target: 4a -I can infer the
meaning of unknown words using
context clues (e.g. definitions,
synonyms/antonyms, restatements,
examples found in the surrounding text).
Context clues – bits of information from the
text that, when combined with prior
knowledge, allow you to decide the meaning
of unknown words in the story or article you
are reading.
Definitions – word meanings
Some passages will directly include a definition of
an unknown word.
Example: After a time, glaciers, or slowly moving
rivers of ice, formed over many parts of the
Earth.
In this sentence the words “slowly moving rivers
of ice” is the definition of what glaciers are.
Synonyms – words that mean the same or nearly
the same.
Sometimes a sentence or paragraph will include a
synonym to help you understand an unfamiliar word.
Examples: There are many theories, or ideas, about
what made the Ice Ages happen.
In this sentence the word “ideas” tells us that theories
are different thoughts people have about something.
Antonyms – words that have opposite or nearly
opposite meanings.
Some sentences or paragraphs may provide clues that show the
unfamiliar word means the opposite of another word included in the
passage.
Example:
Joe was reluctant to take the job of captain of the team. He was
afraid that the time it would take would hurt his grades. On the other
hand, Billy was eager for the chance to be the team captain.
In this sentence the words “on the other hand” and “eager” tell us that
Billy feels the opposite of Joe, therefore, reluctant means uncertain or
cautious.
Restatements – stating the definition of an
unknown word or phrase in a different way.
Example:
Sue's boss was a callous man. He did not react to her tears and
apologies.
In this sentence, the description of Sue’s boss has been restated.
Callous must mean hard-hearted or insensitive.
9. The man who lives next door spoke brusquely
to the young children, unlike his wife who is
always polite.
In this sentence, the word brusquely means --A. calmly
C. gruffly or impolitely
B. courteously
D. kindly
10. Bobby thinks it's funny to tantalize Sally, such
as making fun of her curly hair, but it only makes
the other kids mad at him.
Tantalize means -----A. rush
C. tease
B. talk to
D. poke
11. Terry was obstinate; she was being stubborn and
refused to see any movie other than the one she
wanted.
In this sentence, the word obstinate means --A. stubborn
C. compliant
B. easily gives in
D. peacemaker
12. A chain of five missions established along the San Antonio
River in the 18th century became the largest concentration of
Catholic missions in North America. Built primarily, or mostly
to expand Spanish New World influence northward from
Mexico, the missions also served to introduce native
inhabitants, people, into Spanish society.
Inhabitants are ----A. missions
B. people
C. weapons
D. Spanish
Learning Target: 4b - I can use common
grade appropriate Greek and Latin
affixes and roots as clues to determine
the meaning of a word.
• affix– a word part added to a word that changes
or adds to its meaning; this term includes both
prefixes and suffixes
• prefix– a word part added to the beginning of a
word that changes or adds to its meaning
• suffix – a word part added to the end of a word
that changes or adds to its meaning
• root- the form of a word after all affixes are
removed
Example: haustire is a Latin word that means to
drain or empty
Exhaust is a word in English that uses the
root word and the prefix ex- which means out of.
Exhaust means to drain out or empty out. (We will
exhaust all possibilities.) If you add the suffix –ed,
the word changes to past tense and means
drained or emptied out. (All possibilities were
exhausted.)
13. Which word most likely comes from the Latin
word specere, meaning “to see?”
A. specialty
B. spendthrift
C. spelling
D. spectator
14. The prefix mis- is used in words such as
misstated, misconceive, and misunderstood.
From your knowledge of these words, what is
the meaning of the prefix mis- ?
A. wrongly
B. instead of
C. within
D. out of
15. Based on your knowledge of roots, what
is the correct root and meaning for the word
transportation?
A. trans- act of
B. trans – to carry
C. port – to carry
D. port - across
16. Phone- is a root word that means sound
and is used is words like telephone,
homophone, and microphone. Based on your
knowledge of words, which of the following
roots most likely means write?
A. nym
B. graph
C. macro
D. pen