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ENG III determine the meaning of words and phrases
Although Robert tried his best in the tryouts, he was dismissed as an amataur. He gave the
judges a firey look and walked away from the stage. How will I ever improve if I never get a
chance? Robert thought.Why did I give up all of my leisure hours for this? I will never get a part
in a play in a millennium!
Just as Robert was about to reach the door, he heard a kind voice echo in the hall.
"Did you write the play yourself, son? I think you show great promise to be a playwright.
Why are you trying out for acting?"
1. Which of the following sentences contains a misspelling?
A. How will I ever improve if I never get a chance?
B. Why did I give up all of my leisure hours for this?
C. He gave the judges a firey look and walked away. . . .
D. I think you show great promise to be a playwright.
Despite the fact that he is one of the world's oldest living people, Alan O'Shannon doesn't
consider himself an "old man." In fact, he says that he has just begun to live. Last March, Mr.
O'Shannon celebrated his 107th birthday with his great-grandchildren. He credits
his longevity to his daily exercise routine and his decades-long habit of eating vegetables with
every meal and drinking plenty of water throughout the day. While Mr. O'Shannon considers
his exercise routine easy, many would consider getting up at 5 a.m. to run 12 miles quite
torturous. Despite his age, Mr. O'Shannon says that he is more active now than he was in his
youth.
"I used to have a mental roadblock called kainotophobia," says Mr. O'Shannon. "I was
terrified of anything that was new or different in my life. However, as I kept getting older, I
realized that most of the things I had been afraid of never happened. So, I decided to stop
letting fear run my life." Through his impressive lifespan, Mr. O'Shannon has
achieved notoriety both in his hometown and across the United States. In the past year, more
than 500 news articles have been written about this active senior citizen.
2. As used in this passage, longevity means a person's
A. healthy appetite.
B. love of exercise.
C. length of life.
D. desire for fame.
3.
Ritva traveled to France, and her greatest achievement was to end the experience with a
nearly perfect pronounciation of difficult French words.
How should the sentence be changed to correct the problem of spelling?
A. change pronounciation to pronunciation
B. change traveled to travelled
C. change experience to expereince
D. change achievement to acheivement
4. literal [lit-er-uhl] [ME] adj. 1. in complete keeping with the original 2. the fundamental
meaning of a word or phrase, not figurative or metaphorical 3. without exaggeration 4.relating
to the letters of the alphabet
What is the meaning of the word literal as it is used in the passage below?
Marta was a very captivating story teller. She could retell the most mundane event as an epic
adventure. All of her classmates loved to listen to Marta's tales.
One day, Marta's teacher said, "Marta, will you please tell me the literal account of what
happened on the playground? It is very important that I hear exactly what happened without all
of the embellishments that you are known to add.
Marta understood what her teacher was asking of her and replied, "Alex was on top of the
monkey bars when Pedro kicked the soccer ball really high. The ball hit Alex, and he fell off."
Marta's teacher thanked her and went to check on Alex.
A. definition 1
B. definition 4
C. definition 3
D. definition 2
5. Which sentence uses the same meaning of the underlined word in the sentence below?
The thief will utter his confession to the whole city.
A. I am going to utter the fact that I will run for a position on the school board next
year.
B. Aristotle has been known to utter Cleo's name in his sleep.
C. Wilma was in utter disbelief when we told her that she won the prize.
D. The criminal plans to print fake dollar bills and utter them into circulation.
6. When Maya lost her job, she and her family quickly learned how to stint. They canceled
cable TV, started taking care of their own lawn, stopped eating out, and used coupons for their
groceries. Maya and her family soon found out that it wasn't as difficult to live with less money
as they thought it would be. They actually started spending more time together working in the
yard, cooking dinner, and playing games instead of watching TV. Maya and her family are very
thankful for the lessons they learned through stinting.
What does stint mean in the passage above?
A. a specific amount of work
B. living on a low income
C. a period of time spent doing something
D. to limit or restrict to a certain quantity
7. binder [bayhn-der] [ME] n. 1. a person or thing that holds other things together 2. a
notebook cover with devices like rings to hold papers in place 3. a bookmaker 4. Insurance.
upon issuing a policy, an agreement on property or liability coverage 5. Agriculture. a machine
or an attachment that cuts and/or binds grain 6. Chemistry. a substance that makes two or
more components in a mixture stay together
What is the meaning of the word binder as it is used in the passage below?
The agent spent an hour going over the paperwork with the young man. Then, she asked,
"Do you have any questions?"
"Yes, what did you say the binder is for?" the young man asked.
When your policy is in place, the binder covers your car in case it gets damaged or stolen,"
the agent explained.
"Okay, that sounds great! I am ready to sign," the young man replied.
A. definition 4
B. definition 6
C. definition 3
D. definition 1
8. Which sentence uses the same meaning of the underlined word in the sentence below?
Leonard's business is trading stocks.
A. What she does with her money is none of my business.
B. The majority of the restaurant's business is from tourists.
C. Sacha went into the business of decorating wedding cakes.
D. Martin's photography business is located on Market Street.
9. Which sentence uses the same meaning of the underlined word in the sentence below?
Spain's soccer players carefully girded themselves for the FIFA World Cup Finals and won the
victory!
A. Samuel girded himself before he traveled across the European countryside.
B. John-Paul girded his brother Gary when he ran his bicycle into the tree in the
neighbor's yard.
C. The cowgirl girded herself with her championship belt and buckle whenever she
appeared in public.
D. The pack of coyotes girded the sickly deer before it made an attack.
10.
Directions: Select the correct text in the passage.
Which word in the passage helps the reader to understand what fallacious means?
Phrenology is a theory that suggests a person's personality can be determined from
"reading" the shape of his or her skull. Although this theory was quite popular in the
nineteenth century, phrenology has since been proven inaccurate. Modern medical and
psychological professionals generally consider the theory to be fallacious.
The first attempts to connect skull shape and personality were made by Franz Joseph Gall, a
German doctor, in the 1700s. After Gall published a book on the subject in 1809, phrenology
became a respected practice, and many people viewed it as a valuable source for psychological
insight.
During the Victorian era, people visited phrenologists for advice on a wide variety of issues—
from hiring employees to predicting a child's future or choosing a marriage partner. In the 20th
century, a new branch of psychology called psychoanalysis was created, which led to the
decline in popularity of phrenology. Today, the practice of phrenology has, for the most part,
been abandoned.
11.
Baby Times Seven
Almost everyone knows a couple who has given birth to twins, or even triplets, but larger
multiple births are far less common and have a much lower survival rate. However, in
November 1997, a family in Iowa experienced the joy of having septuplets, the first surviving
set of seven infants born in the world. The McCaughey septuplets were born nine weeks
premature, and they spent several weeks in the hospital before being sent home.
The preponderance of media attention that followed the septuplets' birth prompted the
Dionne quintuplets, the most famous multiples until the McCaugheys, to send a letter to the
Iowa family. The letter cautioned Mr. and Mrs. McCaughey against allowing the media into
their lives, and the septuplets have remained sheltered from unwanted attention for the
majority of their childhood. In 2010, the television network TLC featured the McCaughey
septuplets in a special entitled "America's Septuplets Turn 13." It was one of very few television
appearances the septuplets have made since their birth.
Based on the information in this passage, a preponderance of media attention means
A. the media has largely ignored a specific event.
B. the media has invested a minor interest in an event.
C. the media has not been made aware of an event.
D. the media has devoted much attention to an event.
Fashion Disasters at Freedmont High
by J. Robbins
"Come in and have a seat," Principal Moss told Shellie. She held her backpack in her lap as
she faced the principal across the wide walnut desk. Shellie noticed that Principal Moss' open
and kind spirit seemed dampened, and his usually ebullient face was quiet and withdrawn.
"I'm sure you are wondering why I've called you into my office," Principal Moss began.
Shellie shifted nervously in her seat.
"Yes, sir," she replied. I hope this isn't about me being late to class on Monday, she
thought. It's not my fault I had a flat tire!
"We have had some complaints about your column in the school newspaper, Shellie," said
the principal. Shellie was stunned. All of her friends loved her column!
"What kind of complaints?" she asked. Principal Moss cleared his throat and looked
uncomfortable.
"Let me first say that I enjoy reading 'Fashion Disasters at Freedmont High,' " he told Shellie.
"I enjoy fashion and clothing as much as the next person, so I find your sartorial column very
enjoyable." Shellie felt a blush of pride in her work at the principal's words.
"However, although I might enjoy your funny and keen observations," he continued, "Some
people feel that your trenchant remarks about other students' clothing can be a little
too . . . aggressively truthful." Shellie smiled as she remembered her many clever comments
about the fashion disasters she observed daily. Maybe I could tone it down a bit, she thought. I
never set out to hurt anyone's feelings.
"Okay, Principal Moss," said Shellie. "I can start being less candid about bad fashion choices if
it means that I can keep my column." The principal looked relieved, and his normally cheerful
attitude began to reappear.
"Certainly you may, Shellie, if you promise to be more discreet," he said. "I think you'll find
that by being more circumspect in your writing, you will gain a larger audience for your work."
Shellie smiled as she left the principal's office. I may have already begun to change my wicked
ways, she laughed to herself. I managed not to mention to Principal Moss that he should never
combine a navy blue suit with a puke green tie!
12. Based on the information in this passage, a sartorial newspaper column is mainly about
A. education.
B. popularity.
C. clothing.
D. relationships.
Chester took a deep breath and bolstered his courage before he approached the king’s throne
to make his request. “Your Majesty, if it pleases you, may I play my flute for you?”
“Why, it would please me indeed. Play thy flute,” King Milton responded.
Chester inhaled deeply, pursed his lips, carefully placed his fingers, raised his flute to his
mouth, and blew. A sweet, steady melody came forth from Chester’s flute. He felt as though he
had conquered the world with this single act of bravery.
13. What does the word bolstered mean in the story?
A. reinforced
B. hindered
C. allowed
D. carried
Snickerdoodle's Love Gone Stale
by Audge Podge
Nadia said rather flippantly, "It's not you, it's me. I'm just not interested in you."
Eric stood beside his locker as he listened to Nadia give him the ultimate break-up speech.
When she finished, he said, "But I love you, Snickerdoodle! Can't we work this out?"
"No," replied Nadia. "Everything about you bothers me, especially the way you primp in your
locker mirror, walk with that weird hop in your step, and call me "Snickerdoodle" all the time!
You have too manyidiosyncrasies that I just can't stand, so if the phone doesn't ring, it's
probably me. Later!"
Crushed, Eric started crying as he watched his beloved "Snickerdoodle" walk away.
14. Flippantly, as used in this passage, most likely means
A. calmly.
B. politely.
C. loudly.
D. rudely.
Studies
by J. Robbins
(1) Andrea and Blake sat in the booth at the restarant and tried to study. (2) The intermittant
cheering from the sports fans at the other tables was distracting, to say the least.
(3) "This is excruciating," complained Andrea. (4) She flipped through the pages of her book
with trepidition. (5) "We're never going to be able to finish this project on medievil warfare."
(6) "Don't be such a grump," Blake admonished her.
(7) "Why don't we just copy some of the paragraphs out of the book?" asked
Andrea. (8) "This book is a million years old. I'm sure no one will notice."
(9) "That's called plagarism," replied Blake. (10) "If you're going to talk like that, I'll have to
find another partner." (11) Andrea rolled her eyes.
(12) "Fine," she agreed sullenly, "but we had better get an A."
15. Andrea and Blake sat in the booth at the restarant and tried to study.
What is the correct spelling of the underlined word?
A. restuarant
B. restaurant
C. restairant
D. resturant