EL1 Assessment 3
EL1: Denotation & Connotation
You must correctly answer 15 of the 21 questions below in order to pass EL1.
61. Read the following excerpt.
I agree with people who proclaim that
games like this one made us into
empty-headed weaklings.
Which of the following words has a
connotation similar to empty-headed?
A!
B!
C!
D!
thoughtless
competitive
frail
lazy
64. Read the following sentence.
Our society is already so computerized
and dehumanized.
The following words have denotations similar
to dehumanized. Which one is the best
replacement for dehumanized, as used
above?
A!
B!
C!
D!
impersonal
uncivilized
impatient
untalkative
62. Read the following excerpt.
In case you couldnʼt tell, Iʼm worried
that electronic games are dominating
childrenʼs lives.
In “A Veto on Video Games,” the author
probably chose the word dominating instead
of occupying because dominating has -A!
B!
C!
D!
the opposite meaning.
a more positive connotation.
a more negative connotation.
the same denotation.
63. The following words have meanings
similar to damage. Which one had the most
negative connotation?
A!
B!
C!
D!
65. Read the following excerpt.
However, since such behavior is seldom
tolerated in American schools, many bullies
have developed subtler, yet no less
harmful, strategies that include ridiculing,
shaming, harassing, excluding, and
verbally frightening others.
Which of the following words from this
sentence has a negative connotation?
A!
B!
C!
D!
strategies
excluding
verbally
tolerated
mischief
ruin
harm
injury
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EL1 Assessment 3
66. Read the following sentence.
Although Jabrielle, 11, has felt the sting of
racial slurs, that hasnʼt stopped her from
bullying other girls on the playground.
The author probably uses the word sting
instead of the word effect because sting has-A!
B!
C!
D!
a more negative connotation.
a more neutral connotation.
a more positive connotation.
exactly the same denotation.
69. In which sentence does the underlined
word have the most positive connotation?
A!
"
B!
"
C!
"
D!
"
The grandmother was kind, although
occasionally she was disgruntled.
The grandmother was kind, although
occasionally she was grouchy.
The grandmother was kind, although
occasionally she was cranky.
The grandmother was kind, although
occasionally she was temperamental.
70. Read the following sentence.
67. Read the following sentence.
Bullies often zero in on physical differences,
unleashing their abuse on students who
wear glasses, braces, or funky clothing.
Which of the following best expresses the
denotation of the underlined word?
A!
B!
C!
D!
releasing
tormenting
failing
holding
68. Read the following sentence.
I was angry when I learned about the new
state restrictions on teen drivers.
If the author had wanted to use a word with a
stronger connotation than angry to describe
the way she felt, she might have used the
word-A!
B!
C!
D!
enraged.
bothered.
irritated.
annoyed.
I loved the world, but the world kicked
me like a soccer ball.
We can infer from “the world kicked me like a
soccer ball” that the speaker-A!
B!
C!
D!
is serious about soccer.
is excited about soccer.
feels glad about his life.
feels pain about his life.
71. Read the following poem.
I am an autumnʼs day leaf.
With a strong breeze, I will break
from the branch.
The wind will carry me with it,
And from this world, I will disappear.
“I will break from the branch” connotes
that the speaker feels like-A!
B"
C"
D"
he is very thin.
he is close to nature.
he is close to death.
he is close to birth.
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EL1 Assessment 3
72. Which meaning of skirt is used in the
sentence below?
Tom was uncomfortable, so he skirted the
issue.
A!
B!
C!
D!
a garment worn from the waist down
a flap of a saddle
to pass on the side
to avoid
73. Which meaning of mind is used in the
sentence below?
Even though raking leaves is hard, I donʼt
mind at all.
A!
B"
C"
D"
reason/thinking
obey/follow
to pay attention to
to be bothered by
74. Read the selection below.
Midori is an internationally renowned
violinist born in Osaka, Japan, in 1973.
Surrounded by music from birth, Midori
was presented with her first violin by her
mother when she was three. Soon
afterwards, Midori began formal training
with her mother. Because of Midoriʼs
astonishing progress, her mother was
convinced she was prodigy.
The reader can infer that Midoriʼs mother-A!
B!
C"
D"
has had musical training.
played in a band.
is a dancer.
has no musical ability.
Questions 75 and 76 refer to the passage
below.
Marian Anderson was the first black
American to perform at New Yorkʼs
Metropolitan Opera. In 1958, she was
named delegate to the United Nations.
She was awarded the Presidential Medal
of Freedom. “I have a great belief in the
future of my people and my country,”
Marian said.
75. Most likely, Marian Anderson-A! spent most of her life in Washington
D.C.
B! had endured racism.
C! has no confidence in Americans.
D! inspired Lady Gaga.
76. The Presidential Medal of Freedom
connotes-A"
B"
C"
D"
racism.
talent.
honor.
politics.
77. When the small child hurt his knee, his
mother said, “there, there.”
there, there connotes-A"
B"
C"
D"
repetition.
direction.
tenderness.
indifference.
Continues on the following page.
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EL1 Assessment 3
Questions 78, 79, 80, & 81 refer to the poem
below.
Loser
He went to the garden
To pick a rose
For the one he loved.
He found a pink one,
the last.
He smiled as he cut it.
But as he put it into the vase,
The petals fell off.
The petals fell off,
the story of his life.
The petals fell off,
And he was le@
With a stem and thorns,
As usual.
78. As usual connotes that the speaker-A"
B"
C"
D"
is happy in love.
collects flowers.
is used to sadness.
experiences sadness for the first time.
79. Rose denotes-A"
B"
C"
D"
flower.
love.
friendship.
sorrow.
80. Left with a stem and thorns, the
speaker most likely-A"
B"
C"
D"
is a botanist.
accepts his loss.
is hopeful.
is angry.
81. The petals fell off connotes-A"
B"
C"
D"
hopefulness.
hopelessness.
sloppiness.
contamination.
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EL1 Assessment 3
Answer Key
1. D
2. C
3. B
4. A
5. B
6. A
7. A
8. A
9. D
10. D
11. C
12. D
13. D
14. A
15. B
16. C
17. C
18. C
19. A
20. B
21. B
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