ICAS Reading for Meaning 2

Question 1

A student reads: 'The ancient library stood silent, its shelves heavy with forgotten wisdom.' What does 'forgotten wisdom' most likely suggest?

Accepted Answer

The knowledge in the books is no longer used or remembered

Answer

'Forgotten wisdom' implies knowledge that once existed but is now neglected or unknown to current generations.

Question 2

Which reading strategy helps you understand the meaning of an unfamiliar word without using a dictionary?

Accepted Answer

Using context clues from surrounding sentences

Answer

Context clues—words and sentences around an unfamiliar word—often reveal its meaning.

Question 3

A passage states: 'Maria reluctantly agreed to attend the party.' What does 'reluctantly' tell us about Maria?

Accepted Answer

She did not want to go but agreed anyway

Answer

'Reluctantly' means doing something unwillingly, so Maria agreed despite not wanting to.

Question 4

When identifying the main idea of a paragraph, what should you look for first?

Accepted Answer

The topic sentence that states what the paragraph is about

Answer

The topic sentence, often the first sentence, states the main idea that the rest of the paragraph supports.

Question 5

Read: 'Unlike his boisterous classmates, Liam preferred the quiet corners of the school library.' What does 'boisterous' mean?

Accepted Answer

Noisy and energetic

Answer

The contrast between Liam's preference for quiet and his 'boisterous' classmates shows they are noisy and energetic.

(ICAS) ICAS Practice Test