Reading Flashcards

A student reads: 'The library was a fortress of silence, its stone walls keeping the outside world at bay.' What literary device is used here?

Answer: Metaphor

The library is directly compared to a fortress without using 'like' or 'as,' making it a metaphor.

Which of the following best describes the purpose of a topic sentence in a paragraph?

Answer: To introduce the main idea of the paragraph

A topic sentence states the central idea of the paragraph, orienting the reader to what follows.

A passage states: 'Unlike solar panels, wind turbines can generate electricity at night.' This sentence is primarily an example of:

Answer: Compare and contrast

The word 'unlike' signals a direct comparison between two technologies, indicating the compare-and-contrast structure.

What does the prefix 'mis-' most likely mean in the word 'misinterpret'?

Answer: Wrongly

The prefix 'mis-' means wrongly or incorrectly, so 'misinterpret' means to interpret incorrectly.

A student cannot determine the meaning of an unfamiliar word from context. What is the best next step?

Answer: Look up the word in a dictionary or glossary

Consulting a dictionary or glossary provides an accurate, reliable definition when context clues are insufficient.

Read this sentence: 'The results of the experiment were, to put it mildly, surprising.' The phrase 'to put it mildly' suggests that the results were:

Answer: Extremely unexpected

'To put it mildly' is an understatement signaling that the actual results were far more surprising than the word 'surprising' implies.

Which sentence from a passage would most likely be found in the concluding paragraph?

Answer: In summary, addressing these causes requires both local and national policy changes.

The phrase 'in summary' and the call for policy changes signal a conclusion that wraps up the passage's argument.