TDA Vocabulary in Context 3

Question 1

In a TDA response, a student writes: 'The author uses the word decimated to show that things got bad.' What improvement is needed?

Accepted Answer

Specify that 'decimated' means severely reduced or destroyed, explain the connotation of extreme loss, and connect it to the author's argument

Answer

Replace 'decimated' with a simpler synonym and move on

Answer

Add a second quote to the sentence to make the evidence stronger

Answer

Put 'decimated' in bold text to emphasize the word choice

Question 2

Why might an author shift from formal language to colloquial (informal, everyday) language partway through a text?

Accepted Answer

To create a personal connection with the reader or signal a shift in tone, subject matter, or audience relationship

Answer

Because the author ran out of formal vocabulary to use

Answer

To confuse the reader and make the text harder to analyze

Answer

Because colloquial language is always more persuasive than formal language

Question 3

What is the difference between a word's 'literal' meaning and its 'figurative' meaning?

Accepted Answer

The literal meaning is the factual, dictionary definition; the figurative meaning extends beyond fact to suggest something symbolic or emotional

Answer

The literal meaning is used only in poetry; the figurative meaning is used only in informational texts

Answer

The two meanings are always identical in professionally published texts

Answer

The figurative meaning is the correct one, and the literal meaning is always wrong

Question 4

How does careful vocabulary analysis strengthen the 'evidence' component of a TDA body paragraph?

Accepted Answer

It shows that evidence is not just a quote but a specific word or phrase whose precise meaning and connotation directly support the claim

Answer

It allows the writer to avoid using direct quotations from the text

Answer

It is only needed when the prompt specifically asks about vocabulary

Answer

It makes the paragraph longer, which earns more points on TDA rubrics

Question 5

An author describes a policy as 'necessary' in one paragraph and 'unavoidable' in the next. What should a TDA analysis note?

Accepted Answer

Both words reinforce the author's claim that the policy has no alternative, but 'unavoidable' adds a stronger sense of inevitability and removes any sense of choice

Answer

The author made a vocabulary error and should have used the same word each time

Answer

The two words are interchangeable synonyms with no meaningful difference

Answer

The second word shows the author changed their opinion between paragraphs

Question 6

What does it mean to analyze how an author's vocabulary choices contribute to the 'overall effect' of a TDA passage?

Accepted Answer

To explain how the cumulative impact of word choices across the text builds the author's tone, argument, and meaning

Answer

To count all the difficult words and report how many there are

Answer

To identify only the most unusual word in each paragraph

Answer

To determine whether the author's vocabulary is above or below grade level