Word (.docx)
Acrobat (.pdf)
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Item Type(s):
This benchmark may be assessed using:
MC
item(s)
Also assesses LA.4.1.6.6 The student will identify shades of meaning
in related words (e.g., blaring, loud).
- Clarification :
The student will analyze words that have multiple meanings and determine the correct meanings of the words as used in the text.For shades of meaning, the student will analyze the word or phrase to determine small, subtle differences in meaning between related words (e.g., glance, glare, and peek all refer to the concept of looking, but each word has a different meaning or connotation).
- Content Limits :
Grade-level appropriate texts should be used to assess words with multiple meanings or shades of meaning.
The words should be assessed using texts below grade level, or on grade level.
Excerpted text should contain clear and sufficient context for determining the meaning of the assessed word. - Content Focus :
Multiple Meanings
Analyze Words in Text
Shades of Meaning - Text Attributes :
Texts should be literary or informational.
Other stimuli may include, but are not limited to, illustrations with captions, graphics, and charts.
Texts must contain words with multiple meanings or shades of meaning and must provide clear and sufficient information or context for the student to determine the correct meaning. - Distractor Attributes :
Distractors may include, but are not limited to
- correct meanings of the assessed word but inappropriate to the text;
- meanings drawn from the text but unrelated to the meaning of the assessed word or test item;
- incorrect connotation of a word based on the use of the word in the text (use only to assess shades of meaning);
- words constructed similarly to the correct response (e.g., same affix, same tense); and
- plausible but incorrect distractors based on the text.
- Test Item #: Sample Item 1
- Question: The sample item below is based on “Learning to Sing” on page H–12.
Read this sentence from the article.
Talented singers have the power to affect us in many ways—emotionally, physically, and mentally.
Which sentence uses the word power the same way it is used in the sentence above?
- Difficulty: N/A
- Type: MC: Multiple Choice
- Test Item #: Sample Item 2
- Question: The sample item below is based on “Across the Blue Mountains” on page H–9.
Read this sentence from the story.
Each morning when the sun shone in her window, Miss Bilberry leapt out of bed.
Why does the author use the word leapt in the sentence above?
- Difficulty: N/A
- Type: MC: Multiple Choice
- Test Item #: Sample Item 3
- Question: The sample item below is based on “Learning to Sing” on page H–12.
Read this sentence from the article.
“Put your heart into your singing and enjoy it,” says Carol, “because singing is a great joy.”
What is the meaning of the word great as it is used in the sentence above?
- Difficulty: N/A
- Type: MC: Multiple Choice
- Test Item #: Sample Item 4
- Question: The sample item below is based on “Living on the Edge of Danger” on page G–14.
Read these sentences from the article.
Their whole colony stays in the nest until the sand temperature outside gets to about 116 degrees. Then a few scouts give a signal, and hundreds of ants come pouring out.
Why does the author use the word pouring instead of “crawling” in the sentence above?
- Difficulty: N/A
- Type: MC: Multiple Choice
- Test Item #: Sample Item 5
- Question: The sample item below is based on “Across the Blue Mountains” on page G–8.
Read these sentences from the passage.
“This is the wrong way,” snarled Chester.
“No it isn’t,” snapped Cecilie.
By using the word snapped instead of “said” or “replied” in the sentence above, the author shows that Cecilie is
- Difficulty: N/A
- Type: MC: Multiple Choice
