Transcript guessing vocabulary

GUESSING VOCABULARY:
EXERCISES
• A writer might give the meaning of a difficult
word in the passage itself:
New and knew are homophones—words that
sound the same but have a different spelling.
We visited Narvik, a town in the northern part of
Norway.
• You can guess the meaning of a word is through
the relationships of the words around it:
“After the heavy rain, the ground was saturated
with water.”
Eg. The company lures workers with high salaries
and good working conditions.
A. organizes
B. fires
C. attracts
D. angers
• The writer may refer to the same thing using a
different word in another part of the sentence, or
in a later sentence:
“That vase looks very fragile. With young children in
the house, I have to be careful with breakable
things.”
Eg. The company president’s veracity has been
questioned, but we do not doubt his truthfulness.
A. honesty B. ability C. luck D. finances
• A writer might also contrast the word that you do
not know with a word or idea that you already
know:
“That statue is in a precarious position. Please move it
somewhere that it won’t fall.”
Eg. At first, our problems seemed insurmountable.
However, now I think we’ll be able to find solutions.
A. not able to be explained
B. not able to be solved
C. not able to be understood
D. not able to be discussed
• Your knowledge of cause and effect is useful in
helping you understand words that you do not
know:
“Your statement of purpose is ambiguous, so we
don’t understand what you intend to do.”
Eg. The journey across the mountains was perilous,
and several people were killed.
A. long B. unnecessary C. beautiful D. dangerous
• A writer might give an illustration related to
the word that might help you understand the
word:
“Harry is so parsimonious that he won’t spend
an extra penny if he doesn’t have to.”
Eg. Glen belongs to a pacifist religious group,
and he is not allowed to join the army.
A. with many members
B. with strict rules
C. opposed to war
D. well known
• In some cases, the writer will mention the
purpose or use of an object , and this tells you
what the object is:
“I used a cherry pitter to remove the seeds from
the cherries.”
“The pilot used the altimeter to see how high
the plane was. “
1. “The earth is rich in biodiversity with millions
of different species of plants and animals.”
a. endangered animals
b. the variety of living things
c. threats to nature
2. “…the giant panda’s habitat has been decimated—the
old-growth bamboo forests where the pandas make
their home are being destroyed rapidly… The polar
bear’s icy habitat is disappearing as a result of global
warming, and it’s survival is at risk.”
habitat
a. the food animals eat
b. the place animals live
c. the extinction of animals
decimated
a. helped
b. destroyed
c. enlarged
3. “Extinction is one environmental problem
that is truly irreversible—once gone, these
species cannot be brought back.”
a. able to be controlled
b. impossible to change
c. technical
4. “…WWF has advanced giant panda conservation
by training more than 300 panda reserve staff
and local government officials, working with the
community to help save habitat and guard
against illegal hunting.”
a. trying to protect animals
b. dangers to animals
c. feeding animals
5. “Biodiversity is reduced when ecosystems are
modified and the habitats of plants and animals
are destroyed…. If one species in an ecosystem
disappears, other species are affected. And
when one ecosystem is altered or destroyed, a
ripple effect occurs, and the interdependency
of all living things becomes clear.
a. trying to protect animals
b. a reaction that spreads gradually through a
group
c. how plants and animals work together
What does misogynist mean?
Mary realized that Mr. Ashman was a
misogynist soon after she started working as
his assistant.
It is difficult for a woman to work for a
misogynist. She is never sure if his criticism is
based on her work or on the fact that she is a
woman.
Mary knew that no woman would ever get
a top-level job in a company run by a
misogynist.
What does soggy mean?
The window had been left open during the
storm, and the papers on my desk were a
soggy mess.
We gathered up the soggy towels and
bathing suits and hung them all in the sun to
dry.
What does shrink mean?
I washed the T-shirt in cold water so it
wouldn’t shrink.
If you want to have enough spinach for
dinner, you need to buy a lot. It shrinks to
almost nothing when you cook it.
What does swell up mean?
Jill’s skating accident made her foot swell
up until she could no longer wear her shoe.
Poor Simon! After he had his tooth pulled
out, the whole side of his face swelled up.