Card 0 of 232
Adapted from "The Princess and the Pea" by Hans Christian Andersen (trans. Sommer 1897)
Once upon a time there was a prince who wanted to marry a princess; but she would have to be a real princess. He travelled all over the world to find one, but nowhere could he get what he wanted. There were princesses enough, but it was difficult to find out whether they were real ones. There was always something about them that was not as it should be. So he came home again and was sad, for he would have liked very much to have a real princess.
One evening a terrible storm came on; there was thunder and lightning, and the rain poured down. Suddenly a knocking was heard at the city gate, and the old king went to open it.
It was a princess standing out there in front of the gate. The water ran down from her hair and clothes; it ran down into the toes of her shoes and out again at the heels. She looked so destitute in the wind and the rain. And yet she said that she was a real princess.
“Well, we’ll soon find that out,” thought the old queen. But she said nothing, went into the bed-room, took all the bedding off the bedstead, and laid a pea on the bottom; then she took twenty mattresses and laid them on top of the pea.
On this the princess had to lie all night. In the morning she was asked how she had slept.
“Oh, very badly!” said she. “I have scarcely closed my eyes all night. Heaven only knows what was in the bed, but I was lying on something hard, so that I am black and blue all over my body. It’s horrible!”
Now they knew that she was a real princess because she had felt the pea right through the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider-down beds.
Nobody but a real princess could be as sensitive as that.
So the prince took her for his wife, for now he knew that he had a real princess; and the pea was put in the museum, where it may still be seen, if no one has stolen it.
There, that is a true story.
What does the princess mean when she says she is “black and blue” (underlined) all over her body?
The expression “black and blue” is an English idiom that means to be bruised. An idiom is usually a non literal, fixed expression. For example, the idiom “raining cats and dogs” means raining a lot, and the idiom “over the moon” means very happy.
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Adapted from Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (1871)
One thing was certain, that the white kitten had had nothing to do with it—it was the black kitten's fault entirely. For the white kitten had been having its face washed by the old cat for the last quarter of an hour (and bearing it pretty well, considering); so you see that it COULDN'T have had any hand in the mischief.
The way Dinah washed her children's faces was this: first she held the poor thing down by its ear with one paw, and then with the other paw she rubbed its face all over, the wrong way, beginning at the nose: and just now, as I said, she was hard at work on the white kitten, which was lying quite still and trying to purr—no doubt feeling that it was all meant for its good.
But the black kitten had been finished with earlier in the afternoon, and so, while Alice was sitting curled up in a corner of the great arm-chair, half talking to herself and half asleep, the kitten had been having a grand game of romps with the ball of worsted Alice had been trying to wind up, and had been rolling it up and down till it had all come undone again; and there it was, spread over the hearth-rug, all knots and tangles, with the kitten running after its own tail in the middle.
'Oh, you wicked little thing!' cried Alice, catching up the kitten, and giving it a little kiss to make it understand that it was in disgrace. 'Really, Dinah ought to have taught you better manners! You OUGHT, Dinah, you know you ought!' she added, looking reproachfully at the old cat, and speaking in as cross a voice as she could manage—and then she scrambled back into the arm-chair, taking the kitten and the worsted with her, and began winding up the ball again. But she didn't get on very fast, as she was talking all the time, sometimes to the kitten, and sometimes to herself. Kitty sat very demurely on her knee, pretending to watch the progress of the winding, and now and then putting out one paw and gently touching the ball, as if it would be glad to help, if it might.
In the first paragraph, what does the underlined phrase “the mischief” refer to?
This is a somewhat tricky question because the passage jumps right into its discussion of “the mischief” in its first paragraph, and the reader only figures out what this is in the passage’s third paragraph. The first paragraph offers no clue as to what “the mischief” is, besides the fact that it’s solely the black kitten’s fault; you have to consider the rest of the passage in order to figure out what is being referenced. If you only consider the first paragraph, three answer choices may seem correct: “The fact that the black kitten unwound the ball of worsted,” “The fact that the black kitten tore apart a lace doily,” and “The fact that the black kitten made Alice worry by hiding all morning.” However, considering the third paragraph, which describes how the black kitten unwound the ball of worsted, should help you infer that “the mischief” being referenced in the first paragraph is actually “the fact that the black kitten unwound the ball of worsted.”
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Determine the meaning of the underlined word.
Fred went to the flower market to pick up some beautiful blooms. He needed to buy lovely flowers for the soirée at his house that evening. When he returned, he quickly dressed in his best suit and tie because his guests were about to arrive.
A "soirée"is a fancy party in the evening.
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Determine the meaning of the underlined word.
Laurel was walking her tiny Chihuahua through the park last night when she noticed a big dog quietly lurking in the shadows. She quickly turned and walked the other way because she did not want the big dog to notice her tiny Chihuahua.
To "lurk" means to lie quietly in wait, most often for prey.
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Determine the meaning of the underlined word.
Amber walked into the party and immediately noticed the gregarious hostess. She was chatting, laughing, and telling jokes to a crowd of four people across the room.
A "gregarious"person is someone who is friendly, outgoing, and easy to get along with.
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Baseball is a great game. It’s one of my favorite pastimes. It’s a great way to spend a lazy summer afternoon. I love going to watch the nine inning game played on a beautifully mowed lawn, listening to the Umpire yell “STRIKE,” singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh inning stretch, and I especially love the sound of the bat going "crack!!" when it hits the ball. Baseball is definitely my favorite sport.
Determine the meaning of the underlined word.
A pastime is a fun activity that helps you "pass the time."
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As the airplane beganto descendfrom 35,000 feet, after a bumpy four hour flight, Eric felt relieved that he would soon be on the ground.
What is the meaning of the word descend?
To descend means to come/go down. You can also conclude from the sentence that the airplane has been flying for four hours and is now coming down to land.
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Addison is having a bad day. In the morning, she lost her lunch money on the way to school. Her mom told her to put it in the zipper pocket of her backpack, but she didn’t listen and put it in her pants pocket instead. In the afternoon, her class went to the library. When she went to her backpack to retrieve her library book, it was not there! She could not check out a new book this week. After school, she was talking to her friends on the playground and lost track of time. When she walked out to the front of the school, she realized that the bus had already left!! Her house is over 4 miles away and she is not allowed to walk home alone.
What does the word retrieve mean?
The word retrieve means to go get something or get something back. The sentences around the word retrieve give you clues:
"In the afternoon, her class went to the library. When she went to her backpack to retrieve her library book, it was not there!"
Since she would go to her backpack to "get" her library book out, the best choice is "to go get something."
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Max had not eaten all day and was feeling ravenous! He decided to go to the store to buy ingredients to make a delicious dinner. His shopping list was wheat buns, beef patties, American cheese, lettuce, and a tomato. When Max got home he got straight to work on his dinner and then gobbled it up!
What does the word ravenous mean?
Since Max had not eaten all day and was feeling ravenous, you could guess that he was starving or hungry.
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Adapted from "The Princess and the Pea" by Hans Christian Andersen (trans. Sommer 1897)
Once upon a time there was a prince who wanted to marry a princess; but she would have to be a real princess. He travelled all over the world to find one, but nowhere could he get what he wanted. There were princesses enough, but it was difficult to find out whether they were real ones. There was always something about them that was not as it should be. So he came home again and was sad, for he would have liked very much to have a real princess.
One evening a terrible storm came on; there was thunder and lightning, and the rain poured down. Suddenly a knocking was heard at the city gate, and the old king went to open it.
It was a princess standing out there in front of the gate. The water ran down from her hair and clothes; it ran down into the toes of her shoes and out again at the heels. She looked so destitute in the wind and the rain. And yet she said that she was a real princess.
“Well, we’ll soon find that out,” thought the old queen. But she said nothing, went into the bed-room, took all the bedding off the bedstead, and laid a pea on the bottom; then she took twenty mattresses and laid them on top of the pea.
On this the princess had to lie all night. In the morning she was asked how she had slept.
“Oh, very badly!” said she. “I have scarcely closed my eyes all night. Heaven only knows what was in the bed, but I was lying on something hard, so that I am black and blue all over my body. It’s horrible!”
Now they knew that she was a real princess because she had felt the pea right through the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider-down beds.
Nobody but a real princess could be as sensitive as that.
So the prince took her for his wife, for now he knew that he had a real princess; and the pea was put in the museum, where it may still be seen, if no one has stolen it.
There, that is a true story.
The underlined word “destitute” in line 9 most nearly means __________.
The word “destitute” is used to describe someone who is very poor, and has no possessions. The author describes how the princess looked destitute out at night in the wind and the rain so you know it cannot mean something good like "healthy" or "beautiful," and it must be something bad like “poor.”
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Adapted from "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse" by Aesop (trans. Jacobs 1909)
Now you must know that a Town Mouse once upon a time went on a visit to his cousin in the country. He was rough and ready, this cousin, but he loved his town friend and made him heartily welcome. Beans and bacon, cheese and bread, were all he had to offer, but he offered them freely. The Town Mouse rather turned up his long nose at this country fare, and said: "I cannot understand, Cousin, how you can put up with such poor food as this, but of course you cannot expect anything better in the country; come with me and I will show you how to live. When you have been in town a week you will wonder how you could ever have stood a country life." No sooner said than done: the two mice set off for the town and arrived at the Town Mouse's residence late at night. "You will want some refreshment after our long journey," said the polite Town Mouse, and took his friend into the grand dining-room. There they found the remains of a fine feast, and soon the two mice were eating up jellies and cakes and all that was nice. Suddenly they heard growling and barking. "What is that?" said the Country Mouse. "It is only the dogs of the house," answered the other. "Only!" said the Country Mouse. "I do not like that music at my dinner." Just at that moment the door flew open, in came two huge mastiffs, and the two mice had to scamper down and run off. "Good-bye, Cousin," said the Country Mouse, "What! going so soon?" said the other. "Yes," he replied; "Better beans and bacon in peace than cakes and ale in fear."
The underlined word “grand” in line 9 most nearly means __________.
The word “grand” is used to mean big, impressive or magnificent. If you did not know the definition of the word, you would need to read the passage to try and figure out the word's meaning from context. You know that the word “grand” is used to describe the house of the Town Mouse, and from earlier comparisons between the modesty of the Country Mouse and the fanciness of the Town Mouse it is reasonable to infer that the Town Mouse must live somewhere magnificent, big and impressive.
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Adapted from "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse" by Aesop (trans. Jacobs 1909)
Now you must know that a Town Mouse once upon a time went on a visit to his cousin in the country. He was rough and ready, this cousin, but he loved his town friend and made him heartily welcome. Beans and bacon, cheese and bread, were all he had to offer, but he offered them freely. The Town Mouse rather turned up his long nose at this country fare, and said: "I cannot understand, Cousin, how you can put up with such poor food as this, but of course you cannot expect anything better in the country; come with me and I will show you how to live. When you have been in town a week you will wonder how you could ever have stood a country life." No sooner said than done: the two mice set off for the town and arrived at the Town Mouse's residence late at night. "You will want some refreshment after our long journey," said the polite Town Mouse, and took his friend into the grand dining-room. There they found the remains of a fine feast, and soon the two mice were eating up jellies and cakes and all that was nice. Suddenly they heard growling and barking. "What is that?" said the Country Mouse. "It is only the dogs of the house," answered the other. "Only!" said the Country Mouse. "I do not like that music at my dinner." Just at that moment the door flew open, in came two huge mastiffs, and the two mice had to scamper down and run off. "Good-bye, Cousin," said the Country Mouse, "What! going so soon?" said the other. "Yes," he replied; "Better beans and bacon in peace than cakes and ale in fear."
The underlined word “residence” in line 8 most nearly means __________.
The word “residence” means house or home; where you "reside" is where you live. If you had to figure out this meaning from the passage, it would be helpful to read the sentences around line 8. First, the author says that the two mice "arrived at the Town Mouse's residence late at night.” Secondly, the Town Mouse makes a big show of offering the Country Mouse some refreshment. If the two mice have arrived somewhere together, and the Town Mouse is offering food and drink to the Country Mouse it is reasonable to infer that they have arrived at the Town Mouse’s home, or residence.
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Adapted from "The Dog and the Wolf" by Aesop (trans. Jacobs 1909)
A gaunt Wolf was almost dead with hunger when he happened to meet a House-dog who was passing by.
"Ah, Cousin," said the Dog. "I knew how it would be; your irregular life will soon be the ruin of you. Why do you not work steadily as I do, and get your food regularly given to you?"
"I would have no objection," said the Wolf, "if I could only acquire a place."
"I will easily arrange that for you," said the Dog; "come with me to my master and you shall share my work."
So the Wolf and the Dog went towards the town together. On the way there the Wolf noticed that the hair on a certain part of the Dog's neck was very much worn away, so he asked him how that had come about.
"Oh, it is nothing," said the Dog. "That is only the place where the collar is put on at night to keep me chained up; it chafes a bit, but one soon gets used to it."
"Is that all?" said the Wolf. "Then good-bye to you, Master Dog."
Moral: "Better starve free than be a fat slave."
The underlined word “gaunt” most nearly means __________.
The word “gaunt” means very thin. If you did not know the meaning of the word you could infer meaning from the words that follow “gaunt,” because the author says that the gaunt wolf was “almost dead with hunger.”
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Adapted from "The Dog and the Wolf" by Aesop (trans. Jacobs 1909)
A gaunt Wolf was almost dead with hunger when he happened to meet a House-dog who was passing by.
"Ah, Cousin," said the Dog. "I knew how it would be; your irregular life will soon be the ruin of you. Why do you not work steadily as I do, and get your food regularly given to you?"
"I would have no objection," said the Wolf, "if I could only acquire a place."
"I will easily arrange that for you," said the Dog; "come with me to my master and you shall share my work."
So the Wolf and the Dog went towards the town together. On the way there the Wolf noticed that the hair on a certain part of the Dog's neck was very much worn away, so he asked him how that had come about.
"Oh, it is nothing," said the Dog. "That is only the place where the collar is put on at night to keep me chained up; it chafes a bit, but one soon gets used to it."
"Is that all?" said the Wolf. "Then good-bye to you, Master Dog."
Moral: "Better starve free than be a fat slave."
The underlined word “acquire” most nearly means __________.
The wolf talks about acquiring a place to work. This should help you infer that the word “acquire” means get.
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Adapted from "The Ant and the Grasshopper" by Aesop (trans. Jacobs 1909)
In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, carrying a very heavy ear of corn to the nest.
"Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and tiring in that way?"
"I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same."
"Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper. "We have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants consuming every piece of corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew: it is best to prepare for the days of necessity.
What does the underlined word “toil” most nearly mean?
The word "toil" means work, so if you are “toiling away,” you are working hard. If you did not know the meaning of the word, you could figure out its meaning from the whole of the passage, since the ant is engaged in work and the grasshopper is being lazy. This would suggest that when the author describes the ant continuing “its toil,” it is continuing its work.
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Adapted from "The Ant and the Grasshopper" by Aesop (trans. Jacobs 1909)
In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, carrying a very heavy ear of corn to the nest.
"Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and tiring in that way?"
"I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same."
"Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper. "We have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants consuming every piece of corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew: it is best to prepare for the days of necessity.
What does the underlined word “consuming” most nearly mean?
The passage describes how the ants are “consuming” every piece of food they have stored in the summer. This action taken by the ants is opposite to the action taken by the grasshopper. As you know, the grasshopper is starving, so it can be inferred that the ants must be eating. To consume means to eat, take in, or to use up.
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Adapted from "The Man, the Boy and the Donkey" by Aesop (trans. Jacobs 1909)
A Man and his son were once going with their Donkey to market. As they were walking along by its side a countryman passed them and said: "You fools, why do you not ride your donkey?" So the Man put the Boy on the Donkey and they went on their way. But soon they passed a group of men, one of whom said: "See that lazy youngster; he lets his father walk while he rides." So the Man ordered his Boy to get off, and got on himself. But they hadn't gone far when they passed two women, one of whom said to the other: "Shame on that lazy man to let his poor little son trudge along." Well, the Man didn't know what to do, but at last he took his Boy up before him on the Donkey. By this time they had come to the town, and the passers-by began to jeer and point at them. The Man stopped and asked what they were scoffing at. The men said: "Aren't you ashamed of yourself for overloading that poor donkey?" The Man and Boy got off and tried to think what to do. They thought and they thought, till at last they cut down a pole, tied the donkey's feet to it, and raised the pole and the donkey to their shoulders and carried the donkey with them. They went along amid the laughter of all who met them 'till they came to Market Bridge, when the Donkey, getting one of his feet loose, kicked out and caused the Boy to drop his end of the pole. In the struggle the Donkey fell over the bridge, and his fore-feet being tied together he was drowned. "That will teach you," said an old man who had followed them: "Please all, and you will please none."
The underlined word “trudge” most likely means __________.
The word “trudge” is used in the sentence “Shame on that lazy man to let his poor little son trudge along.” We know from the context of the passage that the son is walking alongside the donkey, so the word “trudge” must mean walk. To help you, "stumble" means trip or fall, and "jest" means joke.
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Adapted from "The Box of Robbers" in American Fairy Tales by L. Frank Baum (1901)
No one intended to leave Martha alone that afternoon, but it happened that everyone was called away, for one reason or another. Mrs. McFarland was attending the weekly card party held by the Women's Anti-Gambling League. Sister Nell's boyfriend had called quite unexpectedly to take her for a long drive. Papa was at the office, as usual. It was Mary Ann's day out. As for Emeline, the maid, she certainly should have stayed in the house and looked after the little girl, but Emeline had a restless nature.
"Would you mind, miss, if I just crossed the alley to talk to Mrs. Carleton's girl?" she asked Martha.
"'Course not," replied the child. "You'd better lock the back door, though, and take the key, for I shall be upstairs."
"Oh, I'll do that, of course, miss," said the delighted maid, and ran away to spend the afternoon with her friend, leaving Martha quite alone in the big house, and locked in, into the bargain.
What does the underlined word “delighted” most likely mean?
The word “delighted” means very happy. From the context of the passage, we can guess that the maid is very happy because she is being allowed to do what she wants to do. To help you, "forlorn" means very sad.
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Adapted from "The Shepherd’s Boy" by Aesop (trans. Jacobs 1909)
There was once a young Shepherd Boy who tended his sheep at the foot of a mountain near a dark forest. It was rather lonely for him all day, so he came up with a plan by which he could get a little company and some excitement. He rushed down towards the village calling out "Wolf, Wolf," and the villagers came out to meet him, and some of them stopped with him for a considerable time. This pleased the boy so much that a few days afterwards he tried the same trick, and again the villagers came to his help. But shortly after this a Wolf actually did come out from the forest, and began to worry the sheep, and the boy of course cried out "Wolf, Wolf," still louder than before. But this time the villagers, who had been fooled twice before, thought the boy was again deceiving them, and nobody stirred to come to his help. So the Wolf made a good meal off the boy's flock, and when the boy complained, the wise man of the village said: "A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the truth."
The underlined word “deceiving” most likely means __________.
To "deceive" someone means to trick them. From the context of the passage, you know that the word “deceiving” must mean something negative because as a result of the boy deceiving them, the villagers choose not to help him.
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Adapted from "The Shepherd’s Boy" by Aesop (trans. Jacobs 1909)
There was once a young Shepherd Boy who tended his sheep at the foot of a mountain near a dark forest. It was rather lonely for him all day, so he came up with a plan by which he could get a little company and some excitement. He rushed down towards the village calling out "Wolf, Wolf," and the villagers came out to meet him, and some of them stopped with him for a considerable time. This pleased the boy so much that a few days afterwards he tried the same trick, and again the villagers came to his help. But shortly after this a Wolf actually did come out from the forest, and began to worry the sheep, and the boy of course cried out "Wolf, Wolf," still louder than before. But this time the villagers, who had been fooled twice before, thought the boy was again deceiving them, and nobody stirred to come to his help. So the Wolf made a good meal off the boy's flock, and when the boy complained, the wise man of the village said: "A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the truth."
The underlined word “considerable” most likely means __________.
The word “considerable” generally means significant, important, or large. However, in this context, it describes a length of time. The author says: “The villagers came out to meet him, and some of them stopped with him for a considerable time.” Because the boy was lonely and the villagers stopped with him for a “considerable,” time we can assume that "considerable" means long as it is used in the passage.
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