Common Core: 5th Grade English Language Arts : Vocabulary in Context
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Common Core: 5th Grade English Language Arts
All Common Core: 5th Grade English Language Arts Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #229 : Common Core: 5th Grade English Language Arts
Read the sentences and determine the meaning of the underlined word using context clues or your prior knowledge.
Rebecca was so excited to see her cousin Sharon after months of living in different states. She felt guilty for not writing to her as she had promised. When she approached Sharon with open arms, Sharon responded by turning her back and walking away. She thought she would be mad but didn’t think she would be this hostile.
What does the word hostile mean in the context of the sentences above?
unfriendly
generous
sarcastic
caring
unfriendly
The term hostile means being unfriendly or antagonistic. Sharon is angry about Rebecca’s lack of communication when we look at her actions and body language. Sharon turns her back and walks away from Rebecca’s embrace, which lets readers know that Sharon is angry and not reciprocating the gesture.
Example Question #230 : Common Core: 5th Grade English Language Arts
Inventions
Every day it seems, new inventions surface that promise to add value to our day-to-day lives. But did you know, many of the inventions we interact with daily were developed entirely by accident?
Take the microwave, for instance. This accidental invention was developed by engineer Percy Spencer who, upon experimenting with a microwave-emitting magnetron, found that the candy bar in his pocket had begun to melt. Spencer was then able to harness this radiation into the microwave we use today to make snack time a speedy process!
Perhaps one of today’s most well-known accidental inventions, the potato chip, was born when a customer kept requesting that his french fries be sliced thinner and made crispier. Though chef George Crum responded with the chips as a joke, they quickly became a favorite snack worldwide!
Even the match is a result of accidental invention. When pharmacist John Walker was stirring chemicals, he noticed that the end of his stirring stick had dried into a hardened lump. When attempting to scrape the dried residue off, a flame sparked, and so did Walker’s idea to turn this accident into a helpful tool!
So, the next time your science experiment doesn’t go as planned, or you burn what you have cooked on the stove, keep in mind that some of today’s most valued inventions were discovered when the inventor least expected it!
In the context of paragraph 2, “harness” most nearly means
utilize
leather strap
destroy
expel
utilize
In this passage, the term “harness” is used to mean the engineer was able to use, or utilize, the radiation to make a microwave. In another context, “harness” could be used to describe a set of straps used to fasten a horse to a cart, but this would not fit our context.
All Common Core: 5th Grade English Language Arts Resources
