MAP 8th Grade Reading : Word Meaning and Vocabulary Knowledge

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for MAP 8th Grade Reading

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

All MAP 8th Grade Reading Resources

4 Practice Tests Question of the Day Flashcards Learn by Concept

Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Word Meaning And Vocabulary Knowledge

Adapted from "Advice to Youth" by Mark Twain (1882)

Being told I would be expected to talk here, I inquired what sort of talk I ought to make. They said it should be something suitable to youth—something didactic, instructive, or something in the nature of good advice. Very well. I have a few things in my mind which I have often longed to say for the instruction of the young; for it is in one’s tender early years that such things will best take root and be most enduring and most valuable. First, then. I will say to you, my young friends—and I say it beseechingly, urgently—always obey your parents, when they are present. This is the best policy in the long run, because if you don’t, they will make you. Most parents think they know better than you do, and you can generally make more by humoring that superstition than you can by acting on your own better judgment.

Go to bed early, get up early—this is wise. Some authorities say get up with the sun; some say get up with one thing, others with another. But a lark is really the best thing to get up with. It gives you a splendid reputation with everybody to know that you get up with the lark; and if you get the right kind of lark, and work at him right, you can easily train him to get up at half past nine, every time—it’s no trick at all.

The underlined word "didactic" is closest in meaning to which of the following words?

Possible Answers:

Educational

Verbose

Confusing

Esoteric

Correct answer:

Educational

Explanation:

We can use context clues to determine what "didactic" means: "They said [the talk] should be something suitable to youth—something didactic, instructive, or something in the nature of good advice." In the sentence, "didactic" is presented in parallel with "instructive" and "in the nature of good advice." Based on this, you can infer that "didactic" must be closest in meaning to "educational."

Example Question #2 : Word Meaning And Vocabulary Knowledge

Select the word that matches the definition provided. 

To slowly establish an attitude or idea into someone

Possible Answers:

Instill

Deploy

Revenue

Overt

Correct answer:

Instill

Explanation:

To slowly establish an attitude or idea into someone means to instill. 

To use instill an a sentence, "The mother worked tirelessly throughout her children's childhood to instill go manners in them."

Example Question #3 : Word Meaning And Vocabulary Knowledge

Adapted from Pinocchio by Carl Collodi (1883)

There was once upon a time a piece of wood in the shop of an old carpenter named Master Antonio. Everybody, however, called him Master Cherry, on account of the end of his nose, which was always as red and polished as a ripe cherry.

No sooner had Master Cherry set eyes on the piece of wood than his face beamed with delight, and, rubbing his hands together with satisfaction, he said softly to himself:

"This wood has come at the right moment; it will just do to make the leg of a little table."

He immediately took a sharp axe with which to remove the bark and the rough surface, but just as he was going to give the first stroke he heard a very small voice say imploringly, "Do not strike me so hard!"

He turned his terrified eyes all around the room to try and discover where the little voice could possibly have come from, but he saw nobody! He looked under the bench—nobody; he looked into a cupboard that was always shut—nobody; he looked into a basket of shavings and sawdust—nobody; he even opened the door of the shop and gave a glance into the street—and still nobody. Who, then, could it be?

"I see how it is," he said, laughing and scratching his wig, "evidently that little voice was all my imagination. Let us set to work again."

And, taking up the axe, he struck a tremendous blow on the piece of wood.

"Oh! oh! you have hurt me!" cried the same little voice dolefully.

This time Master Cherry was petrified. His eyes started out of his head with fright, his mouth remained open, and his tongue hung out almost to the end of his chin, like a mask on a fountain. As soon as he had recovered the use of his speech he began to say, stuttering and trembling with fear:

"But where on earth can that little voice have come from that said 'Oh! oh!'? Is it possible that this piece of wood can have learned to cry and to lament like a child? I cannot believe it. This piece of wood is nothing but a log for fuel like all the others, and thrown on the fire it would about suffice to boil a saucepan of beans. How then? Can anyone be hidden inside it? If anyone is hidden inside, so much the worse for him. I will settle him at once."

So saying, he seized the poor piece of wood and commenced beating it without mercy against the walls of the room.

Then he stopped to listen if he could hear any little voice lamenting. He waited two minutes—nothing; five minutes—nothing; ten minutes—still nothing!

"I see how it is," he then said, forcing himself to laugh, and pushing up his wig; "evidently the little voice that said 'Oh! oh!' was all my imagination! Let us set to work again."

Putting the axe aside, he took his plane, to plane and polish the bit of wood; but whilst he was running it up and down he heard the same little voice say, laughing:

"Stop! you are tickling me all over!"

This time poor Master Cherry fell down as if he had been struck by lightning. When he at last opened his eyes he found himself seated on the floor.

His face was changed, even the end of his nose, instead of being crimson, as it was nearly always, had become blue from fright.

 

Based on the text, what does "petrified" mean? 

Possible Answers:

To be tired

To be happy 

To be scared

To be worried

Correct answer:

To be scared

Explanation:

To help us answer this question, we can look at context clues from the surrounding sentences: 

"This time Master Cherry was petrified. His eyes started out of his head with fright, his mouth remained open, and his tongue hung out almost to the end of his chin, like a mask on a fountain. As soon as he had recovered the use of his speech he began to say, stuttering and trembling with fear:"

Based on these sentences from the passages, we can infer that "petrified" means to be scared. 

Example Question #4 : Word Meaning And Vocabulary Knowledge

Select the word that matches the definition provided. 

When something is in clear sight, or done openly

Possible Answers:

Instill

Overt

Revenue

Deploy

Correct answer:

Overt

Explanation:

When something is in clear sight or done openly, it is overt. 

To use overt in a sentence, "The man was very overt with his feelings, everyone knew he was upset."

All MAP 8th Grade Reading Resources

4 Practice Tests Question of the Day Flashcards Learn by Concept
Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors