English Vocabulary for EOC Released Questions

English Vocabulary for EOC Released Questions Created by: Stephanie Sutherland English I Instructor Caddo Mills High School

English Terms • These terms are likely to show up on the English I Reading portion of the STAAR EOC.

Characteristic • A feature or quality belonging typically to a person, place, or thing and serving to identify it. • Characteristics may be physical or may describe the object's nature • Generosity is his chief characteristic.

Convey • To make an idea known or understandable to someone • On the EOC, you will see questions that ask: “What message does the author convey in the passage?” “How does the author convey to the reader that. . . .” • This is shown by. . . • You are able to understand this by. . .

Dialogue • Conversation between characters in a literary work. Dialogue can contribute to characterization, create mood, advance the plot, and develop theme.

Evidence • Support for a claim or argument. Evidence comes from the original text in order to prove or back up the statement. • On the EOC, you will see questions that ask you to, “Explain your answer and support it with evidence from the selection.” • This is supported by: . . . • For example, . . . • “_________” is evidence that . . .

Cited • To quote (a passage, book, or author) as evidence for or justification of an argument or statement, especially in a scholarly work • When using text evidence, you are citing the passage.

Narrative • Writing or speech that tells a story. • The story is told by a narrator and can take the form of a novel, an essay, a poem, or a short story.

Melodrama (Melodramatic) • Exaggerated, sensationalized, or overemotional texts. • Often appeal to emotions or express dramatic emotions. • The man and woman are both being melodramatic.

Persuasive • A type of speech or writing, usually nonfiction, that attempts to convince an audience to think or act in a particular way.

Metaphor • A figure of speech that compares or equates two seemingly unlike things. In contrast to a simile, a metaphor implies the comparison instead of stating it directly. • There is no use of connectives such as “like” or “as.” • The simplest form of metaphor is: "The [first thing] is a [second thing]." • Life is a winding road.

Excerpt • An excerpt is a passage or segment taken from a text. The length of an excerpt may be a phrase, a sentence, a paragraph, or an entire chapter. • Below is a short excerpt from the preamble.

Plot • The sequence of events in a story, play, or narrative poem. • Revolves around a central conflict, faced by the main characters.

Point of View • The standpoint, or perspective, from which a story is told. • All stories are told by a narrator, and who that narrator is affects the point of view. • First-Person: The narrator is a character in the story and refers to as “I.” • Third-Person: The narrator is someone who stands outside the story and refers to characters as “he” or she.”

Protagonist/Antagonist • Protagonist – The central character in a narrative literary work, around whom the main conflict revolves. • Generally, the reader or audience is meant to sympathize with the protagonist who usually changes after the climax of the story. • Antagonist – A person or force in society or nature that opposes the protagonist. • Generally, the reader is meant NOT to sympathize with the antagonist

Simile • A figure of speech that uses “like” or “as” to compare two seemingly unlike things. Smart as an owl. Quiet like a mouse. Cool as a cucumber. Solid as a rock. Swim like a fish.

Symbolic Imagery • Any object, person, place, or experience that exists on a literal level but is also intended to symbolize something else, usually something abstract. • In O. Henry’s story “The Gift of the Magi,” Della’s hair is the symbol of her beauty.

Character Foil • When a character is portrayed as opposite of another character in a particular way. • By putting the two characters next to each other, the different characteristic is emphasized. • In • In Shrek, the donkey and Shrek are two very different types of characters.

Tone • An author’s attitude toward his or her subject matter. • Tone is conveyed through elements of style, including word choice. • A writer’s tone may convey a variety of attitudes, such as sympathy or humor. • Margaret Atwood employs an ironic tone in “Waiting.”

Achieve • Verb • To get or attain by effort • To gain • To obtain • If you study and practice, you will achieve success on your EOC.

Containing • Verb • To restrain or keep within limits • To hold or have within • A jar containing cookies sits on my grandmother’s counter.

Amid • Preposition • In or into the middle of • Synonyms: surrounded by, through, between • Antonyms: from, out of • It was hard to hear amid all the cheering.

Cautionary • Adjective • Warning or admonishment • Synonyms: warning, advisory, counseling • “Little Red Riding Hood” is a cautionary tale reminding children to listen to their parents.

Emphasize (Emphasis) • Verb • To place stress on or to show as important • Synonyms: accent, illuminate, feature, press • Antonyms: play down, de-emphasize • The teacher emphasized the importance of doing well on the EOC.

Conflicting Opinions • Noun • Two or more points of view in opposition to one another. • If one conflicting opinion is true, the other can note be true. • The students had conflicting opinions about whether chocolate is the best flavor of ice cream.

Eager • Adjective • Marked by enthusiastic desire or interest; impatient excitement • Synonyms: excited, impatient, antsy • Antonyms: hesitant, reluctant, unenthusiastic • He was eager for Friday to come.

Displaying • Verb • To make evident or to show • Synonyms: expose, produce, lay out • Antonyms: hide, cover, conceal, camouflage • The characters were displaying a number of emotions.

Enhance • Verb • To increase or improve in value, quality, or attractiveness • Synonyms: improve, help, upgrade • Antonym: worsen • The image enhanced the students’ understanding of the passage.

Ideal • Adjective • Being characteristically without flaw, usually only existing in theory or imagination. • Synonyms: visionary, perfected, unsurpassed • Antonyms: faulty, defective • It was an ideal spot for vacation.

Evoke • Verb • to bring to mind or recollection • Synonym: elicit, raise • His photographs evoke the isolation and solitude of the desert.

Imply • Verb • To express, suggest, or show something without stating it directly • Synonyms: conclude, deduce, reason, gather • My dad’s gruff manner implied he was in a foul mood.

Phony • Adjective • Not genuine, intended to deceive or mislead. • Synonyms: false, counterfeit, bogus • Antonyms: authentic, genuine, real • He tried to pay with phony money.

Optimistic • Adjective • Characterized by an inclination to expect the best possible outcome • Synonyms: idealistic, hopeful • Antonyms: despairing, hopeless, pessimistic • An optimistic person would say this glass is half full.

Intended • Adjective • Expected to be such in the future • Synonyms: deliberate, intentional, purposeful • Antonym: unintentional • Stephenie Meyer intended for teens to read her books.

Obtaining • Verb • to gain or attain usually by planned action or effort • Synonyms: acquire, come by, get • The information may be challenging to obtain.

Pessimistic • Adjective • Characterized by an inclination to expect the worst possible outcome • Synonyms: defeatist, downbeat, hopeless • Antonyms: hopeful, optimistic, upbeat • A pessimistic person would say this glass is half empty.

Indicate • Verb • To point something out or to present evidence • Synonyms: denote, point to, tell of • The map indicates where the treasure is buried.

Primarily • Adverb • For the most part, in the first place. • Synonyms: firstly, initially, originally, mainly • Ketchup is primarily made from tomatoes.

Rational • Adjective • Having reason or understanding • Synonyms: reasonable, reasoning, thinking • Antonyms: irrational, unreasonable • There was a rational reason for the creaking sound in the house. The dog was walking up the squeaky stairs.

Reveal • Verb • To make something (secret or hidden) publically or generally known. • Synonyms: disclose, uncover, tell, expose • Antonyms: cover up, hide, conceal • The expression on her face revealed how she felt.

Upheaval • Noun • Extreme agitation or disorder, radical change • Synonyms: convulsion, uproar, uproot • The civil rights movement marked a period of social upheaval in the U.S.

Suggests • Verb • To mention or imply as a possibility, to call to mind by thought or association • Synonyms: hint, insinuate, indicate • Your teacher suggests you study for the EOC.

Assumption • Noun • A belief or statement taken for granted without actual proof • Synonyms: hypothesis, assuming, belief • Antonyms: doubt, unexpected • We made an assumption that the candy was for us; actually, it was for a party for the teachers.

Tendency • Noun • A proneness to a particular kind of thought or action • Synonym: trend • Grace has a tendency to drop things.

Various • Adjective • Of differing kinds, having a number of different aspects or characteristics • Synonyms: varied, different • Antonyms: one of a kind, unique, singular • He has lived in places as various as New York City and Caddo Mills.

Sources Used Wilhelm, Jeffrey D. Literature Texas Treasures Course 4. Columbus ,OH: McGraw Hill/Glencoe, 2011.Print. Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam- Webster Online. Web. 07 Feb. 2012. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/>.

English Vocabulary for EOC Released Questions