Vocabulary
Vocabulary
This domain tests academic and domain-specific words in context, morphology (roots and affixes), connotation and denotation, figurative language, and reference skills. Grade 7 items rarely ask for a dictionary definition in isolation; they ask which meaning fits the sentence, which word has the right shade of meaning, or what a root tells you about an unfamiliar word.
Context clues
Look for four common clue types: definition/restatement (“arduous-extremely difficult-”), example (“fruits such as mangoes and papayas”), contrast (“not lavish but modest”), and cause-effect (“Because the trail was arduous, we rested often”). Substitute your guess into the sentence and check grammar and logic.
Morphology
Prefixes change meaning: anti- against, fore- before, inter- between, mis- wrongly, sub- under, super- above, trans- across, un-/dis-/non- not. Suffixes change part of speech: -tion/-ment make nouns; -able/-ible mean “capable of”; -ous means “full of”; -ify/-ize make verbs. Useful roots: aud (hear), bene (good), chron (time), cred (believe), dict (say), graph (write), ject (throw), log (word/reason), mal (bad), mit/miss (send), ped (foot), port (carry), spec (look), struct (build), tele (far), therm (heat), vac (empty), ver (truth).
Connotation and denotation
Denotation is the literal meaning; connotation is the emotional charge. Cheap and inexpensive both mean low-cost, but cheap suggests poor quality. Stubborn and persistent both suggest refusal to give up, but one is negative and one positive. Match the charge to the sentence's tone.
Figurative language and reference
Recognize simile, metaphor, personification, idiom, hyperbole, and allusion. A dictionary entry shows pronunciation, part of speech, and numbered senses; choose the sense that fits. A thesaurus gives synonyms, but synonyms differ in connotation.
Worked example
Sentence: “The biologist checked the chronometer before recording the time.” Question: What does chronometer mean? Reasoning: chron- means time and -meter means measure, so a chronometer measures time-a precise clock. The context “recording the time” confirms it. A choice like “a device that measures heat” uses therm-, not chron-.
Traps
- Picking a familiar meaning that does not fit the sentence.
- Ignoring positive or negative charge.
- Treating a root as the whole word's meaning.
- Choosing the most extreme synonym.