How to Answer a Comprehension Word-Meaning Question

Tonight is one comprehension word-meaning item, not a whole Paper 2. Box the printed word. Read that sentence and the one on each side. Write a plain phrase, then swap it back in. A correct dictionary line can still miss the shade the writer used.

The dictionary can still lose the mark

The item tests the word in this sentence. A correct general meaning can still miss the shade the writer used.

"Bright" can mean clever, well lit, or hopeful. The wrong shade is still a wrong answer. Do not build a word list tonight. Stay with the one printed word the question names.

Read the sentence before and after the word

Box the target word. Read that sentence and the one on each side. Name the part of speech. Write a plain phrase that fits this slot.

Do not open the next passage.

1. Box the target word.
2. Read that sentence and the sentence on each side.
3. Name the part of speech: verb, noun, or adjective.
4. Write a plain phrase that fits this slot, in the same part of speech.
5. Leave the rest of the paper closed.

If the child has never seen the word, the surrounding sentence still has to carry the meaning. That is the skill the item marks.

Swap the phrase back into the sentence

Replace the word with the phrase. Pass if the sentence still means the same. Fail if the tone flips or the event changes.

Read the new sentence aloud.

Passage line: "The queue inched forward after the gate opened."

Pass: "moved slowly forward" still means the same event.

Fail: "ran" or "jumped" flips the speed. A longer dictionary sentence is not a better answer. Fail if the tone flips or the event changes. If the swap fails, write a second phrase for the same word. Do not start the next item.

This is not cloze and not a why-question

Cloze hunts a missing word. Inference hunts an unstated reason. This item hunts the meaning of a printed word.

iWorld Learning's Primary School English page currently lists 3-6 person groups and a trial. Confirm live terms. No class promises a comprehension grade. Use a class only if the same dictionary-lift error survives three items.

FAQ

If the word is unknown, the surrounding sentence still has to carry the answer.

What if the child has never seen the word?

Stay in the sentence. Write a plain phrase that fits the slot. Do not stop for a dictionary first. The surrounding words are the evidence the marker wants.

How many items tonight?

One. A second item only if the first swap already passes. A mixed set hides which item leaked.