Language Standards: Figurative Language and Word Relationships (CCSS.L.6.5)
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Common Core 6th Grade ELA › Language Standards: Figurative Language and Word Relationships (CCSS.L.6.5)
In our toolbox are items like hammer, wrench, and nails; tools help build things, but nails are parts of what we build. Don't mix the category with the pieces.
Which pair shows a part/whole relationship, not an item/category relationship?
bee/insect
shirt/clothing
keyboard/computer
tool/hammer
Explanation
A keyboard is a part of a computer (part/whole). Bee/insect and shirt/clothing are item/category. Tool/hammer is also category/item.
At the field station, a petal belongs to a flower just as a chapter belongs to a book, while a dog is a kind of animal. Knowing these patterns helps sort words by their relationships.
Which pair shows the same relationship as petal:flower?
chapter:book
dog:animal
rain:umbrella
pencil:eraser
Explanation
Petal is a part of a flower; chapter is a part of a book. Dog:animal is item/category, and the others do not show a part/whole relationship.
Our club needs someone to manage money wisely. We want to be thrifty without sounding cheap, frugal without being stingy, so we can afford buses and still treat everyone to snacks.
Which word has the most positive connotation in this context?
cheap
stingy
thrifty
miserly
Explanation
Thrifty suggests smart, careful spending. Cheap and stingy sound negative, and miserly is very negative.
When shopping, Aunt Rosa is thrifty, comparing prices and reusing bags; she isn't stingy or cheap - she happily treats us to ice cream when there's room in the budget.
Which word has the most positive connotation in this context?
cheap
thrifty
stingy
miserly
Explanation
Thrifty suggests smart, careful saving without meanness. Cheap, stingy, and miserly carry negative tones of being unwilling to spend.
Because the power failed, the fridge warmed and the milk spoiled; neighbors brought coolers, ice, and extension cords to help, showing how one problem can trigger many responses.
Which pair of words best shows a cause/effect relationship in the passage?
fridge → milk
extension cords → cords
power failed → milk spoiled
neighbors → coolers
Explanation
The power failing led to the milk spoiling. The other pairs show different relationships (container/content, item/category, user/tool), not cause/effect.
At lunch, Maya waved, but Leo stared at his tray and gave her the cold shoulder. The chatter swirled around them, yet silence stretched between their seats like a wall.
What does the phrase 'gave her the cold shoulder' mean in this context?
He ignored her on purpose.
His shoulder felt chilly.
He offered her his jacket.
He hurt his shoulder.
Explanation
The idiom means intentionally ignoring someone, not that his shoulder was cold or injured or that he offered clothing.
When Leo apologized, Maya gave him the cold shoulder, staring past him as the bus hissed to a stop. He shuffled closer, but she folded her arms.
What does the phrase 'gave him the cold shoulder' mean in this context?
Her shoulder felt chilly from the weather.
She ignored him and acted unfriendly.
She touched his shoulder to comfort him.
She was late and hurried to the bus.
Explanation
Here, 'gave him the cold shoulder' is figurative and means Maya ignored him and acted unfriendly, not that her shoulder was literally cold.
I swear my backpack is a black hole—pens vanish, homework disappears, and I can never find what I need. After school, I dug for five minutes before a crumpled worksheet surfaced.
What does the phrase "my backpack is a black hole" mean in this context?
It is extremely heavy.
It literally contains outer space.
It is brand-new and shiny.
It seems to swallow and hide items.
Explanation
Calling the backpack a "black hole" is figurative; it suggests things get lost inside easily, as if swallowed up.
A spark landed in the dry leaves; moments later, flames flickered and smoke curled into the sky. Campers stepped back, surprised at how quickly the quiet cleared as the fire woke.
What is the relationship between the words 'flames' and 'smoke' in the excerpt?
part/whole
cause/effect
item/category
synonyms
Explanation
Flames produce smoke, so the words show a cause/effect relationship. They are not parts of each other, not the same category, and they do not mean the same thing.
Before the concert, the student tuned her violin, tightened the bow, and checked the case. Knowing that a violin belongs to an orchestra is like knowing a leaf belongs to a tree.
Which pair shows a part/whole relationship like leaf:tree?
rain:umbrella
wheel:bicycle
runner:race
hot:sun
Explanation
A wheel is a part of a bicycle, just as a leaf is a part of a tree. The others are not part/whole relationships.