Language Standards: Building Academic and Domain-Specific Vocabulary (CCSS.L.8.6)
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Common Core 8th Grade ELA › Language Standards: Building Academic and Domain-Specific Vocabulary (CCSS.L.8.6)
Before drawing conclusions, you should ____ the data for patterns and outliers. Taking time to study the numbers will make your argument stronger.
Which word best completes the sentence?
analyze
see
glance at
skim
Explanation
Analyze signals a careful, methodical examination suited to data. See, glance at, and skim suggest a casual or superficial look, which is not precise for this context.
After months of conflict, leaders finally met to sign a treaty. The agreement was meant to _____ tensions between the two nations and open the door to cooperation.
Which word best completes the sentence?
Announce
Alleviate
Stop
Alter
Explanation
Alleviate precisely means to reduce or ease something negative, which fits tensions. Announce is unrelated, stop is awkward with tensions and suggests a total end, and alter is too general to capture easing hostility.
The team rechecked the data and noticed that one instrument consistently gave readings that were too high. The researcher then offered a ____ explanation for the unexpected results: measurement error in the first trial.
Which choice best conveys the idea clearly?
casual
epic
ordinary
plausible
Explanation
Plausible means reasonable and believable given the evidence. Casual and epic describe tone or scale, and ordinary does not address credibility or fit the analytical context.
The editor praised the student journalist's revisions. With ___ attention to detail, she caught every inconsistency in the data chart.
Which choice best conveys the idea clearly?
casual
adequate
hasty
meticulous
Explanation
Meticulous conveys careful, thorough attention to detail. Casual and hasty suggest the opposite, and adequate means merely sufficient, not especially precise or careful.
Before we present, we should revise our slides. The teacher asked for a ____ summary of our findings that focuses on the most important points.
Which word best completes the sentence?
concise
little
fast
wordy
Explanation
Concise means brief and to the point, which fits the request for a focused summary. Little refers to size, fast to speed, and wordy is the opposite of what is needed.
During the lab investigation, the indicator turned from blue to yellow after heating. In her report, Maya described this color change as ____ evidence of a chemical reaction.
Which word best completes the sentence?
conclusive
random
slight
cool
Explanation
Conclusive is the most precise academic word for evidence that leaves little doubt. Random suggests chance, slight comments on amount rather than strength, and cool is informal and vague.
The researchers wore gloves throughout the experiment. Even a tiny fingerprint could ___ the samples and distort the results.
Which word best completes the sentence?
contaminate
touch
ruin
mix
Explanation
Contaminate precisely means to make something impure, which fits scientific samples. Touch and mix are vague actions, and ruin is overly broad and not specific to this context.
Several experts noted that the survey used a small, biased sample. As a result, the study's conclusions are ____ and should be reconsidered.
Which choice best conveys the idea clearly?
convincing
tenuous
uncertain
convenient
Explanation
Tenuous precisely describes conclusions that are weakly supported. Uncertain is vaguer, convenient is irrelevant to evidence, and convincing is the opposite of what the sentence suggests.
During the test run, the new mixer caused small tremors that shook the shelves. The engineer added rubber pads beneath the machine to ___ the vibrations and protect the glassware.
Which word best completes the sentence?
dampen
ignore
mask
intensify
Explanation
Dampen precisely means to reduce the intensity of vibrations. Ignore does nothing to the problem, mask hides rather than reduces it, and intensify is the opposite of the intended meaning.
Before presenting her evidence, Lila acknowledged the opposing view. To make her argument more persuasive, she added a brief ____ summarizing that perspective before responding to it.
Which choice best conveys the idea clearly?
digression
prediction
quotation
concession
Explanation
Concession is the precise term for acknowledging an opposing viewpoint. Digression means going off-topic, prediction is about the future, and quotation is a direct citation, not necessarily an acknowledgment.