Academic Vocabulary ELA

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca

Academic Vocabulary ELA is a curated set of English assessment-oriented vocabulary terms with plain definitions and short instructional examples. Each entry pairs a target word with a student-facing explanation of meaning, often aligning with reading and writing tasks such as determining setting, cause and effect, central idea, conflict, climax, evidence, inference, and genre. The list supports consistent language for answering questions and completing common literacy prompts using clear, test-ready phrasing.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Vocabulary Terms

Reading, plot, and evidence

Cause/effect, inference, and central idea

| Word | Definition | Examples | | --- | --- | --- | | accurate | An assessment word that means free of errors. | Which of the following sentences most accurately describe the setting of the story? | | after | An assessment word that means following in time or place. | What happened after the 2nd paragraph? | | all | A signal word used to cue students to add a group of items. | How many pencils did the students have in all? | | analyze | An assessment word that means to study something carefully. | Analyze the following passage and determine its plot structure. | | argument | An argument is the main statement in which the writer encourages readers to agree with his/her thoughts. | Find evidence that supports the author’s argument. | | audience | The group of people the author thought of when writing the story. | Who was the author’s intended audience? | | author | An author is a person who has written a book. | What is the author’s point of view? | | before | An assessment term that means at an earlier time. | What happened before the 3rd paragraph? | | beginning | An assessment term that means the first part of something. | At the beginning of the story, where were the characters at? | | best | An assessment word used to indicate that students must select a choice that is the most appropriate. | Choose the word that best completes the sentence. | | cause | An assessment word used to mean something that brings out a result. This word is typically used in reading and paired with the term effect. | What was the cause and effect? | | central idea | An assessment term used to refer to central ideas (broad idea) are found in an informational text. | What is the central idea of the passage? | | character | Character can be defined as any person, animal, or figure represented in a literary work. | Identify the main character of the story. | | choose | An assessment word that means to select or make a decision. | Choose the word that best completes the sentence. | | climax | Climax can be defined as the point in which tension or action reaches its highest part a story or play “crisis”. | Choose the climax of the story. | | clue | An assessment term that means something that helps a person find item/object. | Which clue helped you answer Part A? | | compare | An assessment word that means to find similarities among passages. | Compare and contrast the characters of the story. | | complete | An assessment term that means fully carried out or finished. | Complete the pattern. | | conclusion | An assessment word that means the logical outcome of the story or the resolution. | From this passage, a reader might logically draw which conclusion? | | conflict | Conflict occurs when the leading character is opposed by some person or force in the passage. | What is the conflict of the story? | | contrast | An assessment word that means to find differences among passages. | Compare and contrast the characters of the story. | | --- | --- | --- | | correct | An assessment term that means to alter or adjust to make something right. | Which of these is the correct answer? | | define | An assessment term that means state the meaning of the word. | Define the word ‘simple’. | | describe | Describe is defined as the ability to give details of an event in written or spoken language. | Describe the setting of the story. | | drop
down
menu | An assessment term that means a horizontal list of options that appears on a computer screen when clicking a button. | Use the drop down menu
to complete the following. | | effect | An assessment term that means a result or consequence of an action This word is typically used in reading and paired with the term cause. | What were the effects when ? | | end | An assessment term that means the last part of a story, movie, song, or set of data. | How did the story end? | | evidence | Evidence is defined as something that is true (the facts) . | Which choice provides evidence from the story? | | explain | Expla

FAQs

How does the document define assessment vocabulary terms for ELA?

Each term includes a straightforward definition focused on how students should use the word during reading or comprehension questions, followed by example prompts that mirror assessment usage.

Which vocabulary terms in the document relate to story structure and plot events?

Terms such as beginning, climax, falling action, and end are used to describe different stages of a narrative and to guide students in selecting or identifying parts of a story.

Which terms help students answer evidence- and logic-based questions?

The document includes evidence, find, inference, conclusion, and fact to support locating support in text and drawing conclusions from provided information.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca