School Improvement in Maryland

Sample Assessments: Each sample assessment item gives an idea of how an assessment item on the MSA might be presented. The items appropriately measure the content of the VSC and may be formatted similarly to those appearing on the MSA; however, these are sample items only and have not appeared on any MSA form.

Standard 1.0 General Reading Processes

Topic D. Vocabulary

Indicator 3. Understand, acquire, and use new vocabulary

Objective a. Use context to determine the meanings of words

Selected Response Item
Choose the word or group of words that means the same, or about the same, as the underlined word. Then mark the space for the answer you have chosen.

The young girl wore a smart dress to the dance.

In which sentence does the word smart mean the same thing as in the sentence above?

  1. Her test scores showed everyone how smart she was.
  2. His leg began to smart where the ball hit it.
  3. The marching band had smart new uniforms.
  4. The team moved down the field at a smart pace.
/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_7_014.xml

Correct Answer:
C

Selected Response Item
Choose the word or group of words that means the same, or about the same, as the underlined word. Then mark the space for the answer you have chosen.

The pile of wood was starting to dwindle as the winter became harsh.

Dwindle means _____.

  1. decay
  2. diminish
  3. disappear
  4. dissolve
/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_7_015.xml

Correct Answer:
B

Selected Response Item
Choose the word or group of words that means the same, or about the same, as the underlined word. Then mark the space for the answer you have chosen.

The ingenious inventor created many unusual products.

Ingenious means _____.

  1. clever
  2. famous
  3. great
  4. humble
/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_7_016.xml

Correct Answer:
A