The market had abundant fruit: piles of mangoes, bananas, and papayas covered every table. What does abundant mean here?

Ana packed the utensils: a spoon, a fork, and a small knife. Which mark told the reader what utensils are?

Some animals are nocturnal: they sleep during the day and hunt at night. What does nocturnal mean?

Lola is frugal: she saves her coins, mends old clothes, and never wastes food. What does frugal mean?

Water is essential: no plant or animal can live without it. What job does the colon do here?

The canteen sells beverages: water, fresh juice, and cold milk. What does beverages mean?

Read: "Ramon has one chore: he sweeps the yard every morning." True or False: the colon introduces an explanation of the word chore.

Hikers rest at the summit: the highest point of the mountain, where the wind is cold. What does summit mean?

The pupils bought bread from a vendor, a person who sells things in the street, near the gate. What does vendor mean?

A meteorologist, a scientist who studies weather, visited our class today. Which mark told the reader what a meteorologist is?

The carpenter's apprentice, a young worker learning the trade, cut the wood slowly. What does apprentice mean?

Grandfather plants by the almanac, a book of dates, weather facts, and records, every June. What does almanac mean?

The mural, a large painting on a wall, shows fishermen at sea. What do the two commas do in this sentence?

Our school hall now has a canopy, a cloth roof over the entrance, to keep visitors dry. What does canopy mean?

Read: "The heron, a tall wading bird, stood in the rice field." True or False: the commas separate three different birds in a list.

Boats stop at the wharf, a platform where ships load cargo, before sunset. Which mark told the reader what a wharf is?

The town lived through a drought—many months with no rain—and the wells ran dry. What does drought mean?

Ramon is a novice—someone new at a skill—so he practices every afternoon. Which mark told the reader what novice means?

The old rope was brittle—dry and easy to snap—so we did not climb it. What does brittle mean?

Coach Lito is punctual—always on time—so practice begins at exactly four o'clock. What does punctual mean?

The house beside ours is vacant—empty, with nobody living inside—since last year. What does vacant mean?

Clean water became scarce—very hard to find—after the storm. What job do the dashes do here?

Write in legible letters—clear and easy to read—so the judges can score your entry. What does legible mean?

Some birds migrate—they travel to another warm place each year—before the cold months begin. What does migrate mean?

Cows are herbivores (animals that eat only plants) and graze all day. What does herbivore mean?

Crabs hide in the estuary (the place where a river meets the sea). Which mark told the reader what an estuary is?

Our town sits on a peninsula (land with water on three sides) north of the city. What does peninsula mean?

The store had a surplus (more than it needs) of notebooks, so prices fell. What does surplus mean?

Pilots watch the altitude (height above the ground) during every flight. What does altitude mean?

The report gave one statistic (a number fact from collected data) about our club. What do the parentheses do here?

The wet floor near the stairs is a hazard (something that can cause harm) after rain. What does hazard mean?

Read: "Cassava (a root crop) grows well in dry soil." True or False: the parentheses show the exact words that someone spoke.

Sailors call a sudden, violent wind a "squall," and they lower the sails fast. What does squall mean?

Mother calls our old, rusty jeep our "palace," though it barely fits five people. What do the quotation marks show?

Scientists use the word "dwarf" for a planet that is much smaller than the others. What does dwarf mean here?

Farmers here call the dry months "summer," though the calendar says otherwise. Which mark shows summer is used in a special way?

Our teacher wrote "denotation" on the board and said it names a word's dictionary meaning. What do the quotation marks do here?

Divers use the word "bends" for the pain that comes from rising too quickly from deep water. What does bends mean here?

Bakers call a group of thirteen rolls a "baker's dozen," one more than the usual twelve. What does baker's dozen mean?

The team's "stadium" is really a dusty lot behind the school. What do the quotation marks tell the reader?