Strategy lessons
Practice this topic
The bank includes 56 questions on vocabulary in context: 0 easy, 54 medium, 2 hard.
Why this question type matters on the HSAT
The HSAT Reading section has 40 questions in 30 minutes. The mix is roughly even across question types, so vocabulary in context questions appear on every test. Strong students do not over-study any one type; they make sure no type is a glaring weakness.
Vocabulary-in-context questions punish students who memorize dictionary definitions. The right answer is what the word means in this sentence — sometimes the second or third dictionary meaning.
Other topics
Topics are aligned to 8th-grade Common Core standards. The actual CPS HSAT covers slightly more than these buckets but the core mix is the same.