intensify

intensify

= to make something stronger, more extreme, or more intense

Mark's interest in fishing intensified after catching his first big fish.

Mark's passion for his sports car intensified after he customized it.

Susan's love for sports intensified after joining the university team.

Her excitement for meeting new friends intensified at the campus event.

The delicious food at the new restaurant intensified her foodie passion.

Synonyms and antonyms for "intensify"

Synonyms:

heighten

amplify

escalate

strengthen 

 

Antonyms:

diminish

weaken

lessen

reduce  

Question:

What does "intensify" mean?  

A) Make weaker

B) Make stronger

C) Make slower

D) Make smaller  

The Pineapple Pizza Fisherman

Mark was a successful businessman who always wore suits, even on weekends. Mark's interest in fishing intensified after catching his first big fish. One Saturday, he went fishing again. This time, he really wanted to catch a very big fish. He pondered a lot about how to get this thing done. He had no idea, but anyway, he used his original technique first. He wore a bright yellow chicken costume and sang loudly, believing big fish loved concerts. Sadly, he only caught three tiny fish that wiggled away immediately.

Meanwhile, Mark saw Susan, a clever university student, swimming quickly toward his boat! Mark shouted, "What are you doing, Susan?"

Susan replied, "A fisherman wants to eat a pineapple pizza, and I have to deliver it to him!"

Then Susan climbed onto Mark’s boat and asked him to go to the fisherman’s boat, which was about 400 meters away. Mark raised an eyebrow but agreed. Finally, Susan delivered the pizza to the fisherman, who tipped her with a shiny fishing lure.

Mark shouted, "Come back, Susan! I have a question! How do I catch a big fish, Susan?"

Susan came back to Mark's boat and had some creative ideas for him. "Put pineapple on your hook! Fish can't resist tropical flavor!"

Finally, they caught lots of big fish and enjoyed a big dinner! Mark proudly said to Susan, "A lifetime reward of big fish to you, Susan!"

Question 1: In the story, "Mark's interest in fishing intensified after catching his first big fish." What does "intensified" mean?

A) His interest became weaker.

B) His interest became stronger and more extreme.

C) His interest suddenly stopped.

D) His interest was shared with Susan.

Question 2: Which sentence uses "intensify" correctly?

A) Mark intensified his fishing efforts by wearing a chicken costume and singing loudly.

B) Susan intensified the pizza by making it taste less delicious.

C) The small fish intensified by swimming away quietly.

D) Mark intensified his boat by painting it a lighter color. 

soggy

 soggy

= something that is very wet or soaked with moisture, often to the point of being soft or unpleasant.

His favorite sports car got stuck in the soggy mud after the rain. 

His favorite fishing hat was soggy after being left in the rain.

Her university backpack was soggy after walking through the rain.

Susan’s sports shoes became soggy after the soccer match.

Some synonyms and antonyms for "soggy":

Synonyms:

wet

damp

moist

soaked

Antonyms:

dry

crisp

parched

arid

Question: What does "soggy" mean?

A) Very dry

B) Slightly warm

C) Very wet

D) Very cold

The Fishing Disaster

Mark was a successful businessman who loved fishing more than anything else. One rainy Saturday, his girlfriend Chloe told him, "Stay home! The weather is terrible!" But Mark didn't listen. He put on his lucky fishing hat, kissed Chloe goodbye, and jumped into his shiny red sports car.

"Nothing can stop me from catching the biggest fish!" Mark shouted as he drove to the pond. Suddenly, the rain stopped and the sun came out. Mark was very delighted. "Perfect! The fish are waiting for me!"

But then disaster struck. The small road to the pond was covered in thick, brown mud. His favorite sports car got stuck in the soggy mud after the rain. The wheels spun wildly, but the car didn't move an inch.

Mark was very frustrated. He really wanted to go fishing instead of calling a car garage shop for help. Then he had a brilliant idea. "Susan! She can help me!" he thought.

Susan was a university student and Mark's neighbor. She was practicing her long distance running when her phone rang. "Mark, you want me to push your car out of mud?" she laughed. "This is the weirdest workout ever!"

Susan ran to the pond and pushed with all her strength. Finally, the car moved! Mark was really excited. "Susan, you saved my fishing day!" he cried. As a reward, he gave her a lifetime supply of running shoes.

Susan looked at her muddy shoes and smiled. "At least my feet will be ready for the next rescue mission!"

Question 1: What does the word "soggy" mean in the story?

A) Very dry and hard

B) Very wet and soft

C) Very hot and burning

D) Very cold and frozen

Question 2: Which sentence uses "soggy" correctly?

A) The desert sand was soggy after the hot sun.

B) The rock was soggy on the mountain.

C) The ice cube was soggy in the freezer.

D) My bread became soggy when it fell into my soup.

characterize

 characterize

= to describe the main qualities or characteristics of something, often in a way that helps you understand what it’s like

Mark characterizes his leadership style as calm and decisive. 

Mark characterizes his IT work as creative and problem-solving.

Susan characterizes college life as exciting and full of new chances. 

Susan characterizes sports as something that makes her feel confident.

Some synonyms and antonyms for "characterize":

Synonyms:

describe

define

depict

portray

Antonyms:

ignore

overlook

obscure

misrepresent

Question: Which sentence best uses “characterize” to mean “describe the main qualities”?

A) The report characterizes her as late for work.

B) The report ignores her schedule.

C) The report hides her qualities.

D) The report misrepresents her completely.

The Calm, the Crazy, and the Comeback

Mark characterizes his leadership style as calm and decisive, whether steering his tech startup or dodging falling popcorn at a stadium.

Today, Mark proudly announced to his girlfriend Chloe and her hyperactive niece Susan, "I’ll bet $1000 that the Mud-Puddle Rovers will win this football race!"

"Kids read this column, Mark. Keep it legal," Chloe sighed, adjusting her sunglasses.

Roaring in his shiny red sports car, Mark parked next to a tractor. Inside, Susan poked a broken plastic seat and groaned, "All the seats are busted. You're broke, Mark."

By halftime, the Rovers trailed 0-2. Beads of sweat dotted Mark’s brow. "Susan Bond, losing is not an option. Ideas?"

Susan grinned, pulling out a tactical clipboard. "Plan A: Cut the stadium power. Plan B: Weather-drones with giant magnets. Plan C: I sub in and score blindfolded. Plan D: Unleash 50 robot rabbits with laser-nibbles!"

Mark gasped, "Pure tactical genius!"

"Relax," Chloe said calmly, sipping juice. "Their star striker enters now."

True to Chloe’s word, the star striker waddled in, scored three chaotic goals, and snatched a 3–2 victory. Mark cashed his winnings, and they celebrated over luxury burgers.

Questions

1. Which sentence best describes Mark’s leadership style based on the story?

A) Panicky and disorganized when things go wrong in business and sports.

B) Calm and decisive, applying the same steady mindset to real life and work.

C) Silent and invisible, letting everyone else make decisions.

D) Aggressive and illegal, relying on robot rabbit attacks.

2. Which of the following sentences uses the word characterize correctly according to the provided definition?

A) The chef decided to characterize the beef stew into the oven for two hours.

B) Critics characterize the sci-fi novel as a wild mix of bad science and great humor.

C) I need to characterize my shoes before it starts raining outside.

D) She tried to characterize the bus stop by running very fast past it.

claim

 claim

= to say something is true (often without proof)

Mark claims his sports car is the fastest in his city.

Mark claims fishing on weekends reduces his stress.

Susan claims she found a secret spot for snacks near class. 

Susan claims she studied harder than everyone last week.

Some synonyms and antonyms for "claim":

Synonyms:

assert

state

declare

maintain

Antonyms:

deny

refute

contradict

retract

 

Question: Mark __ he solved the bug last night.

A) claims

B) denies

C) apologizes

D) forgets

The World's Most Useful Sports Car

Mark claims his sports car is the fastest in his city. He spent a fortune on the shiny red engine, the leather seats, and a giant spoiler that looked like a giant flying wing. However, his girlfriend, Chloe, was not impressed at all.

"So? You want to win the GT championship?" Chloe asked, rolling her eyes as Mark polished the vehicle for the third time that morning.

Mark felt sad and replied, "Oh, come on, honey! My car is the best!"

Chloe just sighed. A fast car could not pay the bills or clean the house, so it was completely meaningless to her. She turned around and walked into the kitchen to cook their lunch. She was preparing a massive, mouth-watering grilled chicken.

Suddenly, disaster struck! The heavy chicken slipped out of Chloe’s hands. As she tried to catch it mid-air, she slipped on the greasy floor, fell hard, and twisted her ankle badly.

Mark heard the loud crash and ran into the kitchen. "Oh my god, honey! Are you ok?" he shouted.

Chloe shouted with pain, "Call an ambulance! Quick!"

Mark calmly replied, "No need, let me use my supercar to drive you to the hospital!"

Mark picked up Chloe, carried her outside, and strapped her into the passenger seat. He hit the start button, and the engine roared like a hungry lion. Mark zoomed through the traffic, dodging slow trucks and making sharp turns. Trees and buildings turned into a blurry red streak outside the window.

Within just three minutes, they slammed to a halt right in front of the emergency room. The doctors rushed Chloe inside to treat her ankle.

While resting on the hospital bed, Chloe looked at Mark with a whole new perspective. She finally realized that a high-performance car could actually save the day.

Mark smiled gently and said to Chloe, "No worries—just get well soon."

Chloe chuckled, "Next time, just promise to use all that speed to pick up takeout instead of sending me to the hospital!"

Questions

1. According to the story, why did Chloe change her mind about Mark’s sports car?

A) Mark used it to win a professional GT championship race.

B) Mark drove her to the hospital extremely fast after she got hurt.

C) The car had very comfortable leather seats that healed her ankle.

D) Mark promised to sell the car to buy her a giant grilled chicken.

2. The word "claim" means to say something is true, often without proof. Which sentence below uses the word "claim" correctly?

A) Ben claims that he can jump over a five-foot fence, but nobody has ever seen him do it.

B) Ben claims his dinner very fast because he was extremely hungry after school.

C) Ben claims to the hospital yesterday to visit his injured friend.

D) Ben claims a red sports car along the highway to get home quickly.

citation

 citation

= proof of where something came from—like a link or reference showing the information isn’t just your own guess

Mark added a citation to credit the author of his fishing tips.

Mark used a citation to support his weekend meditation article.

Susan included a citation so her class essay looked credible.

Susan used a citation so her teacher could verify her facts.

Some synonyms and antonyms for “citation”:

Synonyms:

reference

source

footnote

acknowledgment

Antonyms:

no source

unverified claim

no reference

unsupported statement

Question: In writing, what does a citation mainly do?

A) Shows the source

B) Changes the facts

C) Deletes the quote

D) Makes it longer

The Pizza Paper

Susan, a hardworking university student, was typing furiously on her laptop. Finally, she hit the print button. Susan included a citation so her class essay looked credible. She really wanted to impress her strict teacher!

She proudly showed the freshly printed paper to Mark, a successful businessman, who was visiting town with his elegant girlfriend, Chloe.

Then, she gave it to Mark and Mark replied, "Oh, let me see... Wow, it's incredible! You did a great job."

Susan stretched her arms and smiled brightly. "My class essay is finally completed! Time to relax!"

To celebrate her hard work, Mark, Chloe, and Susan went to a famous local Italian restaurant to eat pizza. When the waiter brought their steaming hot meal, Susan looked a bit disappointed.

Susan said, "The pizza without pineapple and sausage looks pale... It is just cheese and tomato."

Mark, who loved traditional food, smiled. "No, please try. It is a classic Margherita pizza."

Then, Susan eagerly picked up a slice. She tried it, but suddenly, a huge, hot string of melted cheese dropped down directly onto her printed essay! She had placed it on the table to keep it safe.

"Oh no!" Susan gasped, trying to wipe the yellow grease off her hard work.

Mark laughed out loud. "Your essay is also hungry, just let it have a bite!"

Chloe giggled, but Susan was panicking. However, it seemed the essay was too dirty to hand in to the professor. Sadly, the class started in twenty minutes, so it was hard to print it again and hand in the essay on time.

Susan felt frustrated, looked at the greasy orange stain, and said, "Umm... I hope the professor won't mind."

Then, she ran to the university and handed it in.

After a few days, her professor handed out all the graded essays to the classmates. He stopped at Susan's desk and replied to Susan loudly, "I am always hungry when I hold your essay. It seems delicious! Susan, thank you very much!"

The entire classroom erupted in laughter. Susan felt deeply embarrassed and made sure this kind of thing would never happen again!

Questions

1. Why did the professor say Susan's essay made him hungry?

A) Because Susan wrote her whole essay about Italian restaurants.

B) Because Mark and Chloe bought the professor a slice of pizza.

C) Because the essay had a big, greasy pizza cheese stain on it.

D) Because the professor forgot to eat breakfast before class.

2. Read this sentence from the story: "Susan included a citation so her class essay looked credible." Based on the provided definition, what does the word "citation" mean?

A) A type of melted cheese used on traditional Italian pizza.

B) A funny joke told by a successful businessman.

C) A proof or reference showing where the information came from.

D) A small spelling mistake made by a university student.