Reading Comprehension Study Guide for the HESI Exam

Word Meanings

It is very likely that no matter how hard you study, you will come across a word you do not know the definition of. Don’t panic! Usually, the author provides clues to help you decipher the meaning of the unknown term.

Context Clues

Context clues are portions of a passage that lend insight into an idea or a word. Using context clues to find the meaning of a word involves looking at the sentences and phrases surrounding the word in question, and determining what meaning best fits the word based on what is being said in the passage.

Definition or Explanation

In the best cases, the author will provide a definition or fully explain the meaning of the word. This usually comes right after the unknown word.

For example, in the following sentences, the word is defined in two different ways.

The new relationship was seen as scandalous (completely immoral).
The teacher’s relationship was absolutely scandalous—so immoral it caused public outrage!

Synonym

Another clue to deciphering an unknown word is by looking to see whether the passage provides a synonym—a different word that means the same thing. Let’s look at an example using the word heckle.

Remember, Coach Smith told us not to heckle the other team, so no taunting!

In the example, the sentence provides taunting as a synonym to help you understand the word heckle.

Antonym

An antonym is the opposite of a synonym, but can be just as helpful in deciphering the meaning of unknown words. If there is an unknown word, the passage may provide a word nearby with the opposite meaning to help you.

In this example, pragmatic and idealistic are presented as antonyms, helping you define one or the other.

He was an extremely pragmatic person, not at all idealistic.

Different Phrasing

Sometimes the word will be defined, but with different phrasing. Let’s look at what the author wrote in the sentence below for the word concede. “Reluctantly accept” means the same thing as concede, but the phrasing is slightly different.

Andrew had to concede that what his mother was saying was the truth and reluctantly accept the news.

Examples

Authors also tend to provide examples when they use a challenging word in a passage. They may follow up a word with a list, an anecdote, or a singular example to help you decipher the meaning.

Let’s look at this example, using the challenging word adornments. After the word, examples are given to help you define adornments.

She wore her best adornments to the ball: her grandmother’s pearls, her newest sapphire necklace, and a new crystal tiara.

Word Analysis

Although context clues are a solid method you can count on for defining unknown vocabulary, knowing the individual components of words can also be helpful. Words are often made up of smaller parts that have universal meanings; these parts are called affixes and roots. The affixes can be broken down further into prefixes and suffixes.

Affixes

Affixes are short word parts that are added to a root or base to slightly alter the meaning of a word. These can be added to the beginning of a word, called a prefix, or the end of a word, creating a suffix. If you know the affixes, you may be able to uncover the definition of an unknown word.

Prefixes

Prefixes appear at the beginning of a word, before a root or base.

Here are some of the most common prefixes and their meanings:

• pre—before
• anti—against
• sub—under
• im or in—not
• re—again
• co—together

Suffixes

Suffixes appear at the end of a word, after a root or base. They change the meaning of the word in various ways.

Here are some of the most common suffixes and what they mean:

• able—capable
• en—made of/to make
• itis—inflammation or disease
• ful—full of
• emia—condition of

Root Words

Roots are the core of words in the English language. These work as a base for English words, and they are often derived from Greek or Latin. Prefixes and suffixes can be added to roots to slightly change their meaning. Knowing the common roots can help you determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.

Some of the most common roots and their meanings are:

• aud—to hear
• bio—life
• neuro—brain
• script or graph—to write
• derm—skin
• geo—Earth
• norm—typical

Let’s look at a pairing of a root with a prefix:

postscript—Post is a prefix meaning “after,” paired with script, the root meaning “to write.” Putting these together, you know the word means “to write after.”

Now, a pairing of a root with a suffix:

audible—Aud is a root meaning meaning to hear, and the suffix ble means “capable.” Putting these together, you know the word means “able to hear.”