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Connotation, Euphemism and Loaded Language — Answers

Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the Year 11 vocabulary worksheet.

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Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheetYear 11 · English · Vocabulary

Connotation, Euphemism and Loaded Language — Answers

Part A: Denotation and connotation

Words with similar meanings can carry very different feelings. Circle the best answer.

1.Denotation means:
  1. Athe dictionary meaning of a word
  2. Bthe feelings a word suggests
  3. Ca word's origin
  4. Da word's spelling

Answer: the dictionary meaning of a word

Denotation is the literal meaning; connotation is the set of feelings and ideas a word carries.

2.Which word has the most positive connotation for someone who saves money carefully?
  1. Astingy
  2. Bcheap
  3. Cthrifty
  4. Dtight-fisted

Answer: thrifty

Thrifty suggests sensible and careful; the others suggest meanness.

3.Which word has the most negative connotation for a group of people gathered in a street?
  1. Acrowd
  2. Bgathering
  3. Cmob
  4. Daudience

Answer: mob

Mob suggests disorder and danger.

4.A news report says protesters stormed the building. Compared with entered, the word stormed suggests:
  1. Acalm and order
  2. Baggression and force
  3. Cpermission was given
  4. Da small number of people

Answer: aggression and force

Stormed carries ideas of violence and attack, which can shape how readers judge the protesters.

Part B: Shades of meaning

Rank the words in each set and be ready to justify your order.

5.Rank from most positive to most negative: curious, nosy, inquisitive, prying

Answer: inquisitive, curious, nosy, prying

  1. inquisitive and curious are positive or neutral; nosy and prying suggest intruding, with prying the strongest.
6.Rank from most positive to most negative: confident, arrogant, self-assured, smug

Answer: self-assured, confident, arrogant, smug

  1. Small differences in ranking between the first two (or the last two) are acceptable if explained.

Part C: Euphemism

A euphemism is a mild or indirect word used in place of one that sounds harsh or unpleasant. It can be kind, but it can also hide the truth.

7.Match each euphemism to its plain meaning.
  • passed away
  • let go
  • pre-owned
  • between jobs
  • economical with the truth
  • collateral damage
  • second-hand
  • lying
  • unemployed
  • died
  • unintended deaths or destruction in war
  • fired from a job

Answer: passed away → died; let go → fired from a job; pre-owned → second-hand; between jobs → unemployed; economical with the truth → lying; collateral damage → unintended deaths or destruction in war

8.Why might a company describe job cuts as restructuring? What is the effect on the reader?[2 marks]

Answer: Restructuring sounds neutral and planned, even positive, so it hides the human cost of people losing their jobs. Readers are less likely to feel sympathy or anger.

Part D: Loaded language

Loaded language uses strong connotations to push the reader towards an opinion.

9.Identify the loaded words in this headline and explain how they position the reader: Greedy developers bulldoze beloved park[2 marks]

Answer: Greedy (a negative view of the developers' motives), bulldoze (violent, destructive), beloved (positive, emotional). Together they position the reader to see the developers as villains and the park as a precious loss.

10.Rewrite the headline in neutral language.

Answer: Developers clear park site for new housing

  1. Any version that removes loaded words is acceptable.

Part E: Your turn

11.Your turn: here is a neutral report. The city council approved a plan to build a six-lane road through the eastern wetlands. Construction will begin next year and is expected to reduce travel times. Rewrite it twice (3–4 sentences each): first to position readers to support the road, then to position them against it. Then explain three word choices you made.

Model answer: Supportive: The council has given the green light to a modern six-lane road that will finally ease the daily gridlock in the east. Work starts next year on the long-awaited project, which promises to give commuters back precious hours with their families. Against: The council has pushed through a plan to carve a six-lane highway through the fragile eastern wetlands. Bulldozers will move in next year, tearing up a habitat that has sheltered wildlife for centuries, all to shave a few minutes off a commute. Explanation: Green light and long-awaited suggest the road is overdue and welcome. Pushed through suggests the council ignored opposition. Carve and tearing up make the construction sound violent, and fragile makes the wetlands seem precious and vulnerable.

Success criteria:

  • Both versions keep the same basic facts
  • Supportive version uses words with positive connotations
  • Critical version uses words with negative connotations
  • Explanation identifies at least three specific words and their effects
  • Shows understanding that word choice positions the reader
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Marking tips

  • Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
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