Exothermic means to release heat, and endothermic means to absorb heat.
If a word equation talks about: heat (or energy) being released with a small amount of activation energy needed & the reactants being higher energy than the products, then it is exothermic.
If the question speaks about heat being absorbed (becoming higher energy), having a high amount for activation energy, or the reactants having less energy than the products, it is endothermic.