Work out a word in a hard or older text

Grade 11 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Sentence

   Mayor Ruiz opened the budget hearing with an emollient speech, thanking residents for their patience, owning up to the confusing first notice and promising a second meeting, and by the end the angriest man in the front row had unfolded his arms and asked his question in a level voice.

2. 1.

   Ari reads a sentence from a town newsletter. What does emollient mean here?

   • harsh, meant to stir up anger
   • polite but empty, promising nothing
   • given at a public budget hearing
   • soothing, meant to ease anger

3. Sentence

   Dr. Abara asked whether anyone would second the motion to extend the library's hours, and for a long moment no one in the room spoke.
   Entry: second 1. (adjective) coming right after the first one in order. 2. (noun) one sixtieth of a minute. 3. (verb) to back a motion so that it can be discussed. 4. (verb) to move a worker to another job for a time.

4. 2.

   Bo reads a sentence from a school board agenda and the entry under it. Which sense of second fits?

   • to lengthen the hours the library stays open
   • to back a motion so that it can be discussed
   • coming right after the first one in order
   • to move a worker to another job for a time

5. Sentence

   Though she held two degrees and had just won the college's top teaching prize, Ms. Okoye was diffident about her own work, and the magazine's writer learned of the prize only when the dean mentioned it.

6. 3.

   Esme reads a sentence from a college magazine. What does diffident mean here?

   • eager to talk about her own work and prizes
   • shy and unwilling to push oneself forward
   • winner of the college's top teaching prize
   • sure of herself and well qualified

7. Sentence

   Readers called the editorial's last paragraph trenchant: in six sentences it showed that the town's own traffic counts contradicted the plan the council had just approved, and the council reopened the vote the following week.

8. 4.

   Jun reads a line from a student newspaper. What does trenchant mean here?

   • about traffic counts and the vote on a new plan
   • harsh and unfair toward the council
   • slow, long and heavy with detail
   • sharp and effective at cutting to the point

9. Sentence

   The delay was bad enough, but the storm compounded it, closing the last open road and turning a three-hour drive into a two-day wait.
   Entry: compound 1. (noun) a group of buildings inside a fence. 2. (noun) a substance made of two or more elements. 3. (verb) to mix parts into a whole. 4. (verb) to make worse by adding to it.

10. 5.

    Kira reads a sentence from a road-safety report and the entry under it. Which sense of compounded fits?

    • to mix parts into a whole
    • to make worse by adding to it
    • a group of buildings inside a fence
    • to close the last open road

11. Sentence

    After weeks without rain, the north field would yield barely half of last year's wheat, and the farmer rebuilt the fall budget around that.
    Entry: yield 1. (verb) to give way under pressure or force. 2. (verb) to produce as a crop or a result. 3. (noun) the amount of a crop that is grown. 4. (verb) to let another go first.

12. 6.

    Noah reads a sentence from a farm report and the entry under it. Which sense of yield fits?

    • to plan the fall budget around it
    • the amount of a crop that is grown
    • to produce as a crop or a result
    • to give way under pressure or force

13. Sentence

    After losing the semifinal by a single vote, Tomas was magnanimous, shaking his opponent's hand and offering to help her prepare for the state round.

14. 7.

    Pia reads a sentence from a debate-league recap. What does magnanimous mean here?

    • stubborn and unwilling to accept defeat
    • defeated by one vote in a semifinal
    • bitter and angry about the loss
    • generous and forgiving toward a rival

15. Sentence

    The contractor proved so dilatory that the porch promised for May was still a pile of lumber in August, and the owners finally planned their cookout around it.

16. 8.

    Ren reads a sentence from a homeowners' newsletter. What does dilatory mean here?

    • hired to build a porch for the owners
    • widened or opened out, as an eye does
    • quick to start and quick to finish
    • slow to act and prone to delay

17. Sentence

    After two hours of argument over parking rules, the council agreed to table the question until its March meeting.
    Entry: table 1. (noun) a flat-topped piece of furniture. 2. (noun) facts arranged in rows and columns. 3. (verb, U.S.) to set aside to take up at a later time. 4. (verb) to write something down in a list.

18. 9.

    Tala reads a sentence from a council summary and the entry under it. Which sense of table fits?

    • to write something down in a list
    • to set aside to take up at a later time
    • facts arranged in rows and columns
    • to argue for two hours about parking rules

19. Sentence

    Though the apartment looked as if a storm had passed through it, its owner was punctilious about one thing, the spice rack, where every jar stood in alphabetical order with its label facing out.

20. 10.

    Zee reads a sentence from a roommate profile. What does punctilious mean here?

    • extremely careful about small details
    • easy to please and unbothered by details
    • very keen on arriving exactly on time
    • messy and careless about the home