Work out a word from its sentence
Grade 6 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
The Snow Leopard Survey (article)
[1] Snow leopards are among the most elusive animals on Earth. [2] Their gray-and-white fur blends into rock so well that biologists can spend weeks in the mountains without seeing one. [3] Instead of looking for the cats themselves, researchers set up cameras along narrow ridges, where the animals leave scratch marks and tracks.
[4] Last winter, one team gathered nine months of footage from forty cameras. [5] Their count of eleven cats was tentative, since a few photographs showed only part of the spot pattern, and two cats might have been counted twice. [6] The leader, Dr. Fennimore, said she would trust the number only after a second survey. [7] She is known as an impartial scientist who reports results that disappoint her sponsors as plainly as those that please them.
[8] The cats' habitat is harsh, but the animals are resilient. [9] They survive temperatures far below freezing, climb steep slopes with ease, and recover quickly from injuries. [10] The greater danger is human activity, which has shrunk the territory where the cats can roam freely. [11] Local herders have agreed to guard their animals with fences at night, which has reduced conflicts. [12] Researchers hope these agreements will give the cats room to thrive.
Milo combines the clues in sentences 1 to 3. What does elusive most likely mean in sentence 1?
- impossible for anyone to ever see
- hard to find or catch sight of
- easy to spot against the bare rock
- rare, with very few left in the wild
Noah combines the clues in sentences 5 and 6. What does tentative most likely mean in sentence 5?
- final and ready to be published as fact
- wrong, because two cats were counted twice
- dishonest, meant to fool the sponsors
- not yet certain and open to change
A classmate says impartial means “cold and unfriendly.” Pia looks for the detail that best shows that guess is wrong. Which is it?
- She would trust the number after a second survey of the same ridges.
- Their count of eleven individual cats was tentative, since photographs were partial.
- She reports results that disappoint her sponsors as plainly as those that please them.
- Researchers set up cameras along narrow ridges, where the cats leave tracks.
Ren asks why the author calls the cats resilient instead of strong. Which choice explains the effect?
- Resilient suggests the cats cannot be hurt by anything in the mountains where they live.
- The two words mean the same thing, so the choice does not affect the sentence in any way.
- Resilient suggests the cats are delicate and need protection from the cold.
- Resilient shows they bounce back from cold and injury, while strong shows power.
The Class Election (story)
[1] When Mr. Hale announced that the class would elect a treasurer, Wren and Oswin were the only two who raised their hands. [2] Wren was candid about her plan: she told the class she wanted to raise money for a new set of science kits and would not pretend to have bigger goals. [3] Oswin, by contrast, spoke in vague phrases about “making school better for everyone” and never mentioned a specific project.
[4] During questions, a student asked Oswin how he would spend the money. [5] He hesitated, glanced at the ceiling, and answered that he would “look into some options.” [6] Several classmates murmured, and one rolled her eyes. [7] Wren stayed composed when a boy challenged her budget as too small. [8] She replied that a small goal reached was better than a grand goal missed, and she offered to show her calculations.
[9] The votes were counted after lunch. [10] Wren won by a comfortable margin, and Oswin congratulated her at once. [11] Mr. Hale later told the class that both candidates had shown courage, though in different ways. [12] He noted that being candid, unlike flattering people, takes more nerve than skill.
Zee combines the clues in sentences 2 and 12. What does candid most likely mean?
- blunt and rude toward the audience
- honest and direct, even about plain goals
- secretive about her plans for the money in the account
- modest and unwilling to speak about herself
Ari combines the clues in sentences 3 and 5. What does vague most likely mean in sentence 3?
- friendly and meant to please the voters
- very exact, with a number for everything
- false, meant to mislead the voters
- unclear, without specific details
A classmate says composed in sentence 7 means “wrote something.” Bo looks for the reason that best shows that guess is wrong. Which is it?
- Several classmates murmured, and one rolled her eyes.
- Wren won by a comfortable margin after lunch, so she must have written well.
- Wren “stayed composed” while a boy challenged her, so the word names a calm state.
- Wren offered to show her calculations, which means she writes things down.
A Letter About a Clock (letter)
[1] Dear Ms. Alvarez, thank you for the generous offer to buy my grandfather's clock. [2] I must decline, though I admit the decision was not easy. [3] The mechanism is intricate: more than two hundred tiny gears, each cut by hand, mesh so precisely that a single speck of dust can stop the pendulum. [4] My grandfather spent a winter assembling it by lamplight, and he was persistent even when three attempts failed.
[5] Last week the clock stopped for the first time in years, and I feared the worst. [6] Mr. Pruett, the repairman, spent an afternoon with a magnifying glass and a brush before he found the culprit: a hair no thicker than a thread. [7] He lifted it out, the gears resumed their quiet work, and the clock began to chime as if nothing had happened.
[8] I do not wish to sound ungrateful. [9] You may think my attachment is sentimental, and perhaps it is. [10] Yet the clock reminds me that careful, patient work can outlast the people who did it. [11] I would be glad, however, to arrange a visit so that you may see it for yourself. [12] Please reply at your convenience.
Kira combines the clues in sentences 3 and 6. What does intricate most likely mean in sentence 3?
- so complicated that no one could ever fix it again
- simple, made of a few large parts that anyone can see
- made of many tiny parts that fit
- very old, made a long time ago by hand
A classmate says persistent in sentence 4 means “annoyingly stubborn.” Luz looks for the reason that best shows that guess is wrong. Which is it?
- The writer admires the work, and the grandfather kept trying “even when three attempts failed.”
- He spent a whole winter assembling it by lamplight, working long hours.
- Each gear was cut by hand and fits so exactly that dust can stop it.
- He worked alone because he would not listen to advice from friends.
Pia asks why the writer calls the hair the culprit instead of the cause. Which choice explains the effect?
- Culprit and cause mean the same thing, so the tone of the sentence stays exactly the same.
- Culprit shows that someone broke the clock on purpose to cause trouble.
- Culprit makes the hair sound like a guilty party, giving the repair a playful tone.
- Culprit shows the writer is angry at Mr. Pruett for the slow repair.