Build words with prefixes and suffixes
Grade 6 Reading Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Moving Goods Across the Sea (article)
[1] Every day, huge ships transport goods from one country to another. [2] A company that exports toys sends them out of its own country, while a company that imports them brings them in. [3] Dock workers use cranes because the boxes are too heavy to be portable. [4] A small laptop, by contrast, is portable, so a traveler can carry it onto a plane.
[5] Before a ship leaves, an official reports what it carries so that nothing is missing. [6] Strong cranes support the heavy boxes as they swing over the water. [7] Trucks and trains then carry the cargo inland to stores. [8] If a storm delays a ship, shoppers may find their favorite items missing from the shelves.
[9] That is why the port keeps a careful schedule of arrivals and departures. [10] The smooth flow of imports and exports helps the whole economy.
Bo reads sentences 3 and 4. Using port (carry) and -able, what does portable mean?
- able to be carried
- able to be sold
- carrying heavy loads
- kept near a port
Esme compares imports and exports in sentence 2. How does the prefix change the shared root port?
- Both prefixes mean carry, so the two words mean the same thing in the sentence.
- Im- means in and ex- means out, so port names opposite directions.
- Ex- means former, so exports are old goods.
- Im- means not, so imports are goods that cannot be carried by ships.
Jun reads sentence 6. Using sup- (from sub, under) and port (carry), what does support mean?
- carry across a distance
- carry out of a place
- pull down from above
- hold up from underneath
Predicting the Weather (article)
[1] Meteorologists make a living by trying to predict the weather. [2] To predict is to say before something happens; the same root appears in dictate and contradict. [3] A good prediction depends on careful measurement. [4] A thermometer measures heat, and a barometer measures air pressure.
[5] Satellites photograph clouds, and the pictures arrive in order of time. [6] Forecasters compare today's readings with past records to find patterns. [7] Still, the atmosphere is unpredictable, because small changes can grow into large ones. [8] A forecast of rain at noon is a probability, not a promise.
[9] When a prediction fails, the team studies what went wrong. [10] Over the years, their predictions have improved.
Kira reads sentence 7. Using un- (not), pre- (before), dict (say) and -able, what does unpredictable mean?
- staying the same from one day to the next
- not able to be told before it happens
- not able to be found in a dictionary
- able to be told before it happens
Luz reads sentence 2, which says predict, dictate and contradict share a root. Using dict (say), which meaning of dictate fits?
- to say words for another to write
- to listen to a speaker quietly in a room
- to look closely at a page of print
- to write words down alone at a desk
Milo reads sentence 4. Using therm (heat) and -meter (measure), what does thermometer mean?
- a tool for measuring heat
- a record of heat
- the study of heat
- a place where heat is made
The Bridge Inspector (article)
[1] Every year an inspector checks the old stone bridge on Mill Road. [2] To inspect means to look into something closely, and the root spect also appears in spectator and spectacle. [3] From the riverbank, the view of the bridge is a spectacle, especially at sunset. [4] But the inspector does not come for the view.
[5] She studies cracks from many perspectives, standing above the road and below the arch. [6] She also takes careful measurements so she can compare them with last year. [7] A visitor who watches her work is a spectator, not a helper. [8] When a crack grows, she writes a report that the town can respect and act on.
[9] Last year she found a loose stone and had it replaced before winter. [10] In retrospect, the repair saved the town a much larger cost.
Pia reads sentence 7. Using spect (look) and the ending -or, what does spectator mean?
- a person who looks on
- a thing worth looking at
- a person who builds
- a person who listens
Ren reads sentence 3. Using spect (look), what does spectacle most likely mean?
- a person who looks closely
- a close check for damage
- something remarkable to look at
- something to hear at sunset
Tala reads sentence 10. Using retro- (back) and spect (look), what does in retrospect mean?
- looking closely at a bridge
- looking back on what happened
- looking ahead to what will happen
- looking at something from below
Zee reads sentence 5. Using per- (through) and spect (look), what do perspectives mean?
- different ways of looking at it
- different measurements of one single crack
- different tools used for looking
- different reports about a bridge