Build words with prefixes and suffixes

Grade 6 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Sound of the Auditorium (article)

   [1] The school auditorium was built so that every member of the audience could hear a performance clearly. [2] Its curved walls carry sound to the back rows, and the soft seats keep echoes from building up. [3] Before opening night, a sound engineer tested the room from the last row. [4] She asked a student to speak in a very low voice, and the words were still audible.

   [5] In the old gym, the same whisper had been inaudible beyond the third row. [6] The principal said that auditory comfort matters as much as good lighting. [7] During auditions, singers stand on the stage while judges listen from the middle of the hall. [8] A nervous singer may speak too softly, so the judges ask each one to repeat the first line.

   [9] The engineer also checks that a loud drum cannot drown out a flute. [10] After the tests, the room was ready for its first concert.

2. 1.

   Ari sees audience, audible, auditory and auditions in the passage. What does the root aud- most likely mean?

   • hear or listen
   • see or look closely
   • speak or say aloud
   • build or make a hall
3. 2.

   Esme reads sentence 6. Using aud- and the ending -ory, what does auditory mean in auditory comfort?

   • able to be heard
   • the act of hearing
   • a place for hearing
   • relating to hearing
4. 3.

   Jun reads sentence 7. Using aud- and the sentence, what is an audition?

   • a place where sound is measured by an engineer
   • a test of how well a singer can see the judges
   • a short performance that judges listen to
   • a loud noise heard in a large hall

5. Living Things Up Close (article)

   [1] A biologist studies living things, from tiny algae to whales. [2] Biology is the study of life, and the same ending appears in ecology and geology. [3] Dr. Okoye writes a biography of each animal she tracks, a record of its life from birth to old age. [4] A biography is different from an autograph, which is a person's own signature.

   [5] In her lab, a graph shows how the animals grow over time. [6] Some of her sample trays are biodegradable, so they break down into soil after use. [7] The team also studies how living things depend on their surroundings. [8] Each week she writes a short report of what the group has observed.

   [9] Her students say the best part of biology is that the subject is alive. [10] They keep a journal of each experiment so that the data can be checked later.

6. 4.

   Luz sees autograph, biography and graph in the passage. What does the root graph most likely mean?

   • study or science
   • measure or weigh
   • break down
   • write or record
7. 5.

   Milo reads sentence 6. Using bio-, degrade (break down) and -able, what does biodegradable mean?

   • unable to break down in soil
   • able to be broken down naturally
   • full of living things
   • able to be studied in a lab
8. 6.

   Noah reads sentence 2. What does the ending -logy mean in biology, ecology and geology?

   • the fear of
   • able to be
   • the study of
   • a written record of

9. Messages Across Distance (article)

   [1] Long ago, people sent news by letter, and a message could take weeks to travel. [2] The telegraph changed that by sending electric signals along wires. [3] The telephone followed, carrying the sound of a voice through the same kind of wire. [4] Today a telescope lets astronomers see planets that are far beyond the reach of the eye.

   [5] A television brings moving pictures into a living room from a distant studio. [6] Engineers also transmit signals through the air, with no wire at all. [7] A transmission tower sends a message across a whole city. [8] Each of these tools shortens distance in some way.

   [9] Without them, a message would take much longer to reach a faraway friend. [10] Even a simple call now crosses an ocean in a moment.

10. 7.

    Pia reads sentence 3. Using tele- (far) and phon (sound), what does telephone mean?

    • a far-off place
    • sound from far away
    • writing from far away
    • pictures from far away
11. 8.

    Ren reads sentences 6 and 7. Using trans- (across) and mit (send), what does transmit most likely mean?

    • change a signal into words
    • receive from far away
    • send across a distance
    • hold a signal in place
12. 9.

    Tala reads sentence 7. In transmission tower, what does the ending -ion do to the verb transmit?

    • It turns the verb into a describing word.
    • It names the person who sends.
    • It makes the verb mean to send back.
    • It turns the action into a noun.
13. 10.

    Zee reads sentence 5. Using tele- (far) and vis (see), what does television mean?

    • a way to write from far away
    • a way to see from far away
    • a way to hear from far away
    • a machine that makes pictures nearby