Build words with prefixes and suffixes
Grade 6 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Reading the Past (article)
[1] A historian studies the past by reading manuscripts, letters written by hand long before printing. [2] Some papers survive as transcripts, copies made by writing out the words of the original. [3] An inscription cut into stone may last longer than any paper. [4] When Dr. Rao compared a manuscript with its transcript, she noticed an error in the date.
[5] She described the mistake in a short note and sent it to the museum. [6] The museum's records are arranged chronologically, so each document sits beside others from the same period. [7] That order makes it easy to see how a town changed over many years. [8] Dr. Rao's retrospective article described a century of change in one harbor town.
[9] Some readers found the dates in the article hard to follow until she added a timeline. [10] Her work shows that careful writing, not memory, keeps history alive.
Ari reads sentence 3. Using in- (into) and script (write), what is an inscription?
- words spoken aloud to a crowd
- words copied from another page
- words cut into a surface
- a note that describes something
Bo reads sentence 6. Using chron (time), -logical and the sentence, what does chronologically mean?
- in the order the events happened
- by the museum room that holds them
- by the name of each writer
- by whether the facts are true
Esme reads sentence 5. Using de- (down) and scrib (write), what does described mean?
- cut words into a stone
- wrote over a mistake to hide it
- copied the words from a page
- wrote down the details of
When a Volcano Erupts (article)
[1] Geologists study how the Earth changes, and few events change it faster than an eruption. [2] The root rupt means break, and a volcano erupts when pressure breaks through the crust. [3] The eruption can be abrupt, with almost no warning. [4] Ash may interrupt flights and disrupt farms hundreds of miles away.
[5] A rupture in the crust may also open new vents. [6] Instruments called seismometers detect small tremors before a large blast. [7] A geothermal plant, by contrast, uses the Earth's own heat to make electricity. [8] The hot water that powers it was heated deep below the surface.
[9] Geologists compare the two uses of Earth's heat when they plan a town. [10] The same underground heat can produce both danger and energy.
Kira reads sentence 3. Using ab- (off) and rupt (break), what does abrupt most likely mean?
- slow and gradual over many years
- very large and wide in size
- sudden, as if broken off
- close to the surface of the crust
Luz reads sentence 4. Interrupt and disrupt share the root rupt. Which statement compares them correctly?
- Inter- (between) means to break in; dis- (apart) means to break up.
- Inter- means to break apart, and dis- means to break in between.
- The two words mean the same, because both end in the same root word.
- Both words mean to start something new in the middle.
Milo reads sentence 7. Using geo (Earth), therm (heat) and -al, what does geothermal mean?
- measuring the heat of the Earth
- heat that comes from the sun
- relating to the Earth's rocks
- using heat from the Earth
Noah compares erupts in sentence 2 and eruption in sentence 1. How does -ion change the word?
- Erupts means before breaking, and eruption means after.
- Erupts names an action; eruption names the event.
- The two words come from different roots.
- Eruption is a describing word for the volcano.
The Science Fair (story)
[1] At the science fair, each team had to project its results onto a screen. [2] The root ject means throw, and a projector throws light forward. [3] One judge, Ms. Lindqvist, would interject a question whenever a claim seemed unclear. [4] She rejected a project only after explaining why.
[5] A team that tested paper airplanes studied the trajectory of each throw. [6] Another team constructed a small bridge and tested how much weight it could support. [7] When the bridge failed, the team calmly analyzed the damage. [8] Their instructions for building the next model were clearer.
[9] The judge praised the team's willingness to inspect their own mistakes. [10] Several students were chosen to present their projects at the regional fair.
Ren reads sentence 4. Using re- (back) and ject (throw), what does rejected most likely mean?
- showed on a screen for the crowd
- stopped with a question
- accepted after a long delay
- turned down, as if thrown back
Tala reads sentence 5. Using tra- (across) and ject (throw), what does trajectory most likely mean?
- the weight of something thrown
- a measure of how fast it landed
- a plan for the next throw
- the path of something thrown
Zee compares constructed (sentence 6) and instructions (sentence 8), which share the root struct (build). How do the prefixes differ?
- Con- means together, so pieces are joined; in- means into, so instructions build skill.
- The prefixes do not matter, because the root alone fixes the meaning of each word.
- Con- means against, so the team built it to fail on purpose.
- Both prefixes mean not, so the words describe building that failed or was undone.
