Dictionary and thesaurus skills

Grade 6 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Reference entry

   Thrifty (THRIF-tee)
   adjective careful about spending money.
   Similar words:
   frugal: careful about spending so that nothing is wasted.
   stingy: unwilling to spend or share, even when it would be fair to.
   cheap (informal): unwilling to spend, usually meant as a criticism.
   wasteful: spending more than is needed.

2. 1.

   Ari wants to praise a classmate who saves up for the class trip. Which similar word keeps the praise?

   • frugal
   • cheap
   • wasteful
   • stingy

3. Reference entry

   Curious (KYOOR-ee-us)
   adjective wanting to learn or know something.
   Similar words:
   inquisitive: eager to learn, often said as praise.
   nosy: too interested in other people's private business, said as criticism.
   prying: asking about private matters in an unwelcome way.
   indifferent: not interested.

4. 2.

   Bo writes a recommendation for a lab partner who asks sharp questions about experiments. Which similar word fits?

   • prying
   • inquisitive
   • indifferent
   • nosy

5. Reference entry

   Determined (dih-TUR-mind)
   adjective firmly set on doing something.
   Similar words:
   persistent: keeps trying despite difficulty, often said as praise.
   stubborn: refuses to change a plan or opinion even when there is a good reason, often said as criticism.
   flexible: willing to change plans.
   cooperative: willing to work with others.

6. 3.

   Esme describes a classmate who ignored three good suggestions and kept a plan that was not working. Which similar word fits the facts?

   • cooperative
   • persistent
   • flexible
   • stubborn

7. Reference entry

   Kid (kid)
   noun 1 (informal) a child.
   noun 2 a young goat.
   verb 3 (informal) to tease in a friendly way.
   child (chyld)
   noun 1 a young person who is not yet an adult.
   Usage note: in formal writing, use child or children.

8. 4.

   Jun is revising a formal museum report. Which version of 'The kids asked excellent questions' keeps the meaning and fits the report?

   • The young goats asked excellent questions.
   • The children asked excellent questions.
   • The tykes asked excellent questions.
   • The kiddos asked excellent questions.

9. Reference entry

   Sound (sownd)
   noun 1 something that can be heard.
   adjective 2 healthy or not damaged.
   adjective 3 based on good reasoning.
   verb 4 to seem when heard or read.

10. 5.

    Milo reads: 'The engineer's plan for the bridge was sound.' Which word can replace sound without changing the meaning?

    • healthy
    • noisy
    • well reasoned
    • still unfinished

11. Reference entry

    Bear (bair)
    verb 1 to carry or hold up.
    verb 2 to put up with without complaining.
    verb 3 to give birth to or produce.
    noun 4 a large furry animal.

12. 6.

    Noah reads: 'Pia could not bear the loud music during the quiz.' Which phrase can replace bear without changing the meaning?

    • carry
    • produce
    • a large furry animal
    • put up with

13. Reference entry

    Fine (fyn)
    adjective 1 of very good quality.
    adjective 2 very thin or small.
    noun 3 money paid as a punishment for breaking a rule.
    adjective 4 feeling well.

14. 7.

    Pia reads: 'The library charged a fine for the overdue atlas.' Which meaning fits fine?

    • money paid as a punishment for breaking a rule
    • of very good quality, such as a fine meal
    • very thin or small, such as fine thread
    • a book that is returned to the library very late

15. Reference entry

    Benevolent (buh-NEV-uh-lunt)
    adjective wishing to do good for others.
    Origin: Latin bene 'well' + volens 'wishing'.
    mal- prefix meaning 'bad' or 'badly', from Latin male.
    malfunction noun a failure to work properly.

16. 8.

    Using the entry, what does malevolent probably mean, Ren?

    • failing to work properly
    • wishing to do good for others
    • having many wishes at once
    • wishing to do harm to others
17. 9.

    Spectator (SPEK-tay-ter) noun 1 a person who watches an event. Origin: Latin specere 'to look' + -ator 'one who does'. Which word probably shares a root with spectator, Tala?

    • inspect, because both come from the Latin for 'to look'
    • inspire, because both start with the same two letters
    • spatter, because both begin with the letters sp and sound alike
    • instruct, because both are about teaching and learning

18. Reference entry

    Portable (POR-tuh-bul)
    adjective 1 easy to carry or move.
    Origin: Latin portare 'to carry' + -able 'able to be'.
    port noun 2 a town or city with a harbor.

19. 10.

    Which pair of words probably shares the root in the origin, Zee?

    • export and transport, because both are about carrying goods
    • port and harbor, because both name places where ships stop
    • porch and portion, because they start with the same letters
    • portrait and portable, because both begin with the letters port