Dictionary and thesaurus skills

Grade 6 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Pal (pal) noun 1 a close friend. Usage: informal. Example: Jun texted a pal about the game. Ari sees the label informal in this entry. Where does the word pal fit most naturally?

   • In the title of a report on the water cycle
   • In a written speech for a graduation ceremony
   • In a formal letter to the school board
   • In a quick text message to a friend
2. 2.

   Commence (kuh-MENS) verb 1 to begin. Usage: formal. Example: The ceremony will commence at noon. Bo wants an everyday word for commence in a text to a friend. Which word keeps the meaning?

   • continue
   • initiate
   • start
   • stop
3. 3.

   “Hither (HITH-er) adverb 1 to this place. Usage: archaic (old-fashioned; rarely used today). Example: The traveler called, 'Come hither!'” The label archaic is on this entry. What does it tell Esme about hither?

   • It is slang that young people use with their close friends
   • It is a science word that appears in lab reports
   • It is a rude word that school writing should avoid
   • It is an old-fashioned word that is rarely used today

4. Read this first

   Dictionary entry

   Manuscript (MAN-yuh-skript)
   noun 1 a book or paper written by hand, or an author's copy before it is printed.
   Origin: Latin manu 'by hand' + scriptus 'written'.

5. 4.

   How does the origin help Jun remember what manuscript means?

   • It shows the word means a printed book that is sold in stores
   • It shows the word began as the Latin for 'written by hand'
   • Manu sounds like many, so it is a long book with many pages
   • It shows the word is said MAN-yuh-skript, with stress on the first part
6. 5.

   Benevolent (buh-NEV-uh-lunt) adjective 1 kind and wishing to do good for others. Origin: Latin bene 'well' + volens 'wishing'. The origin gives two Latin parts, Kira. What do they mean together?

   • 'Well' and 'wishing,' which fits a person who wants good things for others
   • 'Well' and 'water,' which fits a person who shares a cold drink
   • 'Good' and 'volume,' which fits a person who speaks kindly out loud
   • 'Well' and 'wishing,' which fits a person who wants a reward for helping others

7. Dictionary entry

   Quarantine (KWOR-un-teen)
   noun 1 a time when people or animals that may be sick are kept apart from others.
   Origin: Italian quaranta giorni 'forty days'.

8. 6.

   Luz wonders why quarantine starts with quar. What does the origin explain?

   • The word comes from quarter, since sick people were kept in one quarter of a town
   • The word means forty days, so a quarantine lasts exactly forty days today
   • The word grew from an Italian phrase for 'forty days,' a long time to stay apart
   • The word is said KWOR-un-teen, with the stress on the first syllable

9. Dictionary entry

   Cell (sel)
   noun 1 (Science) the smallest living part of a plant or animal.
   noun 2 a small room, such as one in a jail.
   noun 3 one box in a spreadsheet.

10. 7.

    Pia reads in a science book: 'A leaf is made of millions of cells.' Which numbered meaning fits?

    • one flat green part of a plant that catches sunlight
    • the smallest living part of a plant or animal
    • a small room, such as one in a jail or a hospital
    • one box in a spreadsheet on a computer

11. Dictionary entry

    Plot (plot)
    noun 1 (Literature) the series of events in a story.
    noun 2 a small piece of ground marked off for a purpose.
    verb 3 to mark points on a graph.

12. 8.

    Ren reads: 'The club planted tomatoes in a small plot behind the library.' Which numbered meaning fits?

    • a red fruit that grows on a vine in a garden
    • the series of events in a story or in a play
    • to mark points on a graph
    • a small piece of ground marked off for use

13. Dictionary entry

    Ray (ray)
    noun 1 a thin line of light.
    noun 2 (Math) a part of a line with one starting point that goes on forever in one direction.

14. 9.

    In geometry class, Tala reads: 'Draw a ray from point A through point B.' Which numbered meaning fits?

    • a thin line of light that comes from the sun or a lamp
    • a part of a line that starts at one point and keeps going
    • a line that keeps going forever in both directions
    • a pair of points named A and B on a page

15. Dictionary entry

    Photograph (FOH-tuh-graf)
    noun 1 a picture made with a camera.
    photography (fuh-TOG-ruh-fee)
    noun 2 the art or job of taking photographs.
    Origin: Greek photo 'light' + graphein 'to write or draw'.

16. 10.

    The stress moves when photograph becomes photography. Which pronunciation does the entry give for photography, Zee?

    • fuh-TOG-ruh-fee
    • foh-toh-GRAF-ee
    • FOH-toh-GRAF-ee
    • FOH-tuh-graf-ee