Understand how words connect
Grade 6 Reading Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Why Leaves Change Color (science article)
[1] In spring and summer, leaves look green because they contain chlorophyll, a pigment that absorbs sunlight. [2] Plants use that light energy in photosynthesis, the process that makes sugar from carbon dioxide and water. [3] Leaves also contain yellow and orange pigments, but the green chlorophyll hides them. [4] As autumn days grow shorter and cooler, the tree makes less chlorophyll. [5] The green fades, and the yellow and orange pigments become visible. [6] Some trees, such as maples, also make red pigments in autumn, which explains their bright color. [7] Frost alone does not cause the change, although a sudden freeze can end the display early. [8] A tree drops its leaves after it cuts off the water and nutrients that flow into each one, which prepares the tree for winter.
Ari traces [4] and [5]. Which line gives the causes and effects in the right order?
- Less chlorophyll makes the days shorter and cooler, and then the yellow and orange pigments show.
- Shorter, cooler days lead to yellow and orange pigments, and those pigments then reduce the chlorophyll in each leaf.
- Frost removes the green chlorophyll, and that is why the yellow and orange pigments show.
- Shorter, cooler days lead to less chlorophyll, and less chlorophyll lets the yellow and orange pigments show.
A classmate says chlorophyll and pigment are related as cause and effect. Bo wants to correct the classmate. Which choice does?
- [3] says leaves contain yellow and orange pigments, so the two words name the same thing.
- [1] calls chlorophyll a pigment, so the link is item and category: a kind of pigment.
- [2] says plants use light in photosynthesis, so chlorophyll causes pigment.
- [3] says chlorophyll hides other pigments, so chlorophyll is one part inside a pigment.
Esme reads [7]. Which meaning of display fits the sentence?
- To put goods in a store window so that shoppers will notice and buy them.
- A show of feeling that people can see, as in a display of anger.
- A screen that shows pictures or words, as on a phone or a computer.
- A showing of something to be seen, here the show of bright fall colors.
The Working Harbor (article)
[1] A busy harbor depends on many things working together: ships, tugboats, cranes and the crews who run them. [2] A vessel is any craft built to carry people or cargo across water, and a freighter is one kind of vessel. [3] Cargo, the goods that a ship carries, is loaded at the port, which is the part of the harbor where ships dock. [4] Pilots who know the local currents guide large ships safely past rocks and shallow water. [5] A current is a steady flow of water in one direction, and it can push a ship off course. [6] The crew must adjust the ship's heading to stay in the channel, the deep path marked for traffic. [7] Because a loaded ship sits deeper in the water, its draft, or depth below the surface, limits where it can travel. [8] When the tide is low, a ship with a deep draft may have to wait for the water to rise.
Jun reads [3]. Which meaning of port fits the sentence?
- A small round window in the side of a ship.
- A place on a computer where a cable plugs in.
- The part of a harbor where ships dock to load and unload.
- The left side of a ship when you stand and face the front of it.
Kira follows [7] and [8]. Which line puts the causes and effects in the right order?
- A loaded ship sits deeper, so it has a deep draft, so low tide may make it wait.
- A ship with a deep draft is too heavy to enter a harbor, so it must stay at sea.
- Cargo is unloaded at the port, so the ship sits deeper, so it has a deep draft.
- Low tide makes a ship sit deeper, so it has a deep draft, so it has to wait.
A classmate says a vessel and a freighter are related as part and whole. Luz wants to correct the classmate. Which choice does?
- [2] says a freighter is one kind of vessel, so the link is item and category.
- [2] says a vessel carries cargo, so cargo is the part and the vessel is the whole.
- [5] says a current can push a ship, so a vessel and a freighter are cause and effect.
- [2] says a vessel is one kind of freighter, so the link is item and category.
A Clean Watershed (science article)
[1] A watershed is the area of land where all the rain and melting snow drain into the same river or lake. [2] Because a watershed collects water from many places, what happens on the land affects the water downstream. [3] Runoff is the water that flows over the ground instead of soaking in, and it often carries fertilizer, oil and litter. [4] When fertilizer reaches a lake, it can feed algae, which then multiply into a thick bloom. [5] The bloom blocks sunlight, and as the algae decompose, the process uses up oxygen that fish need. [6] An ecosystem is a community of living things and the nonliving parts, such as water and soil, that they depend on. [7] Because the parts of an ecosystem are linked, a change in one part can ripple through the rest. [8] Planting grass along streams helps because the roots slow runoff and filter out some pollution before it reaches the water.
A classmate says a watershed and an ecosystem are the same thing. Tala wants to correct the classmate. Which choice does?
- [2] says a watershed collects water, so a watershed is one kind of ecosystem.
- [1] and [6] define them differently, one by where water drains and one by living things.
- [7] says ecosystem parts are linked, so a watershed must contain the whole ecosystem.
- [4] says fertilizer feeds algae, so both words are about the same lake.
Zee reads [4]. Which meaning of bloom fits the sentence?
- A flower, or the time when a plant's flowers open.
- A healthy, fresh look, as in the bloom of the cheeks.
- A sudden, thick growth of algae that covers the water.
- To grow well and develop, as a young artist might bloom with practice.
Behind the Museum Glass (article)
[1] A museum collection is a group of objects that the staff has gathered, cared for and organized. [2] An artifact is any object made by people, such as a tool, a coin or a piece of pottery. [3] A curator is the specialist who decides which artifacts to display and how to explain them. [4] The items on display make up an exhibit, which is a small part of the whole collection. [5] The rest of the objects stay in storage, where cool, dry air helps protect them from damage. [6] A fossil is not an artifact because it was formed by nature, not made by people. [7] Visitors who read the labels can see how each artifact connects to a larger story about the past. [8] When museums share a collection online, more people can study the objects without handling them.
A classmate says an exhibit is one kind of collection. Noah wants to correct the classmate. Which choice does?
- [5] says other objects stay in storage, so an exhibit and storage are the same place in the museum.
- [4] says an exhibit is a small part of the whole collection, so the link is part and whole.
- [1] calls a collection a group of objects, so an exhibit is one kind of group.
- [4] says a collection is a small part of the exhibit, so the link is part and whole.
Esme reads [1]. Which meaning of collection fits the sentence?
- A line of clothes that a designer shows in a fashion show.
- A group of objects that the staff has gathered, cared for and organized.
- Money gathered from many people for a cause, such as a school fundraiser.
- The act of picking up something, as in the collection of trash on Tuesday.
