Understand how words connect

Grade 6 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Rivers Shape the Land (science article)

   [1] A river does more than carry water to the sea; over many centuries, it reshapes the land around it. [2] The moving water causes erosion, which wears away soil and rock from the banks and the bed. [3] The loose material that the river picks up is called sediment, and it includes sand, silt and tiny pebbles. [4] When the river slows near its mouth, it drops the sediment, which gradually builds a delta of new land. [5] The Colorado River has carved the Grand Canyon over millions of years, and visitors can see many layers of rock in its walls. [6] Each layer is one part of the canyon's wall, and each was laid down in a different age. [7] Scientists study these layers to learn how Earth has changed over time. [8] Farmers who live along a delta often welcome the sediment, because it enriches the soil where their crops grow.

2. 1.

   Ari reads sentences [2] and [3]. How are erosion and sediment related?

   • Item and category: erosion is one kind of sediment, like sand or silt.
   • Part and whole: sediment is one section of the whole process called erosion.
   • Cause and effect: erosion wears material loose, and that loose material is sediment.
   • Cause and effect: sediment wears the banks away, and that wearing away is erosion.
3. 2.

   Bo wants to know what a delta is. Using what [4] says, which meaning fits?

   • A kind of loose material, such as sand, silt or tiny pebbles.
   • A thin layer of rock that can be seen in the wall of a canyon.
   • New land that builds up where a river drops its sediment near its mouth.
   • A deep cut in rock that fast water carves slowly over millions of years.
4. 3.

   Each layer is one part of a canyon wall. Esme wants a pair related the same way, as a part to its whole. Which pair?

   • farmer : delta
   • rain : flood
   • silt : sediment
   • petal : flower

5. Inside an Orchestra (music article)

   [1] An orchestra is a large group of musicians who perform together under the direction of a conductor. [2] The musicians sit in sections, and each section contains instruments of a similar kind. [3] The string section includes violins, violas, cellos and double basses. [4] The woodwind section includes flutes, oboes and clarinets, and the brass section includes trumpets and trombones. [5] A violin is one kind of string instrument, and a trombone is one kind of brass instrument. [6] The conductor does not play an instrument but guides the tempo, or speed, of the music. [7] If the conductor raises the tempo, the musicians must play faster. [8] During a rehearsal, the group practices a piece before the concert. [9] Each section learns to blend its sound with the others.

6. 4.

   Jun reads [5]. How are violin and string instrument related?

   • Item and category: a string instrument is one kind of violin.
   • Item and category: a violin is one kind of string instrument.
   • Cause and effect: playing a violin makes an instrument a string instrument.
   • Part and whole: a violin is one piece found inside a string instrument.
7. 5.

   Kira reads [6] and [7]. What does tempo mean?

   • The short break the group takes between two long pieces at a concert, before the next one.
   • The speed of the music, which gets faster when the conductor raises it.
   • The loudness of the music, which grows when more musicians play.
   • The group of musicians who sit nearest to the conductor.
8. 6.

   A section is one part of an orchestra. Luz wants a pair related the same way, as a part to its whole. Which pair?

   • wheel : bicycle
   • conductor : tempo
   • trumpet : brass instrument
   • practice : improvement

9. When the Rain Stops (social studies article)

   [1] A drought is a long period with much less rain than usual, and it can affect a whole region. [2] When the soil dries out, young plants wilt and many crops fail. [3] A failed harvest creates a shortage, which means there is not enough of something that people need. [4] Because food becomes scarce, its price often rises at the market. [5] Farmers may respond by planting varieties that need less water, and towns may ask residents to conserve water. [6] To conserve means to use something carefully so that a supply lasts longer. [7] A single dry season rarely causes a famine, but several in a row can leave families without enough food. [8] Communities that store grain in good years are better prepared for the difficult ones.

10. 7.

    Milo reads [2] and [3]. How are a failed harvest and a shortage related?

    • Item and category: a failed harvest is one kind of shortage.
    • Part and whole: a shortage is one part of a harvest.
    • Cause and effect: a shortage of food creates a failed harvest.
    • Cause and effect: a failed harvest creates a shortage of food.
11. 8.

    A drought leads to dry soil: cause and effect. Noah wants a pair related the same way. Which pair?

    • grain : harvested crop
    • farmer : weekly market
    • branch : apple tree
    • rain : flooded street

12. Building Blocks of Living Things (science article)

    [1] Every living thing is made of cells, the smallest units that can carry out the activities of life. [2] A single cell contains parts called organelles, and the nucleus is the organelle that holds the cell's genetic instructions. [3] Cells of the same kind work together as a tissue, such as the muscle tissue in a heart. [4] Several tissues join to form an organ, and the heart is one organ in the human body. [5] A group of organs that work together is called an organ system, and the digestive system breaks down food for the body. [6] An organism is a complete living thing, such as a bacterium, a tree or a person. [7] Some organisms consist of one cell, but a person has trillions. [8] Each level depends on the one below it, so damage to one organelle can affect a whole cell.

13. 9.

    Ren reads [2]. How are the nucleus and the cell related?

    • Part and whole: the cell is an organelle inside the nucleus.
    • Cause and effect: the cell's genetic instructions create the nucleus.
    • Part and whole: the nucleus is an organelle inside the cell.
    • Item and category: the nucleus is one kind of cell.
14. 10.

    Tala reads [3]. What does tissue mean?

    • A group of the same kind of cells that work together.
    • A group of organs that work together, such as the circulatory system.
    • A complete living thing, such as a bacterium or a tree.
    • A single organelle that holds the cell's genetic instructions.