Dictionary and thesaurus skills

Grade 7 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Dictionary entry

   Bunk (BUNK)
   noun 1 a narrow bed fixed to a wall or stacked above another bed.
   noun 2 (informal) nonsense.
   Example: Ren climbed into the top bunk.

2. 1.

   Esme reads: “The rumor about a snow day was bunk.” Which numbered meaning fits, and what does the label tell the writer?

   • Meaning 2, because the label informal suits a casual sentence about a rumor
   • Meaning 2, so it is a good word for a formal science report
   • Meaning 1, because it is listed first
   • Meaning 1, because a rumor can start in a place where people sleep and talk at night
3. 2.

   Fortnight (FORT-nyt) noun a period of two weeks. Usage: chiefly British. Example: The ferry runs once a fortnight. Kira reads the entry for fortnight. A student in Ohio is writing a school report for local readers. What does the label suggest?

   • The word means exactly fourteen days in Britain and something else in the U.S.
   • The word is formal, so it fits a legal paper but not a school report
   • Many American readers say two weeks, so fortnight may sound unfamiliar to them
   • The word is a place name, so a report must name a British city

4. Dictionary entry

   Refuse (REF-yoos)
   noun garbage; trash.
   refuse (ri-FYOOZ)
   verb to say no to; to decline.
   Example: The crew hauled the refuse to the dump.

5. 3.

   Ari reads: “The crew hauled the refuse to the dump.” Which pronunciation and part of speech fit the sentence?

   • REF-yoos, a noun
   • ri-FYOOZ, a noun
   • ri-FYOOZ, a verb
   • REF-yoos, a verb

6. Dictionary entry

   Conduct (KAHN-dukt)
   noun the way a person behaves.
   conduct (kun-DUKT)
   verb 1 to carry out or manage. 2 to lead or guide. 3 to carry (heat or electricity).
   Example: Scientists conduct experiments.

7. 4.

   Bo reads: “Scientists conduct experiments.” Which pronunciation and part of speech fit?

   • kun-DUKT, a noun
   • KAHN-dukt, a verb
   • KAHN-dukt, a noun
   • kun-DUKT, a verb

8. Dictionary entry

   Permit (PUR-mit)
   noun an official paper that allows a person to do something.
   permit (per-MIT)
   verb to allow.
   Example: Students need a permit to park on campus.

9. 5.

   Luz reads: “Students need a permit to park on campus.” Which pronunciation and part of speech fit?

   • PUR-mit, a verb
   • PUR-mit, a noun
   • per-MIT, a verb
   • per-MIT, a noun

10. Dictionary entry

    Foundation (fown-DAY-shun)
    noun 1 the solid base a building stands on.
    noun 2 the basic idea or fact that something rests on.
    noun 3 an organization that gives money to help a cause.
    noun 4 a first layer of makeup.
    Example: The new bridge has a deep foundation.

11. 6.

    Tala reads: “The survey provided a foundation for the club's argument.” Which numbered meaning fits foundation?

    • the basic idea or fact that something rests on
    • an organization that gives money to help a cause
    • the solid base a building stands on
    • a survey that the club ran

12. Dictionary entry

    Interest (IN-trist)
    noun 1 curiosity about something; attention.
    noun 2 money paid for borrowing, or earned on savings.
    noun 3 a share in a business or property.
    noun 4 something a person enjoys doing.
    Example: Kira has an interest in birds.

13. 7.

    Ren reads: “The savings account earns interest every month.” Which numbered meaning fits interest?

    • curiosity about something; attention paid to it
    • something that a person enjoys doing for fun
    • a share in the ownership of a business or property
    • money paid for borrowing, or earned on savings

14. Dictionary entry

    Reference shelf:
    Dictionary: spellings, pronunciations, parts of speech, numbered meanings and word origins.
    Thesaurus: lists of words with related meanings, grouped by shade of meaning.
    Glossary in a math textbook: terms from math, with the meaning the book uses.
    Atlas: maps and place names.
    The word in question: jubilant.

15. 8.

    Milo wants a word that shows a stronger feeling than “happy” for a sentence about winning a trophy. Which reference helps most?

    • The atlas, because it lists places where people feel happy
    • The dictionary, because it lists spellings and meanings of the word happy
    • The math glossary, because it lists the terms from one book
    • The thesaurus, because it groups words with related meanings by strength

16. Dictionary entry

    Reference shelf:
    Dictionary: spellings, pronunciations, parts of speech, numbered meanings and word origins.
    Thesaurus: lists of words with related meanings, grouped by shade of meaning.
    Glossary in a math textbook: terms from math, with the meaning the book uses.
    Atlas: maps and place names.
    The word in question: quinoa.

17. 9.

    Pia sees the word quinoa on a menu and wants to say it aloud correctly. Which reference helps most?

    • The dictionary, because it gives the pronunciation
    • The math glossary, because it explains special terms
    • The thesaurus, because it shows how words sound
    • The atlas, because food names come from places

18. Dictionary entry

    Reference shelf:
    Dictionary: spellings, pronunciations, parts of speech, numbered meanings and word origins.
    Thesaurus: lists of words with related meanings, grouped by shade of meaning.
    Glossary in a math textbook: terms from math, with the meaning the book uses.
    Atlas: maps and place names.
    The word in question: resilient.

19. 10.

    Noah wants to know the part of speech and the origin of the word resilient. Which reference helps most?

    • The math glossary, because it explains how words are built
    • The thesaurus, because it lists the parts of speech of related words
    • The atlas, because it shows where the word began
    • The dictionary, because it gives the part of speech and the origin