Words that mean almost the same thing

Grade 7 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Writer

   a museum guide. Audience: visiting seventh graders. Purpose: to spark curiosity about an old tool without talking down.

   The loom in front of you is more than 150 years old, and it is an (A) ____ machine: every thread had to be placed by hand. Weavers who worked here learned to read patterns the way you read music. Some visitors admire the loom's (B) ____ design, but notice how many parts must move together before one inch of cloth appears. Please look closely, and ask me anything.

2. 1.

   Pia reads a museum guide's talk for seventh graders. Which word best fits blank (A)?

   • clumsy
   • intricate
   • fiddly
   • convoluted

3. Writer

   a sports reporter. Audience: readers of a town newspaper. Purpose: a respectful profile of a veteran runner.

   At forty-one, Marcus Bell is no longer the fastest runner at the Riverside Track Club, and he knows it. His pace has slipped by nearly a minute per mile since his twenties. Still, he arrives at six every morning, a (A) ____ presence among younger runners who watch how he pours water over his neck at the finish. Asked whether he will quit, he gave a short, (B) ____ laugh and tied his shoes.

4. 2.

   Zee reads a profile of a veteran runner. Which word best fits blank (A)?

   • stale
   • predictable
   • obstinate
   • reliable
5. 3.

   Ari checks four near-synonyms for blank (B). Which choice names the word that is wrong for these readers and gives the right reason? Words: wry, rueful, good-natured, mocking.

   • wry: it means bitter and angry, which clashes with the runner's calm
   • mocking: it is too informal a word for a respectful profile in a town newspaper read by many families
   • good-natured: it is too vague to show anything about the runner
   • mocking: it suggests he laughs at the question, which clashes with a respectful profile
6. 4.

   Bo changes one word in the passage: slipped becomes collapsed. How does that change the way the reader sees the runner?

   • Collapsed makes the decline sound sudden and severe, which turns respect into pity.
   • Nothing changes, because slipped and collapsed both mean the runner got slower over the years.
   • Collapsed makes the decline sound smaller and easier to accept than slipped does.
   • The runner now slows by a different number of minutes, so the facts change.

7. Writer

   a student. Audience: the school board. Purpose: to disagree respectfully with a proposal.

   The board's plan to shorten lunch to fifteen minutes is well meant, but I believe it is (A) ____. Students need time to eat, and the line alone takes eight minutes. I do not suggest that the board has ignored these facts; I suggest only that the plan, as written, (B) ____ them. A twenty-minute lunch would still save time and would let students eat.

8. 5.

   Esme reads a student's letter to the school board. Which word best fits blank (A)?

   • reckless
   • flawed
   • hopeless
   • absurd
9. 6.

   Jun checks four near-synonyms for blank (B). Which choice names the word that is wrong for this reader and gives the right reason? Words: overlooks, neglects, underestimates, ignores.

   • ignores: it is too casual a word for a letter to a school board that reads many letters
   • underestimates: it is too weak to show that the plan has a real problem for students
   • overlooks: it accuses the board of not caring about students, which the writer just denied
   • ignores: it suggests the board chose not to care, which contradicts the sentence before it
10. 7.

    Kira changes one word in the passage: believe becomes insist. How does that change the way the reader sees the writer?

    • Insist makes the writer sound more flexible and willing to compromise than believe does.
    • Insist makes the writer sound firm and less open to the board's view.
    • The writer now disagrees with a different plan, so the facts change.
    • Nothing changes, because believe and insist both state the writer's opinion.

11. Writer

    a science writer. Audience: general readers. Purpose: a careful report on a single study.

    A team at a state university (A) ____ that students who walk before a test score about three points higher. The team tested ninety students over one semester. Other researchers say the sample was small and (B) ____ that a larger study is needed before schools change schedules. The authors welcome the criticism and have begun to recruit more students.

12. 8.

    Luz reads a science news report. Which word best fits blank (A)?

    • concedes
    • reports
    • boasts
    • claims
13. 9.

    Milo checks four near-synonyms for blank (B). Which choice names the word that is wrong for these readers and gives the right reason? Words: argue, suggest, note, complain.

    • note: it is too weak to show that the critics disagree with the study
    • complain: it suggests whining about the study, which undercuts a fair report
    • complain: it is too informal a word for a science news report read by many people
    • argue: it suggests a loud quarrel, which clashes with a careful report
14. 10.

    Noah changes one word in the passage: welcome becomes tolerate. How does that change the way the reader sees the authors?

    • Tolerate makes the authors sound more eager for criticism than welcome does, as if they were asking for it.
    • The authors now stop recruiting students, so the facts of the passage change.
    • Nothing changes, because welcome and tolerate both mean the authors accept the criticism.
    • Tolerate suggests the authors put up with the criticism reluctantly, though they still respond.