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.

   Ren picks the word for blank (B). Which word best fits the guide's purpose and audience, and why?

   • ingenious: it credits the clever thinking in the design and respects the visitors
   • fancy: it is casual, so the visitors will relax and enjoy the tour
   • nice: it is plain and safe, so no visitor could misread it
   • cute: it is short and friendly, so seventh graders will follow it easily
3. 2.

   Tala changes one word in the passage: learned becomes memorized. How does that change the way the reader sees the weavers?

   • The weavers now work on a different machine, so the facts of the passage change.
   • Memorized makes the weavers sound more creative and understanding than learned does.
   • Nothing changes, because learned and memorized both mean the weavers knew the patterns, so the skill sounds the same.
   • Memorized suggests rote repetition rather than understanding, which makes the weavers' skill sound mechanical.

4. 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.

5. 3.

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

   • stale
   • obstinate
   • reliable
   • predictable
6. 4.

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

   • The runner now slows by a different number of minutes, so the facts change.
   • Collapsed makes the decline sound smaller and easier to accept than slipped does.
   • 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.

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)?

   • flawed
   • hopeless
   • absurd
   • reckless
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
   • ignores: it suggests the board chose not to care, which contradicts the sentence before it
   • 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
10. 7.

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

    • The writer now disagrees with a different plan, so the facts change.
    • Insist makes the writer sound firm and less open to the board's view.
    • Insist makes the writer sound more flexible and willing to compromise than believe does.
    • 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)?

    • boasts
    • claims
    • reports
    • concedes
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.

    • argue: it suggests a loud quarrel, which clashes with a careful report
    • 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
    • note: it is too weak to show that the critics disagree with the study
14. 10.

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

    • Tolerate suggests the authors put up with the criticism reluctantly, though they still respond.
    • Nothing changes, because welcome and tolerate both mean the authors accept the criticism.
    • 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.