School words and subject words

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Bo reads: “The scientist used new measurements to ____ the old claim and show that it was false.” Which word fits the blank?

   • refute
   • summarize
   • question
   • confirm
2. 2.

   Esme reads: “Two independent maps can ____ the location of the old well by showing it in the same place.” Which word fits the blank?

   • contradict
   • illustrate
   • predict
   • corroborate
3. 3.

   Jun reads: “The author never says the town is poor, but the empty shops ____ it.” Which word fits the blank?

   • summarize
   • imply
   • state
   • infer
4. 4.

   Kira reads: “Without any records, historians can only ____ that a drought emptied the village.” Which word fits the blank?

   • report
   • confirm
   • predict
   • speculate
5. 5.

   Milo reads: “In the experiment, the amount of light was the variable the students changed, while the water and soil stayed the same.” Which meaning of variable fits?

   • a factor that is changed to see what happens
   • a letter that stands for an unknown number in an equation
   • likely to change often, like weather
   • the water and soil that stayed the same
6. 6.

   Noah reads: “A rock on the Moon has the same mass as on Earth, but it weighs less.” Which meaning of mass fits?

   • a large lump of something
   • weighing less on the Moon
   • the amount of matter in an object
   • a gathering of a great many people
7. 7.

   Pia reads: “The expression has a radical, the square root sign, over the number sixteen.” Which meaning of radical fits?

   • very different from what is usual
   • a root sign, such as a square root
   • a person who wants big changes in government
   • the number sixteen under the sign
8. 8.

   Tala is checking word use. Which sentence uses density correctly?

   • Density is the amount of space that an object takes up.
   • Density measures how fast an object moves.
   • A rock that sinks in water has a lower density than the water.
   • Iron has greater density than wood, so an iron block is heavier than a same-sized wood block.
9. 9.

   Zee is checking word use. Which sentence uses tributary correctly?

   • The creek is a tributary of the larger river, adding its water to the river's flow.
   • The tributary carries water away from the main river and into a pond.
   • The tributary is the place where a river meets the sea.
   • The tributary is a tool for measuring how deep water is.
10. 10.

    Ari is checking word use. Which sentence uses genre correctly?

    • Mystery and fantasy are two genres of fiction.
    • The genre of the story is the town where it takes place.
    • A genre is one single book, so no two books can share one.
    • The genre is the person who tells the story.