8th grade Dictionary, thesaurus and glossary skills worksheet

Dictionary, thesaurus and glossary skills

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Four sources (written by PencilGo)

   A. Pocket Dictionary of Modern English: lists the current meanings of each word, with short examples. B. Historical Dictionary of English: shows each word's meanings in the order they appeared, with dated quotations. C. Thesaurus of Everyday Words: groups words of similar meaning, such as nice, kind and pleasant. D. Style Guide for Student Writers: advice on clear, formal writing and common errors.

2. 1.

   Ari asks: “When did nice stop meaning ‘foolish’?” Which source is the best place to start, and why?

   • C. Thesaurus of Everyday Words, because it groups nice with words of similar meaning
   • D. Style Guide for Student Writers, because it explains which words to avoid in formal writing
   • B. Historical Dictionary of English, because its dated meanings show when each sense appeared
   • A. Pocket Dictionary of Modern English, because it lists the meanings of nice in use today

3. Pocket Dictionary of Modern English (written by PencilGo)

   Nice (nys) adjective 1. pleasant or agreeable: a nice day. 2. kind: a nice neighbor. 3. (dated) exact or fine: a nice distinction. Historical Dictionary of English (written by PencilGo): nice (nys) adjective [from Old French nice, 'silly,' from Latin nescius, 'ignorant'] c. 1300 foolish or simple. 1400s fussy, hard to please. 1500s exact or subtle: a nice point of law. 1700s pleasant or kind.

4. 2.

   Bo reads both entries for nice. Which statement fits both?

   • The “exact” sense is older than “pleasant” and survives mostly in phrases like “a nice distinction.”
   • The pocket dictionary is wrong because it leaves out the old meaning “foolish” entirely.
   • The label (dated) in the pocket entry shows that “exact” is not a real meaning of nice.
   • The word first meant “pleasant” in the 1300s, and “foolish” was added to it much later.

5. Historical Dictionary of English (written by PencilGo)

   Nice (nys) adjective [from Old French nice, 'silly,' from Latin nescius, 'ignorant'] c. 1300 foolish or simple. 1400s fussy, hard to please. 1500s exact or subtle: a nice point of law. 1700s pleasant or kind.

6. 3.

   Esme reads a note on the entry: “Latin nescius means ‘knowing,’ so nice first meant ‘clever.’” Which correction is right?

   • Nescius means “ignorant,” and nice first meant “foolish,” so the note has the meaning backward.
   • The note should add that nice began as an insult for lazy students in medieval schools.
   • The note is right about the meaning but should say 1700s instead of Latin, since dates matter more.
   • The note is right, because nice means clever in modern English and the origin explains it.

7. Four sources (written by PencilGo)

   A. College Dictionary: headwords with respellings, parts of speech and numbered meanings. B. Atlas of Lakes and Rivers: maps showing where lakes, rivers and fishing areas are found. C. Encyclopedia of Freshwater Fish: long articles on the life of each fish species. D. Encyclopedia of Everyday Life: short articles on many topics, including music and fishing.

8. 4.

   Jun must say bass correctly in “bass drum” and “bass fishing.” Which source gives both pronunciations fastest, and why?

   • D. Encyclopedia of Everyday Life, because it covers both music and fishing
   • B. Atlas of Lakes and Rivers, because it shows exactly where bass are caught and fished
   • A. College Dictionary, because it gives a respelling for each numbered meaning
   • C. Encyclopedia of Freshwater Fish, because it covers the fish thoroughly

9. College Dictionary (written by PencilGo)

   Bass¹ (BAYSS) noun 1. the lowest male singing voice. 2. the lowest tones in music: Turn up the bass. adjective low in pitch: a bass drum. [from Italian basso, 'low'] bass² (BAS) noun a freshwater or saltwater fish with spiny fins, often caught for sport. [from Old English bærs, 'perch']

10. 5.

    Kira reads the two bass entries. Which statement fits both?

    • The second entry is a printing mistake, since the word bass is already listed once above it.
    • They are two different words that share a spelling, so each has its own respelling.
    • The small numbers 1 and 2 just show which entry is longer on the page.
    • The fish was named after the music word, so both are said (BAYSS).
11. 6.

    Luz reads a note: “In bass drum, bass is said (BAS), because the dictionary lists the fish first.” Which correction is right?

    • The note is right, because the small number 2 marks the entry for bass drum.
    • The note should add that bass drum is named for the fish's deep voice.
    • The first entry, bass¹, is the music word, and “bass drum” is said (BAYSS).
    • The note should say the fish is the adjective, but bass drum is still said (BAS).

12. Glossary of Life Science Unit 2 (written by PencilGo)

    Cell the smallest unit of a living thing that can carry out life processes. Every organism is made of one or more cells. College Dictionary (written by PencilGo): cell (SEL) noun 1. a small room, as in a prison or monastery. 2. one unit of an electric battery. 3. (biology) the basic unit of living things. 4. one area covered by a cell-phone tower. [from Latin cella, 'small room'; used for living tissue by Robert Hooke in 1665, who saw box-like spaces in thin slices of cork]

13. 7.

    Noah reads the glossary and the dictionary. Which statement fits both?

    • The glossary and the dictionary disagree about what cell means, so one of the two sources must be wrong.
    • The biology meaning is one of the dictionary's senses, and the origin explains why a room-word names a unit of life.
    • Each sense in the dictionary applies to the biology unit, since they share one spelling.
    • Cell first named living tissue, and the small-room meaning came later as a joke among scientists.

14. College Dictionary (written by PencilGo)

    Cell (SEL) noun 1. a small room, as in a prison or monastery. 2. one unit of an electric battery. 3. (biology) the basic unit of living things. 4. one area covered by a cell-phone tower. [from Latin cella, 'small room'; used for living tissue by Robert Hooke in 1665, who saw box-like spaces in thin slices of cork]

15. 8.

    Pia reads a note: “In cell wall, cell uses sense 1, a small room, because walls belong to rooms.” Which correction is right?

    • The note is right, because the origin of the word is Latin cella, “small room,” in its first use.
    • The note should add that science meanings are not listed in dictionaries of this kind.
    • The note should use sense 4, because walls block cell-phone signals in towns.
    • The unit is about living things, and sense 3 is labeled (biology), so cell wall uses sense 3.

16. Four sources (written by PencilGo)

    A. a dictionary that labels senses by region, such as (US) and (Brit.). B. Thesaurus of Everyday Words: groups words of similar meaning, such as table, desk and counter. C. Style Guide for Headlines: advice on writing short, clear headlines. D. Dictionary of Legal Terms for U.S. Courts: defines motion words used in American courts.

17. 9.

    Ren reads “The committee tabled the motion” in a British paper and cannot tell if it was postponed or proposed. Which source should be checked first, and why?

    • C. Style Guide for Headlines, because it explains how short headlines are written and edited
    • A. A dictionary that labels senses by region, because it shows which meaning belongs to Britain
    • B. Thesaurus of Everyday Words, because it groups table with similar words such as desk
    • D. Dictionary of Legal Terms for U.S. Courts, because it defines motion words used in court

18. American College Dictionary (written by PencilGo)

    Table (TAY-bul) verb (US) to set aside a motion or bill so that it is not discussed now: The council tabled the proposal until spring. British Learner's Dictionary (written by PencilGo): table (TAY-bul) verb (Brit.) to put forward a motion or bill for discussion: The MP tabled an amendment.

19. 10.

    Tala reads both entries for table. Which statement fits both?

    • One dictionary made a mistake, because a verb cannot have two opposite meanings in English.
    • The British entry means to postpone, and the American entry means to propose a motion.
    • The labels (US) and (Brit.) show that each sense is rare and seldom used.
    • The same verb has nearly opposite meanings in the two regions, so the country decides.