School words and subject words

Grade 9 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   “Environmental science: Planting trees along the riverbank can ______ flooding by slowing runoff, although the heaviest storms will still flood the lowest streets.”

2. 1.

   Ari is filling the blank in this sentence. Which word fits it exactly?

   • mitigate
   • evaluate
   • intensify
   • eliminate
3. 2.

   “Research methods unit: Before trusting a survey, check it for bias.” Which sentence uses bias accurately in its research sense, the one this unit is about? Esme must choose one.

   • The survey had a bias, since it asked 400 people, a large number for a town.
   • The survey had a bias, since it asked a random group of people of every age in town.
   • The survey had a bias, since it asked only the swim team whether the pool needed longer hours.
   • The tailor cut the cloth on the bias, at an angle to its threads, so it would hang smoothly.

4. Use this

   “Health class: Staring at a bright screen late at night can ______ sleep problems, making it even harder to fall asleep.”

5. 3.

   Jun is choosing the word for the blank. Which word fits the sentence exactly?

   • maintain
   • alleviate
   • exacerbate
   • summarize

6. Use this

   “Chemistry textbook: In a water molecule, each hydrogen atom shares a pair of electrons with the oxygen atom, and that shared pair forms a bond.”

   Glossary entry (written by PencilGo): bond (noun) 1. (everyday) a close connection between people; 2. (finance) a certificate showing that money was lent to a government or company, to be paid back with interest; 3. (chemistry) a force that holds two atoms together.

7. 4.

   Which sense of bond in the glossary entry fits this chemistry sentence? Kira checks each one.

   • a close connection between two people
   • a certificate for money lent to a government
   • a force that holds two atoms together
   • the oxygen atom at the center of the molecule
8. 5.

   “Biology lab plan: Each experiment in this unit needs a control.” Which sentence uses control accurately in its experiment sense, the one the lab plan means? Luz picks one.

   • The control was the plant food itself, the factor the class changed on purpose.
   • The control was the tray given the most plant food, the one that received the treatment being tested.
   • The player kept control of the ball by dribbling close to the sideline.
   • The control was a tray of seedlings given plain water, to compare with the trays given plant food.

9. Use this

   “Earth science textbook: The Pacific plate moves a few centimeters a year, grinding past the edge of the North American plate.”

   Glossary entry (written by PencilGo): plate (noun) 1. (everyday) a flat dish for serving food; 2. (sports) in baseball, the base where the batter stands; 3. (geology) one of the huge rigid slabs that make up Earth's outer shell.

10. 6.

    Which sense of plate in the glossary entry fits this earth science sentence Noah is reading?

    • the few centimeters that the plate moves along each year
    • a huge rigid slab of Earth's rocky outer shell
    • a flat dish for serving food
    • the base where a batter stands in baseball
11. 7.

    “Statistics unit: Choose each survey's sample with care.” Which sentence uses sample accurately in its statistics sense? Pia must choose one.

    • The bakery handed out a free sample of its new bread to the people waiting in line.
    • The sample was the average score of 74, the number the answers worked out to.
    • The sample was 200 students picked at random from the school's 1,600 to stand for the whole school.
    • The sample was the entire school of 1,600 students, with not a single student left out of the survey.

12. Use this

    “English essay feedback: Relying on one tiny survey would ______ the essay's main claim, because readers would doubt such thin support.”

13. 8.

    Which word should Ren put in the blank to fit the sentence exactly?

    • bolster
    • underline
    • paraphrase
    • undermine

14. Use this

    “Chemistry lab: Shake the jar of muddy water, then watch the suspension for ten minutes as the soil particles slowly sink to the bottom.”

    Glossary entry (written by PencilGo): suspension (noun) 1. (school) a period when a student is not allowed to attend school; 2. (cars) the springs and shock absorbers that smooth a vehicle's ride; 3. (chemistry) a mixture in which particles are spread through a liquid without dissolving and slowly settle.

15. 9.

    Which sense of suspension in the glossary entry fits this lab step? Tala tests each one.

    • a mixture of particles spread through a liquid but not dissolved
    • a time when a student may not attend school
    • the springs and shock absorbers that smooth a car's ride over bumps
    • the ten minutes the class spends watching the jar
16. 10.

    “Logic unit: Test each argument to see whether it is valid.” Which sentence uses valid accurately in its logic sense, the one this unit tests? Zee chooses one.

    • The argument is valid: some birds can fly, so a penguin must be able to fly as well.
    • The argument is valid because it is long and uses many difficult words.
    • The argument is valid: if all birds have feathers and a robin is a bird, then a robin must have feathers.
    • The bus pass is valid until June, so it can be used on any route until then.