School words and subject words

Grade 9 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   “History assignment: Delineate the three stages of the canal's construction, stating where each stage began and where it ended.” Ari reads this assignment. What does delineate ask the student to do?

   • name the three stages of the canal in a short list
   • describe each stage precisely, with clear edges between them
   • judge which of the three stages of building the canal mattered most
   • describe the finished canal precisely as it looks today

2. Read this first

   Use this

   “Chemistry textbook: Adding a catalyst made the hydrogen peroxide break down in seconds, and the catalyst itself was left unchanged at the end.”

3. 2.

   Bo reads this chemistry sentence. What does catalyst mean here?

   • a substance that is used up as it reacts with another one
   • a liquid that breaks down into other substances in a few seconds
   • a person or event that sparks a sudden change in a group
   • a substance that speeds up a reaction without being used up

4. Use this

   “Chemistry lab: Stir the salt into the warm water until no crystals remain, and then label the clear solution before it cools.”

5. 3.

   Solution has different meanings in different classes. What does it mean in this chemistry lab step Esme is reading?

   • a mixture in which one substance is dissolved in another
   • a value that makes an equation true in math class
   • the warm water poured into the beaker before any salt is added
   • an answer that settles a problem or a puzzle

6. Use this

   “Algebra lesson: The expression 3x + 7 has no equals sign, so it cannot be solved like an equation, but it can be evaluated for any value of x.”

7. 4.

   Expression means different things in different classes. What does it mean in the algebra sentence Luz is reading?

   • a look on a person's face that shows a feeling
   • numbers, letters and signs joined with no equals sign
   • the number found when x is replaced by a value
   • in English class, a common saying, such as an idiom or a proverb

8. Use this

   “English assignment: Contextualize the 1920s poem by explaining what was happening in the poet's city during the years it was written.”

9. 5.

   What does contextualize ask Milo to do in this English assignment?

   • explain the time and place that surround the poem
   • give the year in which the poem was written
   • explain what is happening in your own city today
   • summarize what the poem says, one stanza at a time

10. Use this

    “Literature guide: In the resolution of the novel, the two rivals finally settle their quarrel, and the family farm is saved.”

11. 6.

    Noah reads this sentence from a literature guide. What does resolution mean here?

    • the part of a story where the main conflict is settled
    • the family farm that the characters work to save
    • the turning point of the plot where the tension is at its highest
    • a firm promise a person makes to change a habit

12. Use this

    “Chemistry class: Sodium and chlorine sit in the same period of the periodic table, the third row, so their atoms have three shells of electrons.”

13. 7.

    Period has different meanings in different classes. What does it mean in this chemistry sentence Pia is reading?

    • the punctuation mark that ends a sentence
    • a horizontal row of elements in the periodic table
    • in history class, a span of years that is seen as one era
    • the shells of electrons that surround an atom

14. Use this

    “Science reading task: Annotate the article on wetlands, writing a short note in the margin beside each claim the author supports with data.”

15. 8.

    Ren reads this task. What does annotate ask the student to do?

    • write short notes on the article itself while reading it
    • write a note beside each claim that has no data
    • read the whole article carefully from the first line to the last
    • write a summary of the article on a separate page

16. Use this

    “Biology textbook: The cell theory, supported by more than a century of microscope studies, states that all living things are made of cells.”

17. 9.

    What does theory mean in this biology sentence Tala is reading?

    • a well-tested explanation backed by much evidence
    • a single prediction to be tested in one experiment
    • the microscopes used to study living things
    • a hunch or guess that has not been checked yet

18. Use this

    “Algebra 2 note: In the function f(x) = x², the argument is x, the input value; when the argument is 4, the function gives an output of 16.”

19. 10.

    Argument means different things in different classes. What does it mean in the algebra note Zee is reading?

    • in English class, a claim backed by reasons and evidence
    • the input value that a function acts on
    • a heated disagreement between two people
    • the output of 16 that the function gives back