Work out a word, then check it
Grade 9 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
The Quiet Doctor (magazine profile)
[1] Dr. Okafor was famously laconic; when a new resident asked how the night shift usually went, she answered with a single nod and returned to her charts. [2] The residents, used to the chatty style of the day team, took her brevity for a rebuke. [3] Some could not bear the silence at first, and one even asked to switch shifts. [4] But she spoke only when a sentence could change a patient's care, and those sentences were so exact that nobody needed a second explanation. [5] By March the residents had stopped waiting for praise and learned to read her silences as trust.
Ari reads the passage. What does “laconic” mean in sentence 1?
- using very few words
- eager to explain everything
- skilled at reading medical charts
- lacking energy or interest
Bo swaps a word for “chatty” in sentence 2. Which swap keeps both the meaning and the feel?
- friendly
- deafening
- long-winded
- talkative
Esme looks at “bear” in sentence 3, where it follows “could not.” Which meaning fits its job and the clues?
- to give birth to or produce
- a large animal with thick fur
- to carry the weight of something
- to put up with
The Desert in Color (science feature)
[1] After the rare winter storms, the desert floor erupted in color, but botanists warned that the display was transient. [2] Within three weeks the poppies would set seed and wither, and the sand would return to its usual gray. [3] Visitors who arrived late found only brittle stalks and a faint reminder of what the early guests had seen. [4] Park rangers do not try to prolong the bloom; they simply record it, since a season this generous may not come again for a decade. [5] The seeds that drop now will wait in the soil, patient and nearly invisible, until the rains return.
Jun reads the passage. What does “transient” mean in sentence 1?
- lasting for many years
- lasting only a short time
- so thin that light shows through it
- bright with many colors
Luz looks at “set” in sentence 2, where it comes before “seed.” Which meaning fits its job and the clues?
- to form or produce, as a plant does
- to put something in a certain place
- to become firm, as concrete does
- a group of things that belong together
A Close Vote (news feature)
[1] The mayor was sanguine about the vote; she had counted nine supporters on a council of fifteen and saw no reason to expect surprises. [2] Her chief of staff was less certain, pointing out that two members had refused to say how they would vote. [3] When the first speaker rose to object, the mood in the chamber shifted, and the mayor's smile gave way to a tight, careful expression. [4] By the third speech even her allies were shifting uneasily in their seats, and when the clerk finally called the roll, the measure failed by a single vote.
Noah swaps a word for “careful” in the phrase “a tight, careful expression” in sentence 3. Which swap keeps both the meaning and the feel?
- hesitant
- cheerful
- guarded
- calculated
Pia looks at “object” in sentence 3, where it follows “to.” Which meaning fits its job and the clues?
- a goal or purpose
- a thing that can be seen or touched
- to refuse to take part
- to speak against something
A Penny Saved (neighborhood profile)
[1] Mr. Dellacroce ran the fish stall with a parsimonious eye, saving every scrap of ice, string and paper for another day. [2] His neighbors found it amusing that a man who earned so much would reuse a rubber band until it snapped. [3] But in the hard winter of 2008, when other stalls closed, his careful habits kept the doors open and the lights on. [4] "A penny saved is a customer kept," he liked to say, but he never boasted about it; he simply tied the bundle tighter and went back to work.
Ren reads the passage. What does “parsimonious” mean in sentence 1?
- skilled at keeping fish fresh
- balanced and pleasing, as in harmony
- very unwilling to spend money
- generous and quick to spend money
Tala swaps a word for “amusing” in sentence 2. Which swap keeps both the meaning and the friendly feel?
- pleasant
- funny
- alarming
- laughable
Zee looks at “ran” in sentence 1, where it follows “Mr. Dellacroce” and comes before “the fish stall.” Which meaning fits?
- managed or operated
- flowed, as water does
- a short trip, or a point scored in baseball
- moved quickly on foot