Where a word came from; foreign phrases in English
Grade 9 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the best answer.
Each spring, a senator returns to the college that shaped her, to give the commencement talk and thank the school. Ari reads a situation in a phrase-book. Which borrowed phrase, with its origin, names it?
- in loco parentis (Latin, “in the place of a parent”)
- magna cum laude (Latin, “with great praise”)
- alma mater (Latin, “nourishing mother”)
- persona non grata (Latin, “an unwelcome person”)
At a formal dinner, a guest called the host by the wrong name, and the whole table went quiet. Bo reads a situation in a phrase-book. Which borrowed phrase, with its origin, names it?
- savoir faire (French, “to know how to do”)
- pas de deux (French, “step of two”)
- mea culpa (Latin, “my fault”)
- faux pas (French, “false step”)
“How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world.” Esme reads a line written around 1600. What did “naughty” most likely mean in it?
- dark and dimly lit
- wicked or worthless
- silly and foolish
- playfully badly behaved
After years of talks, two countries agree to keep every border and treaty exactly as it is, with no changes. Kira reads a situation in a phrase-book. Which borrowed phrase, with its origin, names it?
- laissez-faire (French, “let them do”)
- status quo (Latin, “the state in which”)
- quid pro quo (Latin, “something for something”)
- avant-garde (French, “advance guard”)
“The quality of mercy is not strain'd.” Luz reads a line written around 1600. What did “strain'd” most likely mean in it?
- weakened by overuse
- forced or compelled
- filtered through a cloth
- stretched tight or tense
Read this first
Entry (written by PencilGo, after standard references)
Algebra (noun), 1500s. From Medieval Latin algebra, from Arabic al-jabr, “the reunion of broken parts,” from a ninth-century book title. Today: a branch of mathematics.
Milo reads the entry. Which line traces the path of “algebra” from its oldest source to English?
- Greek → Medieval Latin → English
- Arabic → Medieval Latin → English
- English → Medieval Latin → Arabic
- Arabic → English
Situation
For the founder, the free clinic was the reason her work mattered at all; without it she would have changed careers.
Noah reads a situation in a phrase-book. Which borrowed phrase, with its origin, names it?
- raison d'être (French, “reason for being”)
- joie de vivre (French, “joy of living”)
- magnum opus (Latin, “great work”)
- pro forma (Latin, “for the sake of form”)
Old text (Declaration of Independence, 1776)
“a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”
Pia reads a line written in 1776. What did “decent” most likely mean in it?
- polite to those in power
- fitting or proper
- modest in dress and manner
- fairly good, but not excellent
Entry (written by PencilGo, after standard references)
Cipher (noun), 1300s. From Old French cifre, from Medieval Latin cifra, from Arabic sifr, “empty, zero.” Today: a secret code; also a zero.
Ren reads the entry. Which line traces the path of “cipher” from its oldest source to English?
- Arabic → Medieval Latin → Old French → English
- English → Old French → Medieval Latin → Arabic
- Greek → Medieval Latin → Old French → English
- Arabic → Old French → English
“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation.” Tala reads a line written in 1863. What does “score” mean in it?
- a group of twenty
- the points earned in a game
- a written line of music
- a debt that is still owed