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?
- magna cum laude (Latin, “with great praise”)
- in loco parentis (Latin, “in the place of a parent”)
- persona non grata (Latin, “an unwelcome person”)
- alma mater (Latin, “nourishing mother”)
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”)
- mea culpa (Latin, “my fault”)
- faux pas (French, “false step”)
- pas de deux (French, “step of two”)
“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?
- wicked or worthless
- silly and foolish
- playfully badly behaved
- dark and dimly lit
Read this first
Entry (written by PencilGo, after standard references)
Alcove (noun), 1600s. From French alcôve, from Spanish alcoba, from Arabic al-qubba, “the vault.” Today: a recessed space in a room.
Jun reads the entry. Which line traces the path of “alcove” from its oldest source to English?
- English → French → Spanish → Arabic
- Arabic → Spanish → French → English
- Arabic → French → English
- Latin → Spanish → French → English
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”)
- quid pro quo (Latin, “something for something”)
- avant-garde (French, “advance guard”)
- status quo (Latin, “the state in which”)
“The quality of mercy is not strain'd.” Luz reads a line written around 1600. What did “strain'd” most likely mean in it?
- forced or compelled
- filtered through a cloth
- stretched tight or tense
- weakened by overuse
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?
- magnum opus (Latin, “great work”)
- raison d'être (French, “reason for being”)
- joie de vivre (French, “joy of living”)
- 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
- modest in dress and manner
- fitting or proper
- 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?
- Greek → Medieval Latin → Old French → English
- Arabic → Old French → English
- English → Old French → Medieval Latin → Arabic
- Arabic → Medieval Latin → Old French → English
Tomato (noun), 1600s. From Spanish tomate, from Nahuatl tomatl. Today: a red or yellow fruit eaten as a vegetable. Zee reads the entry. Which line traces the path of “tomato” from its oldest source to English?
- Nahuatl → Spanish → English
- Portuguese → Spanish → English
- English → Spanish → Nahuatl
- Nahuatl → English