Dictionary, glossary and thesaurus skills

Grade 9 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   A survey that asks only students who stay after school about the length of the school day will not show what all students think. Its results lean toward one group, a flaw statisticians call bias.

   Choose the glossary entry for “bias” as the passage uses it.

2. 1.

   Ari writes a glossary entry for the term in the statistics passage. Which entry is accurate and not circular?

   • bias noun a diagonal line across the weave of cloth, used in cutting fabric so that it stretches smoothly
   • bias (statistics) verb to tilt a set of survey results toward one outcome by how the data are gathered
   • bias (statistics) noun the quality of being biased, as in a biased sample that favors one group over another
   • bias (statistics) noun a flaw that makes results lean toward one outcome because of how data were collected

3. Use this

   “Four study notes for the entry below.”

   ironic adjective 1. using words that mean the opposite of what is meant, often to mock. 2. happening in a way that is the opposite of what was expected. Word history: from Greek eironeia, “pretended ignorance.” Usage: some writers use ironic for any odd coincidence; careful writers keep it for a contrast between what is expected and what happens.
   Note 1. Sense 2 describes an outcome that is the opposite of what was expected.
   Note 2. The word history ties the word to pretending not to know something.
   Note 3. The usage note says ironic and coincidental mean the same thing.
   Note 4. Careful writers keep ironic for a contrast between the expected and the actual.

4. 2.

   Bo checks four study notes against the entry. Which note misreads the entry?

   • The word history ties the word to pretending not to know something.
   • Sense 2 describes an outcome that is the opposite of what was expected.
   • The usage note says ironic and coincidental mean the same thing.
   • Careful writers keep ironic for a contrast between the expected and the actual.

5. Use this

   The flow of electric charge past a point in a wire is called current. It is measured in amperes, and a larger current means more charge passes each second.

   Choose the glossary entry for “current” as the passage uses it.

6. 3.

   Jun writes a glossary entry for the term in the physics passage. Which entry is accurate and not circular?

   • current (physics) noun the rate at which electric charge flows past a point, in amperes
   • current (physics) noun the flow of current in a circuit, measured in amperes or amps
   • current (physics) adjective happening or existing now, as in the current flow of a wire
   • current noun the steady movement of water in one direction in a river or in an ocean

7. Use this

   “Four study notes for the entry below.”

   decimate verb 1. (historical) to punish an army unit by taking one in every ten of its soldiers. 2. to destroy a large part of. Word history: from Latin decimare, from decem, “ten.” Usage: sense 2 is common; some careful writers avoid the word for total destruction.
   Note 1. Sense 1 carries the label historical and describes an army punishment.
   Note 2. The word comes from the Latin word for ten, the number in the old punishment.
   Note 3. Sense 2 means to destroy a large part of something, not the whole of it.
   Note 4. The usage note says sense 2 means to destroy something completely.

8. 4.

   Kira checks four study notes against the entry. Which note misreads the entry?

   • The usage note says sense 2 means to destroy something completely.
   • Sense 1 carries the label historical and describes an army punishment.
   • The word comes from the Latin word for ten, the number in the old punishment.
   • Sense 2 means to destroy a large part of something, not the whole of it.

9. Use this

   A crack in rock along which the blocks on either side have moved is called a fault. When a fault slips suddenly, it can cause an earthquake.

   Choose the glossary entry for “fault” as the passage uses it.

10. 5.

    Milo writes a glossary entry for the term in the geology passage. Which entry is accurate and not circular?

    • fault (geology) noun a crack in rock along which the blocks on either side have moved
    • fault noun a mistake or weakness for which someone is to blame, as in a fault in the plan
    • fault (geology) verb to crack and shift along a break in rock, as when blocks of rock slide
    • fault (geology) noun a break in the Earth made by faulting, as along a long crack in rock

11. Use this

    “Four study notes for the entry below.”

    bank noun 1. a business that keeps and lends money. 2. the ground along the side of a river. 3. a row or set of things, as a bank of switches. verb to tilt an aircraft when it turns. Word history: senses 1 and 3 from Italian banca, “bench”; sense 2 from a Scandinavian word.
    Note 1. Sense 2 does not share an origin with sense 1; it comes from a Scandinavian word.
    Note 2. A bank of switches is a row of switches, which is sense 3 in the entry.
    Note 3. Bank can also be a verb, meaning to tilt an aircraft when it turns.
    Note 4. The money sense and the river sense come from the same Italian word, banca.

12. 6.

    Noah checks four study notes against the entry. Which note misreads the entry?

    • Sense 2 does not share an origin with sense 1; it comes from a Scandinavian word.
    • The money sense and the river sense come from the same Italian word, banca.
    • A bank of switches is a row of switches, which is sense 3 in the entry.
    • Bank can also be a verb, meaning to tilt an aircraft when it turns.

13. Use this

    Three reference entries for the word disaster.

    College dictionary: disaster noun an event that causes great harm or loss. Word history: from Italian disastro, “ill-starred,” from dis-, “against,” and astro, “star.”
    Thesaurus: disaster: calamity, catastrophe, tragedy.
    Usage guide: disaster: use it for events with great harm, not for small setbacks.

14. 7.

    Pia wants to know why disaster once suggested bad luck from the sky. Which line shows that?

    • Usage guide: “use it for events with great harm, not for small setbacks,” advice on use
    • College dictionary: “an event that causes great harm or loss,” the modern meaning
    • College dictionary: “from Italian disastro, ‘ill-starred,’ from dis-, ‘against,’ and astro, ‘star’”
    • College dictionary: “because sailors once blamed storms on the stars,” a reason not given

15. Use this

    When a bank lends money, it charges the borrower a fee for using it, usually a percentage of the amount. That fee is called interest.

    Choose the glossary entry for “interest” as the passage uses it.

16. 8.

    Ren writes a glossary entry for the term in the economics passage. Which entry is accurate and not circular?

    • interest noun a feeling of wanting to learn more about something, as in an interest in music
    • interest (finance) noun a fee paid for using borrowed money, usually a percentage of the amount
    • interest (finance) noun money that earns or pays interest, as on a savings account or a loan
    • interest (finance) verb to make someone want to know more about a loan from the bank

17. Use this

    “Four study notes for the entry below.”

    literally adverb 1. in the exact, plain meaning of the words: the sign literally said stop. 2. (informal) used to stress a statement that is not meant exactly: I literally flew home. Usage: sense 2 is criticized in formal writing because it can mislead the reader.
    Note 1. Sense 1 gives the exact, plain meaning of the words.
    Note 2. Sense 2 carries an informal label.
    Note 3. Formal writers are advised to avoid sense 2.
    Note 4. Sense 2 is the standard meaning in formal writing.

18. 9.

    Tala checks four study notes against the entry. Which note misreads the entry?

    • Sense 1 gives the exact, plain meaning of the words.
    • Formal writers are advised to avoid sense 2.
    • Sense 2 carries an informal label.
    • Sense 2 is the standard meaning in formal writing.

19. Use this

    Three reference entries for the word malaria.

    College dictionary: malaria noun a disease spread by mosquitoes, causing fever and chills. Word history: from Italian mala aria, “bad air,” from the old belief that swamp air caused it.
    Medical dictionary: malaria noun infection with a parasite carried by certain mosquitoes.
    Thesaurus: malaria: ague (older), paludism (older, formal).

20. 10.

    Zee wants an older word for malaria that a historical novel could use. Which line gives one?

    • Thesaurus: “swamp fever (older, informal),” a word the entry does not list
    • Thesaurus: “ague (older), paludism (older, formal)”
    • College dictionary: “from Italian mala aria, ‘bad air,’” the origin of the name
    • Medical dictionary: “infection with a parasite carried by certain mosquitoes,” what the disease is