Dictionary, glossary and thesaurus skills

Grade 9 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Four reference excerpts for the word stubborn.

   College dictionary: stubborn adjective unwilling to change one's mind or course; hard to move or remove.
   Thesaurus: stubborn: obstinate (negative: refuses to listen), persistent (positive: keeps trying), mulish (informal, negative).
   History glossary: stubborn resistance noun a refusal by a government to yield to a rival.
   Medical dictionary: stubborn adjective of a symptom, slow to respond to treatment.

2. 1.

   Ari needs a warmer word than stubborn for a student who keeps working at hard problems. Which line settles the choice?

   • Medical dictionary: “slow to respond to treatment”
   • College dictionary: “unwilling to change one's mind or course”
   • History glossary: “a refusal by a government to yield to a rival”
   • Thesaurus: “persistent (positive: keeps trying)”

3. Use this

   Fifty states ___ the country. The country ___ fifty states.

   comprise verb to contain or include: the whole comprises its parts. compose verb to make up: the parts compose the whole. Usage: many writers say the parts comprise the whole, or write is comprised of; careful writers keep comprise for the whole and compose for the parts.

4. 2.

   Bo fills two blanks using the usage note. Which pair of words fits the note in order?

   • compose, composes
   • comprise, composes
   • comprise, comprises
   • compose, comprises

5. Use this

   “The economist compared three price ___ from different decades.”

   index noun 1. an alphabetical list at the back of a book, plural indexes. 2. a number that tracks change in a set of prices or values, plural indices.

6. 3.

   Esme fills the blank. Which plural does the entry give for the sense the sentence uses?

   • indexes
   • indices
   • index
   • indexs

7. Use this

   Four reference excerpts for the word edema.

   College dictionary: edema noun swelling caused by fluid.
   Thesaurus: swelling: bulge, lump, puffiness.
   Art glossary: relief noun a carving that stands out from a flat surface.
   Medical dictionary: edema noun an abnormal buildup of fluid in tissue; pitting edema leaves a dent when pressed, non-pitting does not.

8. 4.

   Jun is reading a nursing handout. The handout asks whether the swelling leaves a dent when pressed. Which line gives that?

   • Medical dictionary: “pitting edema leaves a dent when pressed, non-pitting does not”
   • College dictionary: “swelling caused by fluid,” the general meaning of the word
   • Art glossary: “a carving that stands out from a flat surface,” a term from another subject
   • Thesaurus: “bulge, lump, puffiness,” a list of related words

9. Use this

   The board hired a ___ auditor with no stake in the outcome. Most of the audience seemed ___ and checked their phones.

   disinterested adjective fair because there is no personal stake in the result: a disinterested judge. uninterested adjective not interested; bored. Usage: some writers use disinterested to mean uninterested; careful writers keep the two apart.

10. 5.

    Kira fills two blanks using the usage note. Which pair of words fits the note in order?

    • uninterested, uninterested
    • disinterested, disinterested
    • disinterested, uninterested
    • uninterested, disinterested

11. Use this

    “The class compared how three ___ covered the storm: print, radio and video.”

    medium noun 1. a means of communication, plural media. 2. a person who claims to speak with spirits, plural mediums. 3. a size between small and large, plural mediums.

12. 6.

    Luz fills the blank. Which plural does the entry give for the sense the sentence uses?

    • mediae
    • media
    • mediums
    • medium

13. Use this

    Four reference excerpts for the word quarantine.

    College dictionary: quarantine noun a period of isolation for people or animals that may carry disease. Word history: from Italian quaranta giorni, “forty days,” the wait ships served in port.
    Thesaurus: quarantine: isolation, segregation, confinement.
    Health glossary: quarantine noun a rule that holds ships or travelers for a set time.
    Medical dictionary: quarantine noun limits on the movement of people exposed to a disease.

14. 7.

    Milo wants to know what quarantine first meant and where the word comes from. Which line gives that?

    • Medical dictionary: “limits on the movement of people exposed to a disease,” the term today
    • Health glossary: “a rule that holds ships or travelers for a set time,” a meaning for one book
    • Thesaurus: “isolation, segregation, confinement,” a list of related words
    • College dictionary: “from Italian quaranta giorni, ‘forty days,’ the wait ships served in port”

15. Use this

    “The report's three ___ list the raw data and the survey questions.”

    appendix noun 1. a section of extra material at the end of a book or report, plural appendices. 2. a small organ attached to the intestine, plural appendixes.

16. 8.

    Pia fills the blank. Which plural does the entry give for the sense the sentence uses?

    • appendixes
    • appendices
    • appendix
    • appendici

17. Use this

    Four reference excerpts for the word citation.

    College dictionary: citation noun a quotation or source named as evidence; an official award.
    Thesaurus: citation: reference, quotation, mention.
    History glossary: primary source noun an original document from the time studied.
    Style manual: Government report: agency, title in italics, report number, publisher, year, URL.

18. 9.

    Ren must cite a government report in the format the class uses. Which line gives the pattern to follow?

    • Thesaurus: “reference, quotation, mention,” a list of related words
    • College dictionary: “a quotation or source named as evidence,” what a citation is
    • History glossary: “an original document from the time studied,” a term for one book
    • Style manual: “agency, title in italics, report number, publisher, year, URL”

19. Use this

    The bell rang with ___ interruptions all morning. The hum of the generator was ___ all night.

    continual adjective repeated again and again, with pauses between. continuous adjective going on without a break. Usage: the two are often mixed up, but careful writers keep continual for repeated events and continuous for unbroken ones.

20. 10.

    Tala fills two blanks using the usage note. Which pair of words fits the note in order?

    • continual, continual
    • continuous, continual
    • continuous, continuous
    • continual, continuous