Words with the same meaning but a different feel

Grade 9 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Version 1

   The bakery on Elm Street is famous across the county. Version 2: The bakery on Elm Street is notorious across the county.

2. 1.

   Ari compares the two versions. What separates famous from notorious here?

   • Nothing: both say many people know the bakery, so the two versions mean exactly the same thing.
   • Formality: notorious is a stiff word for a report, and famous is a casual word for everyday talk.
   • What it suggests: famous means widely known, usually for something admired, and notorious means widely known for something bad.
   • What it suggests: notorious means widely known for something admired, and famous means widely known for something bad.
3. 2.

   The new manager was assertive in meetings. Version 2: The new manager was aggressive in meetings. Esme compares the two versions. What separates assertive from aggressive here?

   • What it suggests: aggressive means firm and confident in stating a view, and assertive means pushy or hostile in forcing it.
   • Setting: assertive belongs to business meetings, and aggressive to any kind of conversation.
   • Nothing: both say the manager spoke up firmly in meetings, so the two versions mean the same.
   • What it suggests: assertive means firm and confident in stating a view, and aggressive means pushy or hostile in forcing it.
4. 3.

   The hikers strolled up the last hill. Version 2: The hikers trudged up the last hill. Jun compares the two versions. What separates strolled from trudged here?

   • What it suggests: trudged suggests an easy, relaxed pace, and strolled suggests slow, heavy, tiring effort.
   • What it suggests: strolled suggests an easy, relaxed pace, and trudged suggests slow, heavy, tiring effort.
   • Nothing: both say the hikers walked up the last hill, so the two versions mean exactly the same.
   • Distance: strolled means walking a short way, and trudged means walking a long way.

5. Details

   The new tenant never complained out loud, but every Saturday he stood at his window and watched the neighbors' leaf blower with a tight jaw.

6. 4.

   Kira reads the details. Which word completes the sentence: The tenant ____ the leaf blower?

   • ignored
   • resented
   • detested
   • tolerated

7. Details

   The scouts had expected a few hundred spectators. More than eight thousand came, and the ticket line wrapped around the block.

8. 5.

   Luz reads the details. Which word best describes the turnout?

   • unimaginable
   • enthusiastic
   • astonishing
   • unexpected

9. Details

   The clerk's shoes clicked quickly across the lobby, but she paused to hold the elevator for a stranger and never glanced at her watch.

10. 6.

    Milo reads the details. Which word best describes the clerk's pace?

    • leisurely
    • brisk
    • frantic
    • jittery

11. Details

    After the flood, the library's lowest shelf was damp, but every book was dry within a day and the carpet needed only a good vacuuming.

12. 7.

    Noah reads the details. Which word best describes the flood damage?

    • serious
    • unusual
    • negligible
    • minor

13. Sentence

    The council wanted the new fountain to look elegant without looking showy, so it chose a ____ design of plain white stone.

14. 8.

    Pia fills the blank. Which word matches the council's goal?

    • austere
    • understated
    • ordinary
    • drab

15. Sentence

    The audience laughed at the joke, but only politely, the way people laugh to be kind. It was a ____ chuckle.

16. 9.

    Ren fills the blank. Which word matches how the audience reacted?

    • cheerful
    • tepid
    • scornful
    • nervous
17. 10.

    The museum's budget covered repairs and nothing else, with just enough and not a dollar spare. The budget was ____. Tala fills the blank. Which word matches the museum's situation?

    • desperate
    • tight
    • comfortable
    • skimpy