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Grade 6 English Language Arts — Vocabulary in context

Work out what an unfamiliar word means from the sentence around it.

Name: ________________________

  1. 1."The noise was so persistent that we could not sleep all night." What does "persistent" mean?

    • a) very soft
    • b) going on and on
    • c) far away
    • d) stopping quickly

  2. 2.Match each term to its meaning.

    • a synonym
    • an antonym
    • context
    • a definition
    • a word with the opposite meaning
    • a word with almost the same meaning
    • a statement of exactly what a word means
    • the words around a word that hint at its meaning

  3. 3."The judge was impartial and favored neither side." Which single word in that sentence means "fair to both sides"?

  4. 4.Match each word to its meaning.

    • reluctant
    • abundant
    • vivid
    • fragile
    • weary
    • cautious
    • very tired
    • careful about danger
    • unwilling to do something
    • bright and clear
    • easily broken
    • present in large amounts

  5. 5.Sort each word by the feeling it carries.

    Groups: Describes something pleasant · Describes something unpleasant

    • dreadful
    • cheerful
    • delightful
    • gloomy
    • cruel
    • generous

  6. 6."The room was immaculate — not a speck of dust anywhere." What does "immaculate" mean?

    • a) very dark
    • b) perfectly clean
    • c) newly built
    • d) very large

  7. 7."The monsoon brought a deluge that flooded the fields for weeks." A deluge is ____.

    • a) a great flood of water
    • b) a long dry spell
    • c) a light shower
    • d) a strong wind

  8. 8."The instructions were ambiguous, so half the class did the wrong task." What does "ambiguous" mean?

    • a) spoken loudly
    • b) written down
    • c) very clear
    • d) open to more than one meaning

Answer key — Grade 6 English Language Arts — Vocabulary in context

  1. 1. b) going on and on
  2. 2. a synonym → a word with almost the same meaning; an antonym → a word with the opposite meaning; context → the words around a word that hint at its meaning; a definition → a statement of exactly what a word means
  3. 3. impartial
  4. 4. reluctant → unwilling to do something; abundant → present in large amounts; vivid → bright and clear; fragile → easily broken; weary → very tired; cautious → careful about danger
  5. 5. delightful → Describes something pleasant; dreadful → Describes something unpleasant; cheerful → Describes something pleasant; gloomy → Describes something unpleasant; generous → Describes something pleasant; cruel → Describes something unpleasant
  6. 6. b) perfectly clean
  7. 7. a) a great flood of water
  8. 8. d) open to more than one meaning