Vocabulary

Liza Kleinman

iii

table of contents

To the Student . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

Part 1: Introduction

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Part 2: Test-Taking Words

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Part 3: Practice Questions

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

© 2004 Walch Publishing 9 Test Time! Vocabulary, 5–6

PART 2 test-taking words

Before you can answer a question, you need to understand it. Pay careful attention to the wording of the directions on tests so you’ll know exactly what you need to do. Here is a list of some common test-taking words found in vocabulary questions.

analogy—a question that asks you to figure out the common relationship between two pairs of words, either by supplying one word pair and asking you to choose the second, or by supplying the first pair and one word from the second pair

hoof : goat :: ______ : dog

A. shoeB. catC. pawD. snout

sentence completion—a question that asks you to select the answer choice that best fills in a blank or blanks in a sentence

We had expected the lecture to be dull, but instead it was quite _______.

A. fascinatingB. boringC. loudD. foreign

synonym—a word that is similar or the same in meaning to another word

A synonym for small is little.

antonym—a word that is opposite in meaning to another word

An antonym for small is large.

homophones—words that sound alike but have different meanings

How much is the bus fare?

The county fair will be in town next week.

© 2004 Walch Publishing 10 Test Time! Vocabulary, 5–6

homonyms—words that look or sound alike but have different meanings

This time of year, the leaves on the trees turn beautiful colors.

Jim always leaves a party just before the fun really begins.

context—the other words and sentences that surround a word, giving clues to its meaning

The meaning of the word start can vary greatly depending on the context in which it is used. As a verb, it can mean “to begin,” or it can mean “to jump as though startled.”

We started working on our science fair projects in class today.

Simon started when he heard the door slam.

similar—almost the same

The word happy is similar in meaning to the word glad.

opposite—exactly different in meaning

The word above is opposite in meaning to the word below.

root—the part of a word from which its meaning stems

The root of the word malice is mal, which means “bad.”

prefix—a group of letters at the beginning of a word that affects the word’s meaning

The prefix pre means “before,” as in preschool and prepay.

suffix—a group of letters at the end of a word that affects the word’s meaning

The suffix less means “without,” as in doubtless and careless.

process of elimination—a means of finding the correct answer by taking away as many of the wrong choices as possible

If you’re not sure of the correct answer on a multiple choice question, you can narrow down the choices through process of elimination.

© 2004 Walch Publishing 11 Test Time! Vocabulary, 5–6

GO ON

practice questions

SET 1

Choose the word or phrase that is closest in meaning to the underlined word.

1. The book is very helpful. It contains a wealth of information about American history.

A. bit

B. confusion

C. payment

D. large amount

2. Because there had been no rain for months, the land was cracked and parched.

A. lonesome

B. dry

C. ugly

D. useful

3. The teacher hoped that the lessons he taught the students would endure throughout their lives.

A. last

B. make an effort

C. change

D. cause trouble

4. We had to cease playing outside once it got dark, because we could no longer see the ball.

A. try

B. undo

C. stop

D. lessen

5. Today’s lesson will encompass material from math, reading, and science.

A. include

B. require

C. remember

D. save

PART 3

© 2004 Walch Publishing 12 Test Time! Vocabulary, 5–6

STOP

6. She asked for my candid opinion, but I didn’t give it because I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

A. rude

B. honest

C. shared

D. best

7. It turned out that the photo was a hoax created by taking a picture of a toy spaceship.

A. trick

B. problem

C. proof

D. plan

8. Although we had thought our new puppy would be full of energy, he turned out to be quite docile.

A. frantic

B. mischievous

C. harmless

D. calm

9. After a full day of activities, it was good to finally have a respite in the evening.

A. plan

B. hobby

C. rest

D. storm

10. There was no sense of order in the classroom—it was complete chaos.

A. common sense

B. silence

C. wisdom

D. confusion

© 2004 Walch Publishing 13 Test Time! Vocabulary, 5–6

GO ON

SET 2

Choose the word that correctly completes each sentence.

1. The store ______ many different types

of fruits and vegetables.

A. cells

B. sells

C. seals

D. sails

2. I can’t ______ you because the music is

too loud!

A. here

B. hair

C. hear

D. heir

3. If _____ not going to be home by

lunchtime, we’ll call you.

A. we’re

B. ware

C. where

D. were

4. The children’s father read a fairy

_______ to them before they went to

sleep.

A. tail

B. tell

C. tale

D. tall

5. I would have gone to the movie, but I

had _______ much homework.

A. toe

B. to

C. two

D. too

© 2004 Walch Publishing 14 Test Time! Vocabulary, 5–6

STOP

6. Can you figure out what the ________

answer is?

A. rite

B. right

C. write

D. ride

7. It looks like we’ll have to _______ until

the rain stops before we can go hiking.

A. weight

B. wait

C. wade

D. weighed

8. _______ are barely any leaves left on

the trees.

A. They’re

B. Their

C. There

D. The

9. Are you _______ you don’t want to

come to the park with us?

A. shore

B. chore

C. sheer

D. sure

10. Please _______ the door open on your

way out.

A. leave

B. leaf

C. sleeve

D. lead

© 2004 Walch Publishing 15 Test Time! Vocabulary, 5–6

GO ON

SET 3

Choose the word that best completes each analogy.

1. hot : cold :: confusing : _______

A. clear

B. silly

C. smart

D. difficult

E. warm

2. annoyed : furious :: glad : ______

A. angry

B. surprised

C. thrilled

D. sad

E. bored

3. shoe : foot :: hat : _______

A. scarf

B. boot

C. warmth

D. sock

E. head

4. hungry : food :: tired : _______

A. snack

B. pillow

C. snore

D. sleep

E. dream

5. spinach : vegetable :: apple : _______

A. pie

B. fruit

C. orchard

D. worm

E. health

© 2004 Walch Publishing 16 Test Time! Vocabulary, 5–6

STOP

6. light : heavy :: dim : _______

A. large

B. energetic

C. bright

D. small

E. late

7. boat : water :: sled : _______

A. winter

B. snow

C. captain

D. bicycle

E. travel

8. book : author :: song : _______

A. music

B. singer

C. notes

D. melody

E. composer

9. scissors : cut :: tape : _______

A. correct

B. clip

C. paint

D. stick

E. change

10. teacher : instruct :: comedian : _______

A. entertain

B. learn

C. print

D. build

E. chuckle