The boat plunged into the fearsome rapids. The bowsubmergedunder the waves and then heaved up. Spray tossed over the deck. The passengers held their breath. The roar of the churning water deafened them The pilot and the rowers struggled to get the boat past huge rock ledges.At last they reached a saferchannelin the river. But the current swept the boat into fast-moving water. The boat shot down a rock-lined fall. The rowersstroveto steady the boat with the oars. It spun and pitched. Then they brought it back on course. At last the boat was safely through the terrible rapids known as the Falls of the Ohio.
Submergedhas three parts. The prefix is sub- The suffix is -ed. The root is merger, which means “plunge.”submergedmeansa.Rose upb.Drifted awayc.Sank underd.Tumbled overChannelcan mean “the frequency of a television station.” In this context it meansa. Grooved bar of metalb. Deeper part of a riverc. Passage into a harbord. Official route for ordersThe wordstrovemeansa. Floatedb. Gave up tryingc. Relaxedd. StruggledWrite the word that tells you that the rapids made the people feel fear.
Fiddler crabs eat anything they can find. As the tide goes out, many of these crabsclustertogether. As the waterrecedes, a strange crackling noise fills the air. It’s the crowd of crabs, sifting the sand as they hunt for bits of food.Around a dead fish, males use their big “fiddle” claws to drive others away. There is much pushing andscuffling. Each one tries to dislodge another from its spot. The large claws lock and twist and turn. This goes on till one crab falls off. The winner keeps eating. It is soon interrupted by another challenger. The fiddle claw is again used as a weapon.
The wordclustermeansa.Small basketsb.Wooded areasc.Gather in groupsd.Straight linesRecede has three parts. The prefix is re- The suffix is –s, The root iscedere, which means “go.”Recedesmeansa. Goes homeb. Goes backc. Goes fartherd. Goes underneathThe wordscufflinga. strugglingb. talkingc. sleepingd. dreamingWrite the word that tells you that each crab tries toremove or force awayanother crab.
The ancient Greeks worshipped many gods. The leader of the gods was Zeus. The Greeks built aglorioustemple to Zeus on Mount Olympus. There, every four years, they gave atributeto Zeus. This was the Olympic Games.Athletes came from all over Greece. Work came to a halt for the games. Even warsceased. Everyone gathered to honor Zeus and to enjoy the games. Contests were held in running, jumping, wrestling, and discus. Each winner was awarded a wreath of wild olive leaves.The Olympic Games continue today. Every four years, people of the word gather for the games. Many events are identical to those in the ancient games.
The wordceasedmeansa.Stoppedb.Became violentc.Were made into sports contestsd.Belonged to ZeusGlorioushas two parts. The suffix is –ous, The root isgloria, which means “magnificence.”Gloriousmeansa. smallb. cheapc. coldd. grandThe wordtributemeansa. Something that makes someone angryb. Something done to honor someonec. Something difficult to dod. A haze that makes things hard to seeMany events in the modern Olympics are exactly the same as contest in the original Olympic Games. Write the word that tells you so.
Boxcarstransportfreight from place to place. Once most boxcars were painted barn red. They looked like small barns or covered bridges. Barn red was a popular color. Its popularity was not based on its looks but on its cheapness. The paint was just rust and turpentine.Boxcars have various messages painted on the sides. The most obvious is thelogo. This is a railroad company’s symbol. It may be just a picture. Or it can be a stylish combination of letters or words.The Norfolk & Western stenciled on its cars a boring squiggle. It was made up of the railroad’s initials. Most logos are moreinspired. They show more imagination. A pine tree stands for Maine Central. A maple leaf symbolizes Canadian National.
The wordlogomeansa.A round piece of woodb.A company’s symbolc.The location of somethingd.crazyTransporthas two main parts. The prefix is -trans, The root isportare, which means “carry.”Transportmeansa. Carry away to another countryb. Carry through the airc. Carry beyond a boundaryd. Carry across a distanceThe wordinspiredmeansa. Complicatedb. colorfulc. Easy to identifyd. Showing imaginationWrite the word from the third paragraph that means “stands for.”
Robots once lived only in books and movies. Today they are real.Industriesthey do many jobs in the workplace. They make vehicles. They assemble machines.Robots don’t get tired. They can work day and night. They can work in conditions that humans cannotbear. For instance, they can work where it is very hot or noisy.Real robots don’t often look like their cousins in books and films. They are not mechanical people. They are built to do specific jobs. So they are given the shape that is mostappropriatefor the job.Robots do need some human features. First and foremost, they need a “brain.” This brain is a computer. Most robots also have at least one arm. This enables them to do such “human” jobs as build cars.
The wordappropriatemeansa.suitableb.complicatedc.smoothd.humanThe root ofindustriesIsstruere, which means “build.” This root is also found in the worda. storageb. strugglec. constructiond. restartedBearcan mean “hold up.” In this context it meansa. Give birthb. Put up withc. Turn towardd. carryWrite the word from the last paragraph that means “makes able.”
Many animals live their whole lives in a small space. White tailed deer are born, live, and die in the space of a few city blocks. A woodchuck rarelyventuresfar from its burrow. A hare’s world may be the size of a large lawn.Animals leadhabituallives. They travel the same paths again and again. They feed at the same places. They return to the same water sources. They sleep in the same spots. They have their favorite hiding places.Animals can have overlapping ranges. On one hike, I found fresh tracks of fox, coyote, weasel, bobcat, and bear. All arepredators. They are flesh-eating animals. They are natural enemies, since they compete for food. Yet their tracks often followed the same trails.
The wordventureshas the same root asadventure. Here ventures meansa.Dares to gob.Becomes lostc.Crawls slowlyd.Finds foodPredatorshas two parts. Thesuffexis –ors, the root ispraeda, which means “an animal hunted for food.”Predatorsmeansa. Animals that follow a pathb. Animals that hunt others for foodc. coyotesd. Mountain animalsThe wordventureshas the same root as adventure. Hereventuresmeansa. Animals that follow a pathb. Animals that hunt others for foodc. coyotesd. Mountain animalsWrite the word from the last paragraph that tells you that animals havecertain living areas.
The highest mountains in the world are the Himalayas. People claim that a strange beast lives there. It walks on two legs. It is covered with hair. This thing has many names. Some call it the Abominable Snowman. Most call it Yeti.Many people claim to have seen its huge footprints. One man took clear photographs of them. He put other things in the pictures for size comparisons. In one shot, he put a large ax. The footprint is nearly as big as the ax! It doesn’t resemble the print of any known animal.Many expeditions have set out to find Yeti. Renowned explorers have joined the search. Yet these famous explorers have not seen it. Does Yeti really exist?
Abominablehas three parts. The prefix isab-, which means “away.”The root isomen, which means“a sign.”The suffix is –able.Abominablemeansa.Disgusting (makes a person turn away)b.Interesting (makes a person look closer)c.Tiny (makes a person look harder)d.Huge (makes a person take a long look)Abominablehas three parts. The prefix is–in,The suffix is–ible. The root iscred,which means “believe.” Incredible meansa. reasonableb. Easy to believec. misnamedd. unbelievableShotcan mean “the firing of a gun.” In this context it meansa. A medical injectionb. A picturec. A Metal balld. A guess at somethingWrite the word from the last paragraph that is a synonym for famous.
Hannon is a police horse. He words for the mounted unit of the New York City Police Department. He may escort a parade, or he may chase a suspect. His work puts him in the midst of dizzying cityturmoil. Trucks roar by him. Bicyclists speed past. Sirens scream. Cars crowd the streets.Pedestrianspack the sidewalks. Hannon must remain calm.That’s a tall order. Horses are sensitive. They are easily spooked. Hannon is young. He’s just five and a half years old. He’s been in the city only a year and a half. It’s hard for him ignore thebustleand business around him.But like other police horses, he can keep his cool. Sometimes he simply stands in the midst of traffic and gazes calmly on the commotion, the confusion of city life.
The wordturmoilmeansa. Calmb.Darkc.confusiond.TransportationPedestrianshas two parts. The suffix is–ian,The root ispedester, which means “on foot.” Pedestrians means ,a. People who are on footb. People in public transportationc. People on sidewalksd.People on horsebackhe wordbustlemeansa. calmb. quietc. pavementd. activityWrite the word from the last paragraph that is a synonym for confusion.
In India there are people called snake charmers. They play music for cobras. The cobras seem to dance to it. But they’re not really dancing. The music isinaudibleto them. They’re totally deaf!Here’s the trick. Snakes can feel vibrations in the ground. A snake charmer taps his foot as he plays. A cobra feels the tapping. It gets excited. It rears up, ready tostrike. A cobra, ready to strike, watches its prey. It follows the prey’s movements. The snake charmer sways to the music. The cobra follows the charmer’s movements.The snake charmer takes a big chance. Cobras have deadlyvenom. Their fangs shoot this poison into their victims. It can kill. Snake charmers really must know their business. Cautious ones extract the cobra’s fangs just to be safe. The snake charmer’s job is much safer once the cobra’s fangs are gone.
Inaudible has three parts. The prefix is–in. The suffix is–ible. The root isaudi,which mean“hear.”Inaudible meansa. Easy to hearb. can’t be heardc. Too loudd. FascinatingStrike can mean “stop work.” In this context it meansa.Cause to lightb.Send out a rootc.Come upon or findd.attackThe wordvenommeansa. poisonb. Footc. habitd. diseaseWrite the word from the last paragraph that means “remove.”
Machines are used throughout the world today.Consequently, the age we live in is sometimes called the Machine Age.Machines make many kinds of work easier. They make holes. The chop wood. They lift heavy weights. They plow fields. They do things that people used to do with slow, backbreaking labor.When we talk about machines, we tend to think of things that are large andcomplex, like cranes. We don’t think of small, simple things, like a crowbar and an ax. Yet these things are machines. Complicated machines may seem mysterious. You’ll find, however, that even the most sophisticated machines are acombinationof simple parts.
Combination is combine with the suffix –ation. Combination meansa. can’t be put togetherb. Taken apartc. Dangerous when togetherd. The result of putting togetherThe word consequently meansa.All over the worldb.Age of machinesc.For that reasond.In some areasThe wordcomplexmeansa. Not simpleb. Not usefulc. Not complicatedd. Not necessaryWrite the word from the last paragraph that is a synonym for complicated.
Parrots arecontrarybirds. They do only what they want to do. I know a family that tried for months to teach a parrot to talk. Over and over they repeated, “good day.” They smiled and cooed at the bird. They did everything they could to get it to speak. The parrot remained mute.At last, theirfrustrationgot the best of them. They said to the parrot, “How idiotic you are! “ It remained silent.One night a famous person came to dinner. She becameenamoredwith the parrot. She stroked its neck and said, “What a beautiful bird you are.” The parrot took one look at the woman and replied, “How idiotic you are!”
Frustration has two parts. The suffix is –tion. The root isfrustra, which means “failure.” Frustration meansa. successb. The feeling that comes from successc. failured. The feeling that comes as a result of failureThe word contrary meansa.stubbornb.cooperativec.friendlyd.largeEnamoredhas three parts. The prefix isen-.The suffix is–ed. The root isamor,which means“love.”Became enamored with meansa. Discovered the secret ofb. Was caused to lovec. Became disgusted withd. Chatted withWrite the word from the first paragraph that means “silent.”
A little known invention by Thomas A. Edison is a doll that talked. It was the first toy in the world to do so. The doll had a smallphonographin its body. This enabled the doll to say twelve nursery rhymes.Edison made hundreds of these dolls. Then he was informed that his company hadpreviouslysold the right to make phonograph toys to another firm. That firm had neverexercisedits right. Still Edison stopped making the dolls. He had most of them destroyed. He saved a few and gave them to friends. Just two are thought to exist today.
Phonograph has two roots. The first phono, which means “sound.” The second is graph, which means “write.” A phonograph is something thata. Is used in most toysb. Plays sounds that have been “written”c. Has an odd, scratchy soundd. Makes distant objects seem closerPreviously has three parts. The prefix ispre-, the suffix is–ly,which means“with respect to”The root via means“way”or“coming that way.”Previously meansa.Coming afterb.Coming againstc.Coming befored.Coming againExercised can mean “worked out.” In this context it meansa. worriedb. trainedc. Made annoyedd. Made use ofWrite the word that tells you that the phonograph made the doll capable of saying nursery rhymes.
A man from Oregon took a long car trip with his dog, Bobbie. On their way home, they had car problems. They stopped at a gas station in Indiana. There a pack of ferocious dogs chased Bobbie away. The man called and called his dog. He waited several hours. Bobbie did not return. With despair in his heart, the man drove on.All alone, Bobbie set out on a long trek home. He crossed mountains and deserts. He swam huge rivers. People along the way gave him food and shelter. His exhausting journey took six months.Bobbie’s owner had given up hope. Imagine his surprise when he saw a limping, frail dog on the doorstep one day. Bobbie ad come home!
Ferocious has two parts. The suffix is –ous. The root isferi, which means “temper.” Ferocious meansa. fierce, cruelb. friendly, charmingc. calm, quietd. slow, lazyPreviously has three parts. The prefix ispre-, the suffix is–ly,which means“with respect to”The root via means“way”or“coming that way.”Previously meansa.Coming afterb.Coming againstc.Coming befored.Coming againThe word despair meansa. worriedb. trainedc. Made annoyedd. Made use ofWrite the word that tells you that the phonograph made the doll capable of saying nursery rhymes.
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