Build Vocabulary Using the Prefix inter- Using the Word Bank

Name Date
"Seventh Grade" by Gary Soto
"Melting Pot" by Anna Quindlen

Build Vocabulary

Using the Prefix inter-

A. DIRECTIONS: The prefix inter- means "among or between." The Word Bank word interloper
refers to someone who pushes into other people's business, thus coming between them. Apply
what you know about the prefix inter- to define the following words.

1. interact

2. interchangeable

3. interconnected

4. intersection

Using the Word Bank

bigots interloper elective
fluent conviction sheepishly

B. DIRECTIONS: Complete each of the following sentences to demonstrate your understanding of
the Word Bank words.

1. Victor tried to prove he was fluent in French by
2. To show his conviction in his own strength, Victor
3. Victor looked sheepishly at Mr. Bueller because
4. An elective is different from other classes in that
5. Newer residents were seen as interlopers because
6. Some people showed they were bigots when they

Analogies

C. DIRECTIONS: Each question below consists of a word in CAPITAL LETTERS followed by four
lettered words or phrases. Circle the word or phrase that best expresses a relationship similar
to that expressed in the pair in capital letters.

1. SHEEPISHLY : BOLDLY :: 2. FLUENT : ENGLISH ::
a. happily : sadly a. articulate : museum
b. angrily : furiously b. artistic : magazine
c. quickly : easily c. mechanical : engine
d. musically : quietly d. satisfied : happiness

© Prentice-Hall, Inc. Selection Support 41

Name Date

"Seventh Grade" by Gary Soto
"Melting Pot" by Anna Quindlen

Build Spelling Skills: Using c for the k Sound

Spelling Strategy For the k sound before the vowels a, o, and u, usually use c. For the k

sound before the vowels e and i, usually use k.

A. Practice: Complete each word by adding c or k in the blank. Then use the words to com-
plete the sentences that follow. Write the word on the line.

_ountry _oins _anary itchen tur ey mon ey

1. The immigrants came to this seeking a better life.

2. Our traditional meal on Thanksgiving is

3. Did you see the cage in the zoo?

4. The child got four as change for a dollar.
5. The yellow sang a cheerful song.

6. The aromas coming from the were mouthwatering.

B. Practice: Complete each of the defined words by adding c or k in each of the blanks. Then
write the complete word on the line.

1. onfide, to tell as a secret

2. ultivate, to prepare and use land for growing crops

3. _eel, the chief wooden or steel piece supporting the frame of a boat
4. ilometer, a metric unit of length equal to 1,000 meters (or about five-eighths of a mile)

5. asserole, an earthenware or glass baking dish in which food can be cooked and served

6. _on urrent, occuring at the same time

Challenge: The Word Bank word fluent comes from a Latin root that means "to flow." The fol-

lowing words, which also come from the same root, are probably unfamiliar to you. Look up the
definition of each word in a dictionary. Then use each word in a sentence that demonstrates its
meaning.

1. mellifluous

2. affluent

3. effluent

4. superfluous

5. confluence

42 Selection Support © Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Name Date

"Seventh Grade" by Gary Soto
"Melting Pot" by Anna Quindlen

Build Grammar Skills: Action Verbs and Linking Verbs

A verb is a word that shows action or being.
Action verbs tell what action is occurring. Sing, dance, think, and study are examples of ac-
tion verbs. This sentence from "Melting Pot" has an action verb:

The father speaks some English, the mother less than that.

Linking verbs connect the subject of a sentence with a word or expression that describes or
renames the subject. This sentence part from "Melting Pot" contains a linking verb:

The two daughters are fluent in both their native and their adopted languages.

Notice that the linking verb arejoins fluent to daughters, the word that fluent describes. All
forms of the verb to be (am, is, are, was were, have/has/had been) are linking verbs, as are
these words: appear, seem, look, sound, and stay.

A. PRACTICE: Underline the verb in each sentence. On the line, indicate whether it is an action
verb or a linking verb.

1. The children were upstairs in the house next door.

2. They ate dinner with their Ecuadorian neighbors.

3. The old-timers in the neighborhood seemed angry with the newcomers.

4. Neighbors stare at the new people through the sheer curtains.

5. The old men watched the construction workers.
6. One of them later moved to the suburbs.
B. Writing Application: Write six sentences based on the story "Seventh Grade." Use each of
the following verbs at least once: waited, was, scowled, seemed, answered, were. Then under-
line the verbs and identify them as either action or linking.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

© Prentice-Hall, Inc. Selection Support 43

Name Date

"Seventh Grade" by Gary Soto
"Melting Pot" by Anna Quindlen

Reading Strategy: Interpreting Idioms

Does the steady drip of a leaky faucet drive you up a wall? The words in italics in the previous
sentence are an idiom—an expression or figure of speech whose meaning cannot be taken liter-
ally. Idioms are unique to a particular language or region. They are lively forms of informal lan-
guage. The intended meaning of an idiom usually differs from its literal, or exact word-for-word,
meaning. In the idiom drive you up a wall, the literal meaning is to force you to move vertically
up the side of a room or building, but that is not what the idiom actually means. It means to
greatly annoy or distract you.

DIRECTIONS: Complete the chart, analyzing some idioms that appear in "Seventh Grade" and "Melt-
ing Pot." For each idiom given in italics, give its literal meaning, followed by its figurative meaning.

Idiom Literal Meaning Figurative Meaning
had a crush on Teresa

his mind was somewhere else

I wanted to throw confetti the
day that a family of rough
types ... moved out

seem to have reached a nice

mix

We live in a pressure cooker

44 Selection Support © Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Name Date

"Seventh Grade" by Gary Soto
"Melting Pot" by Anna Quindlen

Literary Analysis: Tone

The tone of a literary work reflects the author's attitude toward the subject and the charac-
ters. Tone can often be described in a single word, such as informal, friendly, intimate, solemn,
playful, or serious. Some ways an author establishes and controls the tone are choice of sub-
ject, choice of words, descriptive details, and sentence structure.

DIRECTIONS: As you read "Seventh Grade" and "Melting Pot," think about the tone each author
is creating. Look for details that help establish the tone. List some of these details, and then
explain how each contributes to the tone.

"Seventh Grade"

"Melting Pot"

© Prentice-Hall, Inc. Selection Support 45

Name Date

"Fable" by Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Thumbprint" by Eve Merriam

"If—" by Rudyard Kipling

Build Vocabulary

Using the Prefix uni-

The prefix uni- means "one," as in the Word Bank word unique, meaning "one of a kind."

A. DIRECTIONS: Fill in each blank in the sentences below with one word from this list.
uniform unicycle unicorn univalve

1. The is an imaginary animal that looks similar to a horse with one horn.

2. The snail is a , meaning that its shell has one valve or part.

3. The flight attendants for a particular airline all wear the same

4. The clown rode a , a vehicle with one wheel.

Using the Word Bank

spry unique virtue impostors base

B. DIRECTIONS: Complete each of the following sentences to demonstrate your understanding of
the Word Bank words.

1. Proof that the squirrel was more spry than the mountain was that

2. The fact that each person's fingerprints are unique is important in police work because

3. I could not be a friend to someone who does not practice the virtue of
because

4. If you knew that some people were impostors, you would know that they were

5. The poor peasants lived a base existence in their

Analogies

C. DIRECTIONS: Circle the letter of the pair of words that best expresses a relationship similar to

that expressed by the pair in capital letters.

1. SPRY : QUICK :: 2. UNIQUE : COMMON ::
a. healthy : sick a. singular : strange
b. ailing : slow b. multiple : many
c. covered : thick c. important : trivial
d. physical : mental d. serious : careful

46 Selection Support © Prentice-Hall, Inc.