Buckle Down Arkansas
Benchmark Exam 7 Reading
Vocabulary
Lesson 1: Word Origins
Lesson 2: Words in Context
Unit 2
Reading for Comprehension
Lesson 3: Ideas and Details
Lesson 4: Reading Strategies
Lesson 5: Making Connections
Lesson 6: Author’s Purpose
Unit 3
Literary Texts
Lesson 7: Story Elements
Lesson 8: Poetry and Figurative Language
Unit 4
Informational Texts
Lesson 9: Information You Can See
Lesson 10: Applying Information
Lesson 11: Resources
Lesson 12: Research
Arkansas Benchmark
EXAM
Arkansas Benchmark Exam
Go to www.BuckleDown.com to review our complete line of Benchmark Exam materials for Grades 3–8
READING • WRITING • MATHEMATICS • SCIENCE
P.O. Box 1270
Littleton, MA 01460-4270
Catalog # 1BDAR07RD01
7
Reading
7 READING
Students master vocabulary
skills with a practice passage in
the workbook called “The Fall’s
Ploughing.” It is the story of a
boy who is eagerly awaiting the
first frost of winter for somewhat
questionable reasons.
Unit 1
ISBN 0-7836-4861-8
5 1 2 9 5
PHONE: 800-776-3454
FAX: 877-365-0111
www.BuckleDown.com
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Page iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction .................................................................................................... 1
Unit 1 – Vocabulary........................................................................................ 5
Lesson 1: Word Origins .................................................................... 6
ACTAAP coverage: R.11.7.1, R.11.7.2, R.11.7.3, R.11.7.4, R.11.7.9
Lesson 2: Words in Context ........................................................... 19
ACTAAP coverage: R.11.7.1, R.11.7.2, R.11.7.3, R.11.7.4, R.11.7.5,
R.11.7.6, R.11.7.7, R.11.7.8, R.11.7.10
Unit 2 – Reading for Comprehension ........................................................ 33
Lesson 3: Ideas and Details ............................................................ 34
ACTAAP coverage: R.9.7.4, R.9.7.12, R.9.7.14, R.9.7.16, R.9.7.17,
R.10.7.5
Lesson 4: Reading Strategies .......................................................... 46
ACTAAP coverage: R.9.7.1, R.9.7.3, R.9.7.5, R.9.7.6, R.9.7.14,
R.9.7.17, R.10.7.3, R.10.7.5, IR.12.7.6, IR.12.7.8
Lesson 5: Making Connections....................................................... 61
ACTAAP coverage: R.9.7.2, R.9.7.6, R.9.7.7, R.9.7.14, R.9.7.19
Lesson 6: Author’s Purpose ............................................................ 73
ACTAAP coverage: R.9.7.11, R.9.7.18, R.9.7.19, R.10.7.4, R.10.7.12
Unit 3 – Literary Texts ................................................................................ 91
Lesson 7: Story Elements ............................................................... 92
ACTAAP coverage: R.9.7.7, R.9.7.8, R.9.7.9, R.9.7.10, R.10.7.7,
IR.12.7.5
Lesson 8: Poetry and Figurative Language................................... 109
ACTAAP coverage: R.10.7.8, R.10.7.9, R.10.7.10, R.11.7.8
Unit 4 – Informational Texts ..................................................................... 123
Lesson 9: Information You Can See ............................................. 124
© 2007 Buckle Down Publishing. COPYING IS FORBIDDEN BY LAW.
ACTAAP coverage: R.9.7.13, IR.12.7.6
Lesson 10: Applying Information ................................................. 140
ACTAAP coverage: R.9.7.13, R.10.7.11
Lesson 11: Resources.................................................................... 149
ACTAAP coverage: IR.12.7.2, IR.12.7.3, IR.12.7.4, IR.12.7.5
Lesson 12: Research ..................................................................... 161
ACTAAP coverage: R.9.7.15, R.9.7.16, R.10.7.6, IR.12.7.1, IR.12.7.4,
IR.12.7.5, IR.12.7.7, IR.12.7.8, IR.12.7.9
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Unit 1 – Vocabulary
ACTAAP Coverage: R.11.7.4
Lesson 1
Word Origins
As human knowledge grows, so does our vocabulary. When scientists and scholars need
new words for things, they often borrow words from the languages of ancient Greece and
Rome (Greek and Latin, respectively). For example, our word biology was first used in
1802 and comes from the Greek words for ‘‘life’’ and ‘‘study.’’ When people needed a
word to describe the emerging scientific study of living organisms, they turned to the
language of the ancient Greeks.
Above: The Parthenon is one of many ruined buildings dating back to ancient Greece. (The Greek
empire was at its height about 2,500 years ago.)
6
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In this lesson, you’ll learn a few tips for figuring out the meanings of words based on
their Greek and Latin roots and affixes. You’ll also use your knowledge of word parts to
figure out the meaning of subject-related vocabulary.
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Lesson 1: Word Origins
ACTAAP Coverage: R.11.7.1, R.11.7.4
TIP 1: Understand how words are made.
The primary meaning of a word comes from its root, or base. Words are made using one
root, two roots, or even three roots. In addition to roots, affixes (word parts that are
added to words) also create meaning. Prefixes come before the root (the prefix premeans ‘‘before’’); suffixes come after the root.
1. What is the root of the word prehistoric?
____________________________________________________________________
2. What does prehistoric mean?
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TIP 2: The meanings of roots and affixes can help you approximate the
meaning of a word.
You may be wondering what the prefix suf- means. Do you think it means ‘‘after’’? Well,
almost. The prefix suf- (or sub-) means ‘‘below,’’ as in submarine (literally “below
water”). It can also mean ‘‘secondary’’ as in substation. So in a way, a suffix comes
‘‘below’’ the meaning of the root: It is not as important as the root itself.
3. The root stat or stit means ‘‘to stand.’’ What is the literal meaning of the word
substitute?
____________________________________________________________________
© 2007 Buckle Down Publishing. COPYING IS FORBIDDEN BY LAW.
____________________________________________________________________
Prefixes
The following are some common prefixes:
ambi- both ambidextrous, ambiguous
in- the opposite of inability, inaccurate
anti- against, preventing antibody, antifreeze
mis- badly, wrong, not misprint, misjudge
de- the opposite of deactivate, decompress
non- the opposite of, not nonsense,
nonrefundable
dis- the opposite of, not disappear, disagree
il- against, not illiterate, illegal
im- in, within, toward, on import, impress
pre- in front of, before preheat, prejudge
un- the opposite of, not unlikely, unheard
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Unit 1 – Vocabulary
ACTAAP Coverage: R.11.7.4, R.11.7.9
TIP 3: Learn the key roots for knowledge.
Many of the words we will review in this lesson relate to the main subject areas you
study in school: science, social studies, math, and the language arts. The following roots
appear in words across all the subject areas. The first two roots, graph and logy, are by
far the most widely used in all fields.
Root
Meaning
Examples
graph, gram, graphy
something written
down or recorded
photograph
telegram
geography
logy
the study of
cardiology
neurology
geology
seismology
nomy
arrangement,
management
economy
astronomy
taxonomy
scope
instrument for
viewing or observing
telescope
stethoscope
microscope
Suffixes
-able able to be or to become something;
worthy of being something avoidable,
lovable
-ly in such a manner; like or suited to;
occurring every so often quickly, heavenly,
weekly
-al of, like, or relating to memorial, industrial
-ment the state of being something
excitement, amazement
-en to make more so; made of strengthen,
wooden
-ful having a lot of beautiful, fearful
-ity having or being a certain way agility,
fertility
-less without something odorless, spineless
8
-ness the state of being something
preparedness, goodness
-ous full of or having something
adventurous, famous
-tion, -ion, -sion the act of, state of, result of
regulation, hydration, tension
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Here are some common suffixes you should know.
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Lesson 1: Word Origins
ACTAAP Coverage: R.11.7.4, R.11.7.9
TIP 4: Start learning roots by dissecting
the words you already know.
FAST FACT
dissect = dis (apart) + sect
(cut) = to cut apart
Sometimes you can figure out the meaning of a
root word or affix by thinking of other words that
have the same root or affix.
© 2007 Buckle Down Publishing. COPYING IS FORBIDDEN BY LAW.
4. The following roots are important in the field of medicine. Fill in the list with
words you already know that use these roots. (The first two have been completed
for you.) If you get stuck, use your dictionary.
Root
Meaning
Example
Definition of Example
cardio
heart
cardiologist
a doctor specializing in the heart
dactyl
finger
pterodactyl
a dinosaur with wings and fingers
dent
tooth
__________
______________________________
derm
skin
__________
______________________________
gastro
stomach
__________
______________________________
hem
blood
__________
______________________________
man
hand
__________
______________________________
neur
nerves
__________
______________________________
oculo
eye
__________
______________________________
osteo
bone
__________
______________________________
ped
foot
__________
______________________________
psych
mind
__________
______________________________
5. What do the roots listed above have in common?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
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Unit 1 – Vocabulary
ACTAAP Coverage: R.11.7.4, R.11.7.9
10
Root
Meaning
Example
Definition of Example
aqua
water
aquatic
relating to water
astro
star
astrology
the study of stars
audio
hearing
audiovisual
______________________________
bio
life
__________
______________________________
geo
earth
__________
______________________________
seismo
_________
seismology
the study of earthquakes
mari
_________
submarine
a ship that goes beneath the sea
petro
stone
petroleum
______________________________
phon
_________
phonograph
a sound recording
pyro
_________
pyrotechnics
fireworks
stell
_________
interstellar
between the stars
tele
distance
telephone
a machine to send sound across
distances
terr
land
__________
______________________________
vis, vid
seeing
__________
______________________________
zoo
_________
zoology
the study of animals
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6. The following words are important in the other sciences. Complete the list using
your existing knowledge and a dictionary.
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Lesson 1: Word Origins
ACTAAP Coverage: R.11.7.4, R.11.7.9
© 2007 Buckle Down Publishing. COPYING IS FORBIDDEN BY LAW.
7. The following words are important in history, sociology, and the other social
studies. Complete the list using your existing knowledge and a dictionary.
Root
Meaning
Example
Definition of Example
anni, annu
year
biennial
occurring every two years
ante
before
antebellum
____________________________
anthrop
human
anthropology
____________________________
arch
rule
patriarch
____________________________
archaeo
ancient
__________
____________________________
bell
_________
rebellion
a war against the existing order
chrono
time
__________
____________________________
civ
city
__________
____________________________
crat, cracy
_________
democracy
government by the people
demos
people
__________
____________________________
jud, judi,
judic
_________
judicious
____________________________
jur, jus
to swear; of __________
or relating to
the court
____________________________
leg
law
__________
____________________________
liber
_________
liberation
giving freedom
phobia
fear
__________
____________________________
poli, pop
people
populace
the common people of a nation
post
after
__________
____________________________
socio
_________
sociology
the study of society
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Unit 1 – Vocabulary
ACTAAP Coverage: R.11.7.4, R.11.7.9
TIP 5: Know your numbers.
If you know how to count to ten in Spanish, you will have no trouble learning Greek and
Latin prefixes used in mathematics. The Spanish language came from Latin, so many of
these number words should appear familiar to Spanish speakers.
Number
Prefix
Number
Prefix
1
uni, mono
9
nona, nov
2
duo, di, bi
10
deca
3
tri
13
triskaideka
4
quat, quad
1/10
deci
5
pent, quint
1/100
centi
6
hex, sex
1/1,000
milli
7
sept
1,000
kilo
8
oct
Following are several roots that are important in mathematics:
Root
Meaning
Example
angle
corner
triangle, quadrangle, pentangle
gon
side
pentagon, hexagon, polygon
meter
measurement
diameter, geometry, millimeter
8. If a couple has quintuplets, how many of their children have the same birthdate?
9. What is triskaidekaphobia?
____________________________________________________________________
12
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____________________________________________________________________
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Lesson 1: Word Origins
ACTAAP Coverage: R.11.7.4, R.11.7.9
TIP 6: Stay alert!
Notice that the prefix milli- means “one-thousandth,” not “one-millionth.” And a pentacle
is different from a pentagon. Following are some questions that should keep you on your
toes.
pentagon
pentacle
10. The Roman rulers Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus each added a month to the
calendar. They named the new months after themselves: July for Julius and August
for Augustus. Before this time, the months following June were September,
October, November, and December. Why were these months given these names?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________________
13
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Unit 1 – Vocabulary
ACTAAP Coverage: R.11.7.4, R.11.7.9
TIP 7: Don’t be afraid to guess.
You are an experienced user of the English language. If you know Spanish, you are
familiar with many Latin roots, as well. Once you begin to understand how roots and
affixes work, you can use guesswork to figure out the meanings of many new roots.
11. Consider the meaning of the words tripod and octopus, then guess the meaning of
the root pod/pus.
____________________________________________________________________
14
Root
Meaning of Root
Examples
auto
________________________
autobiography, autograph
bibl
________________________
bible, bibliography
dic, dict
________________________
dictate, predict
lit, liter
________________________
literature, literal
nym
________________________
antonym, synonym
scrib, script
________________________
manuscript, describe, scribble
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12. Use guesswork and your knowledge of the words given as examples to complete the
following list. Use a dictionary to check your answers.
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Lesson 1: Word Origins
ACTAAP Coverage: R.11.7.4, R.11.7.9
TIP 8: Watch your vocabulary grow!
Paying a little attention to the roots of words will have a big payoff for your language
arts skills. Once you have mastered the meanings of root words, your vocabulary will
grow by leaps and bounds.
Summing Up
To determine the meanings of words based on their roots and affixes, remember the
following tips:
• Understand how words are made.
• The meanings of roots and affixes can help you approximate the meaning of a
word.
• Learn the key roots for knowledge.
• Start learning roots by dissecting the words you already know.
• Know your numbers.
• Stay alert!
• Don’t be afraid to guess.
© 2007 Buckle Down Publishing. COPYING IS FORBIDDEN BY LAW.
• Watch your vocabulary grow!
15
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Unit 1 – Vocabulary
Benchmark Exam Practice
Read the following passage about a flood. Then answer multiple-choice questions 1 through 6.
1
All I can remember was the rain, one
storm after another. It had started in spring,
and as spring turned into summer, the rains
became an unstoppable antagonist in a reallife story everyone wanted to end.
2
I woke up early one morning, and
heard voices from a downstairs room. They
were barely audible, so I strained to hear.
Uncle Jimmy was talking to Dad about the
floods.
“Levees are breaking upriver,” said
Uncle Jimmy. “A tragic episode in these
parts, no doubt about it. Whole farms are
being wiped out. The Smiths’ is the last one
left in Batesville. If we can build up the
levee a couple feet, it might hold.”
My family’s farm was near Batesville,
Arkansas, and just a short distance from the
White River, which was flooding that
summer. Our house was built high on a hill,
so we were safe. Much of our best
farmland, though, was river bottom. It was
protected from the swollen river by a long
line of piled sand and clay known as a
levee, but Dad and Uncle Jimmy were afraid
the levee would break.
I crawled out of bed and pulled on
some overalls. I was a farmer’s son, and I
had chores to do. Though it would be warm
and humid outside, I had to wear overalls
and rubber boots. The farm was like a sea of
mud, and our livestock needed tending.
6
Downstairs, I grabbed a couple slices
of toast and a glass of milk before venturing
out through the kitchen door. I had work to
16
do in the barn and animal pens, but first and
foremost, I wanted to see the river. I walked
over to a wooden fence on the edge of the
hill and looked out over the river bottom
below. It was late July, and the corn was
taller than Dad, who was more than six feet
tall. Our river-bottom corn tended to give
the most plentiful yields, and even though
there were some patches where standing
water had devastated some of the stalks,
overall the crop looked good.
Beyond the corn, the river was flowing
7
over its banks. And alongside the river was
the levee. It ran in a diagonal line meant to
direct the river toward higher banks. But the
rains had been so heavy that the levee
needed reinforcement. Bulldozers and
volunteers were working tirelessly to build
up the banks.
My head felt light, and my heart
raced. What did all this mean? I asked
myself that question many times during the
summer. We’d had a wet spring, followed
by more than twenty inches of rain in June
and July, more than the river could handle.
What was Nature trying to tell us?
My family was afraid of what might
happen. Whenever Dad wasn’t out in the
fields, he sat in his favorite chair watching
the latest weather updates on TV. Mom did,
too, when she got home from her job. She
worked long hours at a bank and was
always reminding Dad that the farm needed
an outside income to keep it going.
© 2007 Buckle Down Publishing. COPYING IS FORBIDDEN BY LAW.
by Tom Fitzpatrick
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Lesson 1: Benchmark Exam Practice
“Son,” Dad said one afternoon, staring
down at the floor, “this rain is bringing
hardship to lots of folks. When you get the
weather we’ve been having, nothing except
our safety and that of friends and neighbors
is more important than finding out you
might lose your crops. We live off our crops
and livestock.”
Dad looked up at the television, then
at me. Someone was saying something
about the rain. “You see,” Dad said, “there’s
a stationary high pressure system in the
Southeast, and moisture is being pulled up
from the Gulf of Mexico. This isn’t a oncein-a-fifty-year flood, Son. Oh, no. This
flood is a once-in-a-century.”
Standing on the bluff, looking out over
12
the river, I thought about what Dad had
said. Was there anything I could do to help?
I went after my chores like someone
possessed. I tried to dispel any negative
thoughts, but in the back of my mind, I kept
thinking, “What’s going to happen to the
farm? Will we lose our crops? Will the rains
ever stop?” I couldn’t recall a time I’d ever
been so worried.
As I was halfway through feeding the
cows, Dad and Uncle Jimmy walked over to
the livestock pens.
“Son,” Dad said, “I need you to do
something for me.”
I nodded, eager with anticipation.
“Uncle Jim here is going over to the
levee. The Army Corps of Engineers has
some big equipment out there working, but
they need help stacking sandbags. Lots of
your school friends will probably be
showing up. If you could help out for a
couple hours, it might . . .”
Dad didn’t have to say anything else. I
knew that 140 of our best acres stood on the
other side of that levee. The river was rising
like a man losing his temper—too fast for
any good to come of it.
“You can count on me, Dad,” I said,
18
glad to be of assistance. Feeling inseparable
from the task set before me, I set out toward
the river with Uncle Jimmy, knowing that
no matter what happened, I was doing my
part to help.
© 2007 Buckle Down Publishing. COPYING IS FORBIDDEN BY LAW.
Sample Word Origin Questions
1. What is the most likely meaning of
antagonist in paragraph 1?
2. What is the most likely meaning of
audible in paragraph 2?
A.
enemy
A.
muffled
B.
friend
B.
sluggish
C.
worry
C.
intentional
D.
fright
D.
understandable
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Unit 1 – Vocabulary
A.
purified
A.
banish
B.
ruined
B.
collect
C.
united
C.
inspire
D.
quenched
D.
deliver
4. What is the most likely meaning of
reinforcement in paragraph 7?
18
5. As used in paragraph 12, what does
dispel mean?
6. What is the most likely meaning of
inseparable in paragraph 18?
A.
heavier rain
A.
prepared to resist
B.
more support
B.
wishing to be free
C.
better drainage
C.
ready to be moved
D.
unlevel ground
D.
unable to be parted
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3. As used in paragraph 6, what does
devastated mean?