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Synonyms & Antonyms
Kendra entered Jan’s Fashion boutique with a brilliant smile. No one, not even Jan, could ruin her good mood. That morning, she had received her college acceptance letter from New York University. In just four months, she would be far, far away from her dull and mediocre life in Haysville.
“Ah! Kendra!” Marcie shouted from the back. “Could you give me some inkling of where to find the new price tags?”
“The last time I saw them they were underneath the cash register!” Kendra shouted back. She shook her head in amusement. Kendra only worked at the boutique a couple days a week, but she was still more proficient at managing the store than Marcie, a woman who had been working full-time there for the past seven years.
However, it was a well-known fact that despite Marcie’s absentmindedness, Jan kept Marcie around for her amazing sales tactics. No patron ever walked out empty-handed with Marcie around.
1. Which is an antonym for the word mediocre as it is used in the passage?
A. dangerous
B. normal
C. safe
D. excellent
2. Which word is a synonym for proficient?
A. capable
B. lazy
C. proud
D. delighted
3. Read the sentence from the passage.
"No patron ever walked out empty-handed with Marcie around."
Which word is a synonym for patron?
A. employee
B. child
C. customer
D. father
4. Read the following sentence from the passage.
"Could you give me some inkling of where to find the new price tags?"
Which of these words is a synonym of inkling?
A. talk
B. secret
C. hint
D. writing
by Wee Sui Lee
SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) - For most people, dining at death's door is not a palatable idea.
https://www88.studyisland.com/cfw/test/print-practice-worksheet/ab7d8?CFID=23640973&CFTOKEN=73038830[5/16/2013 10:47:58 AM]

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But Clement Lee, executive director of nightspot operator LifeBrandz, hopes Aurum, which serves "molecular gastronomy," will convince them otherwise.
Lee said he wanted a controversial theme for the restaurant, featuring a cooking style that uses scientific methods to create new flavors.
Molecular gastronomy was made popular by world-renowned chefs such as Ferran Adria from Spain's El Bulli restaurant and Heston
Blumenthal of Fat Duck in the English town of Bray. Adria's apprentice, Paco Roncero, is Aurum's technical consultant.
And in case the unusual cuisine isn't enough to allure spoiled Singapore food lovers, Lee added a dash of the morbid—gold wheelchairs, a morgue and surgical steel tables.
In modern but superstitious Singapore, getting locals to dine at Aurum could be a tall order, as the ethnic Chinese who make up 75 percent of the city-state's population tend to shun anything that implies death or sickness.
"Personally, I think it's too gruesome—that's coming from an Asian point of view," Daven Wu, a food critic for lifestyle magazine Time
Out, told Reuters.
"Why are you courting disaster by sitting in a wheelchair for no reason? It's like asking people to go and sleep in a coffin for fun."
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5. Read the sentence from the passage.
"For most people, dining at death's door is not a palatable idea."
Which word is an antonym for palatable?
A. possible
B. healthy
C. inviting
D. tasteless
6. Which word is an antonym for morbid in the passage above?
A. wealthy
B. cheerful
C. wicked
D. unexpected
7. Which is a synonym for the word implies as it is used in the passage?
A. causes
B. allows
C. suggests
D. prevents
by R Cornelius
Robin Hood is a traditional British folk hero who has gained popularity with the people of other nations as well. Although there are many accounts of Robin Hood’s exploits, there is very little evidence to prove he actually existed at all. In all the stories, several facts remain constant. Robin Hood is an alias for a young nobleman named Robin of Loxley. Robin returns from the Crusades to discover his adversary Guy of Gisbourne has confiscated his ancestral lands. Robin fights an epic struggle against Guy and the Sheriff of
Nottingham to return Richard the Lionhearted to the throne of England. To do this, he recruits a band of thieves from Sherwood forest, known as the Merry Men. In Medieval England, "merry" meant "trusty," not "happy." These outlaws who served the people of
Nottingham were always dressed in green livery. In the late 1500s, the character of Robin Hood was given a love interest named
Marian. Marian aids him in his plots to restore Richard to the throne. Much of Robin's time in the stories is spent saving Maid Marian https://www88.studyisland.com/cfw/test/print-practice-worksheet/ab7d8?CFID=23640973&CFTOKEN=73038830[5/16/2013 10:47:58 AM]

Printable Worksheet from kidnap or misfortune.
While much of the Robin Hood legend is fiction, scholars have made several educated guesses as to who might have been the real
Robin Hood. None has yet proven correct. The earliest mention of the name Robin Hood is from Old English court records which date back to the 13 th
century. In these records, magistrates repeatedly referred to thieves and highwaymen as “robehod” or “hobbehod.”
Both words mean “thief.” Likely, no one will ever know for certain who was the real Robin Hood, or even if there was a real Robin Hood, because the English used the name so frequently as a synonym for an outlaw.
8. What is an antonym for the underlined word in the following sentence from the passage?
Robin returns from the Crusades to discover his adversary Guy of Gisbourne has confiscated his ancestral lands.
A. landlord
B. archenemy
C. servant
D. companion
9. What is a synonym for the underlined word in the following sentence from the passage?
These outlaws who served the people of Nottingham were always dressed in green livery.
A. books
B. shapes
C. uniforms
D. livers
The Sound of Music is one among many timeless screen musicals produced by 20th Century Fox. The movie captivates audiences even to this day with its wonderful array of songs. Maria, the female lead in the movie, leaves her convent to discover whether or not she really wants to be a nun. She becomes a governess to the children of Captain Von Trapp and overcomes the seemingly invincible task of taking care of the children with ease. Maria wins them over with her love, her care, and most of all her musical abilities.
10. What is a synonym for the underlined word in the following sentence from the passage?
The movie captivates audiences even to this day with its wonderful array of songs.
A. irritates
B. imprisons
C. offends
D. delights
1. D
2. A
3. C
4. C
5. D
6. B
7. C
8. D
9. C
10. D
1. Read the sentence that "mediocre" appears in. Kendra is excited about being "far, far away from her dull and https://www88.studyisland.com/cfw/test/print-practice-worksheet/ab7d8?CFID=23640973&CFTOKEN=73038830[5/16/2013 10:47:58 AM]

Printable Worksheet mediocre life in Haysville." She is happy because she finds Haysville dull and average. "Mediocre" means
"average," so its antonym (a word that means the opposite) is "excellent."
2. The passage says that Marcie is absentminded and that Kendra is "more proficient at managing the store than
Marcie." For example, Kendra knows where the new price tags are whereas Marcie doesn't. "Proficient" and
"capable" mean the same thing. Kendra is more "capable" of managing the store.
3. Read the story carefully. Marcie and Kendra work at a fashion boutique. The passage says that Marcie has
"amazing sales tactics. No patron [has] ever walked out empty-handed with Marcie around." A "patron" must be someone who shops at their fashion boutique. "Customer" and "patron" mean the same thing.
4. Look at the passage. Marcie does not know where to find the new price tags, so she is asking Kendra for an inkling of where to find them. She is asking Kendra for a "hint" or "idea" of where to find them. "Inkling" and
"hint" mean the same thing.
5. This news article discusses a restaurant with a gruesome decor. The article states that this is not a "palatable idea" to most people. "Palatable" is another word for "appetizing," so its antonym (a word that means the opposite) is "tasteless."
6. To his restaurant, "Lee added a dash of the morbid—gold wheelchairs, a morgue and surgical steel tables."
"Gold wheelchairs, a morgue and surgical steel tables" are all gloomy things. "Morbid" is another word for
"gloomy," so its antonym (a word that means the opposite) is "cheerful."
7. The passage says that "the ethnic Chinese who make up 75 percent of the city-state's population tend to shun anything that implies death or sickness"; therefore, the restaurant Aurum might have a difficult time gaining customers since it suggests death with its wheelchairs, morgue, and surgical steel tables. "Suggests" is another word for "implies."
8. Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. For example, "sad" and "happy" are antonyms. Adversary is another way of saying "enemy." The opposite of "enemy" is "companion."
9. Synonyms are words that share similar meanings. For example, "stones" and "rocks" are synonyms. Even if one does not know the meaning of the word livery, one may look at the context of the passage. The sentence states that the Merry Men served the people of Nottingham. The previous sentences show that they were a band of thieves following one leader. In this context, it makes sense that they might all dress in a similar fashion. In this instance, to wear livery is to wear "uniforms."
10. Synonyms are words that mean the same thing. For example, happy and joyful are synonyms because they mean the same thing. "Captivates" means "delights." https://www88.studyisland.com/cfw/test/print-practice-worksheet/ab7d8?CFID=23640973&CFTOKEN=73038830[5/16/2013 10:47:58 AM]