Thesaurus Usage

In his story, Liam wanted to replace the word "walked." Which synonym best suggests the character was moving slowly and with great effort?

• sprinted

• strolled

• trudged

• marched

Answer explanation

The word 'trudged' specifically implies heavy, slow, and weary movement, which best fits the context of moving with great effort. 'Sprinted' is fast, 'strolled' is leisurely, and 'marched' is purposeful.

Match each word to its closest synonym that you might find in a thesaurus.

• Immense

• Vast

• Insignificant

• Livid

• Furious

• Crucial

• Essential

• Trivial

Answer explanation

Each word is correctly paired with its synonym: Vast/Immense (very large), Crucial/Essential (very important), Livid/Furious (very angry), and Trivial/Insignificant (unimportant).

A thesaurus lists words with opposite meanings called antonyms. Sort these words into pairs of antonyms.

Groups:

(a) Antonym Pair 1

,

(b) Antonym Pair 2

,

(c) Antonym Pair 3

• Brave

• Cowardly

• Ancient

• Modern

• Stingy

• Generous

Answer explanation

The words are grouped into pairs that have opposite meanings. 'Generous' is the opposite of 'stingy,' 'ancient' is the opposite of 'modern,' and 'brave' is the opposite of 'cowardly.'

When looking up the verb "create" in a thesaurus, which of the following synonyms would also be listed as a verb?

• creative

• creation

• construct

• creator

Answer explanation

A thesaurus groups synonyms by part of speech. To replace a verb, you need another verb. 'Construct' is a verb, like 'create.' 'Creative' is an adjective, while 'creation' and 'creator' are nouns.

You're editing your essay and want to find an antonym for the word "complex." Which word would a thesaurus suggest?

• intricate

• simple

• difficult

• confusing

Answer explanation

An antonym is a word with the opposite meaning. 'Simple' is the opposite of 'complex.' The other options ('intricate,' 'difficult,' 'confusing') are synonyms for 'complex.'

Match each sentence with the best synonym for "said" to show the speaker's specific emotion or tone.

• shouted

• "We won the game!" they _____.

• whispered

• "Get out of my room!" she _____.

• exclaimed

• "I'm not sure we should go in there," he _____.

Answer explanation

The chosen synonym for 'said' must be inferred from the emotion conveyed by the dialogue. The angry tone of "Get out of my room!" matches 'shouted'. The uncertain or fearful tone of "I'm not sure..." matches 'whispered'. The joyful tone of "We won the game!" matches 'exclaimed'.

A writer wants to replace the word *thin* in the sentence: 'The stray dog was very *thin* after weeks on the street.' When using a thesaurus, which synonym for *thin* would best convey a sense of pity and concern for the dog's poor health?

• slender

• gaunt

• slim

• lean

Answer explanation

While all the options are synonyms for 'thin,' 'gaunt' specifically means excessively thin and bony, often due to hunger or illness. This word carries the strongest negative connotation and best evokes a feeling of pity and concern, making it the most effective choice for the context.

A thesaurus can help you choose words with the right intensity. Sort these synonyms for "big" into two groups: 'Large' and 'Extremely Large'.

Groups:

(a) Large

,

(b) Extremely Large

• huge

• great

• enormous

• sizable

• gigantic

• massive

Answer explanation

Words are sorted based on their intensity. 'Sizable' and 'great' suggest a large size, while 'huge,' 'gigantic,' 'enormous,' and 'massive' imply an exceptionally large or colossal size.

A thesaurus entry for the adjective "happy" might list "joyful" (adj.) and "joy" (n.). Why is it important to note the part of speech (e.g., adj., n.)?

• To make sure the new word fits the grammar of the sentence.

• Because longer words are always better for essays.

• To find the word with the most letters.

• Because nouns are more descriptive than adjectives.

Answer explanation

Replacing a word with a synonym requires using a word with the same part of speech to maintain the sentence's grammatical structure. You can't replace the adjective 'happy' with the noun 'joy' without rewriting the sentence.

Match each word with its correct antonym.

• Disperse

• Victory

• Rarely

• Frequently

• Shrink

• Expand

• Defeat

• Assemble

Answer explanation

Each word is paired with its direct opposite: Expand/Shrink, Frequently/Rarely, Victory/Defeat, and Assemble/Disperse.