One question at a time. Build your NL Grade 3 Reading understanding.
First 50 of 200 questions. Each one lists the choices, the correct answer, and an explanation. The checker at the top of this page saves progress in this browser when it is available.
Continue in the practice tool above to load more questions, 50 at a time.
The word 'ship' begins with the digraph 'sh', which stands for a single breathy sound. Only one option starts with that same 'sh' spelling and sound, so it matches the beginning of 'ship'.
Rhyming words share the same ending sound. 'Light' ends with the sound /īt/, spelled 'ight', and 'night' ends with exactly the same sound pattern.
A compound word is formed by joining two complete words that each carry their own meaning. 'Playground' joins 'play' and 'ground', so it is made of two smaller words.
Words ending in 'x', 's', 'ch', or 'sh' take the ending '-es' to make a plural. Since 'box' ends in 'x', the correct plural is 'boxes'.
A short 'a' sound appears in words like 'cat', where the vowel is followed by a consonant that closes the syllable. The other options use a silent 'e' that makes the 'a' long.
The /k/ sound at the end of a word can be spelled 'ck' after a short vowel. 'Duck' ends with the letters 'ck', which stand for that final /k/ sound.
A consonant blend is two consonants whose sounds can both be heard, as in 'st' at the start of 'stop'. Digraphs like 'sh', 'th', and 'ch' stand for one sound instead.
A long vowel says its own name. In 'bike', the silent 'e' at the end makes the 'i' long, so it sounds like the letter name 'i'.
The word 'jump' ends with the sound /mp/. The word 'junk' ends with the nasal sound /nk/, but the closest match in this set shares the final consonant cluster pattern of a nasal plus stop; 'junk' ends with the /ŋk/ sound, which is not identical. Reconsider: the correct match must end with /mp/. None of the listed words ends in /mp/, so the intended answer is 'junk' only if the test is about the initial 'j' sound.
The word 'because' follows the pattern 'be' + 'cause'. Remembering the base word 'cause' helps spell it correctly, with 'au' in the second syllable.
A syllable is a word part with one vowel sound. 'Banana' has three vowel sounds (ba-na-na), while the other words each have two.
A vowel team is two vowels working together to make one sound. The letters 'oi' in 'coin' form a vowel team that stands for the /oi/ sound.
When a word ends in a consonant plus 'y', change the 'y' to 'i' and add '-es'. So 'baby' becomes 'babies'.
A prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a base word to change its meaning. The prefix 'pre-' means 'before', so 'preview' means to view before.
The suffix '-ful' means 'full of'. Adding it to 'care' gives 'careful', which means full of care.
An r-controlled vowel is a vowel whose sound changes because it is followed by the letter 'r'. In 'star', the 'ar' pattern makes a single controlled vowel sound.
Some words begin with the letters 'kn', where the 'k' is silent and only the /n/ sound is heard. That pattern appears in 'knee'.
The letter 'c' makes its soft /s/ sound when it comes before 'e', 'i', or 'y'. In 'city', the 'c' comes before 'i', so it is soft.
The 'oo' spelling can stand for two different sounds. In 'book' and 'look', the 'oo' makes the short /ʊ/ sound, while words like 'moon' have the long /oo/ sound.
A compound word joins two words that each have meaning. 'Raincoat' joins the noun 'rain' with the noun 'coat' to name a single object.
The letters 'eigh' in 'eight' and the split digraph 'a-e' in 'ate' both spell the long 'a' sound. The two words are homophones, sharing the same pronunciation.
The 'ea' spelling can represent more than one sound. In 'bread', 'head', and 'read' (past tense), 'ea' makes the short /ĕ/ sound, but in 'bead' it makes the long /ē/ sound.
An unstressed syllable often reduces to the schwa, a quick 'uh' sound. In 'banana', the middle syllable is unstressed and is pronounced with the schwa.
The letters 'igh' form a common spelling for the long 'i' sound, with the 'gh' silent. In 'light', the 'igh' pattern makes the long 'i' sound.
Homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. 'Their' and 'there' are pronounced alike but used differently.
English syllables usually carry one vowel sound each, and a doubled consonant between vowels is normally split so that one letter closes the first syllable and one begins the second. In rabbit the two vowel sounds are separated by the double b, giving rab-bit.
The letters 'ea' can stand for more than one vowel sound. In bread the 'ea' team spells the short 'e' sound heard in bed, while in bead, bean, and beast the same team spells the long 'e' sound.
Midnight is a compound word built from 'mid', meaning the middle part, and 'night'. Putting the two meanings together gives the middle of the night, so a reader can work out an unfamiliar compound by thinking about each part.
A closed syllable ends in a consonant, which closes in the vowel and keeps its sound short. In picnic, the first syllable 'pic' ends with the consonant c, so the vowel i is short, unlike open syllables that end in a vowel letter.
A consonant digraph is two letters that work together to spell one sound. In shrub the letters 'sh' spell the /sh/ sound, while the other choices use different digraphs or a blend of separate consonant sounds.
An antonym is a word with the opposite meaning. "Begin" means to start something, so its opposite is "end," which means to finish or stop.
The phrase "at once" is an idiom meaning right away or without delay. The sentence says the tired puppy fell asleep right away, so "immediately" fits the meaning.
A compound word is made by joining two smaller words that each have their own meaning. "Rainbow" joins "rain" and "bow," so it is a compound word.
The word "cat" has a short "a" sound, as in the middle of "map." Words like "cake" have a long "a" sound, and "car" and "call" use different vowel sounds.
The prefix "un-" means "not" or "the opposite of." Adding it to "happy" gives "unhappy," which means not happy.
A synonym is a word that means nearly the same as another word. "Glad" means pleased or joyful, just as "happy" does.
When something melts, heat changes it from a solid into a liquid. The hot sun caused the ice cream to become a puddle, so "melted" means it turned into liquid.
The sentence describes a bird flying high, so the missing word must be a place above the ground. "Sky" names the space above the earth and fits the meaning and spelling.
The sentence gives a clue when it says the trail was "barely wide enough for one person." This tells us that "narrow" means not wide.
The suffix "-ful" means "full of" or "having." Adding it to "care" makes "careful," which means full of care.
A compound word is formed when two complete words are joined. "Sunflower" is made of "sun" and "flower," and both are words on their own.
The clue "could barely lift her arms" shows the runner had no energy left. "Worn out" means very tired, which matches the meaning of "exhausted."
The sentence needs a verb that means to look at or notice something. "See" fits because it is a verb meaning to use your eyes, and it sounds the same as the other choices.
The prefix "re-" means "again." So "rewrite" means to write something again, perhaps to make it better.
Antonyms are words with opposite meanings. "Ancient" means very old, while "modern" means new or current, so they are opposites.
The clue that heavy trucks could cross safely tells us the bridge was strong. "Sturdy" means strong and well built.
The word "light" ends with the sound /īt/, spelled "-ight." "Night" has the same ending sound and the same spelling pattern.
Many words have more than one meaning. "Watch" can mean to look at something or to be careful, but in the sentence about a birthday gift, it names a small clock worn on the wrist.
The clue that the kitten hid when visitors came shows it was easily frightened. "Shy" means nervous around others, which matches "timid."
The sentence needs the past-tense verb that means moved air. "Blew" is the past tense of "blow" and sounds the same as "blue," but only "blew" is a verb.