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Academic Words in Context is a free printable Grade 5 English worksheet on choosing what an academic word means here, aligned to Common Core standard RI.5.4. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 2 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Academic Words in Context

RI.5.4

NameDate

Tick the right meaning.

1.Her concise summary covered the whole report. What does "concise" mean here?
  • A.badly spelled
  • B.highly decorated
  • C.saying much in few words
  • D.long and rambling
2.The arduous climb took them nine hours. What does "arduous" mean here?
  • A.extremely short
  • B.needing a lot of hard effort
  • C.very entertaining
  • D.requiring no effort
3.The instruction was ambiguous, so half the class did it differently. What does "ambiguous" mean here?
  • A.extremely long
  • B.able to be understood in more than one way
  • C.perfectly clear
  • D.recently written
4.The two species have a reciprocal relationship. What does "reciprocal" mean here?
  • A.going one way only
  • B.lasting a short time
  • C.given and received in return
  • D.happening by accident
5.Their hypothesis was that light affected the growth rate. What does "hypothesis" mean here?
  • A.a formal apology
  • B.an idea put forward to be tested
  • C.a proven fact
  • D.a type of graph
6.The old signalling system is now obsolete. What does "obsolete" mean here?
  • A.no longer used because something better exists
  • B.carefully hidden
  • C.very expensive
  • D.brand new and popular
7.Scientists scrutinise the data before publishing it. What does "scrutinise" mean here?
  • A.to glance at briefly
  • B.to throw away
  • C.to examine very closely
  • D.to copy out
8.Farmers anticipate the first frost each autumn. What does "anticipate" mean here?
  • A.to measure exactly
  • B.to describe afterwards
  • C.to forget entirely
  • D.to expect something before it happens

LessonPrint · RI.5.4 · Set 2 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Academic Words in Context

Set 2. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.saying much in few words
  2. 2.needing a lot of hard effort
  3. 3.able to be understood in more than one way
  4. 4.given and received in return
  5. 5.an idea put forward to be tested
  6. 6.no longer used because something better exists
  7. 7.to examine very closely
  8. 8.to expect something before it happens

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RI.5.4 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.