Worksheet

Robot Results: Verify the Vocabulary

Use dictionary entries to verify pronunciation, precise meanings, and parts of speech in a school robotics news report.

Grade 7ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toL.7.4.c

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What’s included

Single worksheet
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1 Common Core standard
Printable answer key
13 questions
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Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 7
Subject: ELA
Question types: Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Circle the answer, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students consult reference entries to identify precise word meanings in a news report.
Students use pronunciation guides and part-of-speech labels to distinguish dictionary records.
Students correct vocabulary notes by combining reference information with sentence context.

How to use

Have students read the report, then consult the supplied reference desk for each lookup. No outside dictionary is needed. Discuss how context helps readers choose among reference records.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

L.7.4.c

Look up a word in print or digital references to find its pronunciation, precise meaning, or part of speech.

Preview

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Name Date

Robot Results: Verify the Vocabulary

Use reference entries to check a school news report.

Read the News Report

Read this fictional school report. Answer questions 1–2 using the report; then use the reference desk for the remaining questions.

One Machine, Two Kinds of Challenge

1At Saturday’s school robotics competition, the Juniper team entered a machine built to move foam blocks between marked zones. Student reporter Dalia Mensah covered the event for the school news site. Her first notes described wheels, wires, and a gripping arm. By the final round, she had added a second list: words she needed to verify before readers saw the report.

2The opening challenge required an autonomous run. Once the starting signal sounded, team members stepped back while the robot followed its programmed instructions. A loose cable brushed a wheel, but the robot reached the delivery zone. Between rounds, Keon inspected the chassis and secured the cable underneath it. Dalia photographed the repair, keeping the machine’s supporting frame visible in the image.

3The next challenge involved lifting a block onto a raised platform. Dalia initially wrote that the team had increased the motor’s speed. Keon explained that his comment concerned torque, the turning force, rather than how fast the motor spun. Dalia marked the technical term for a dictionary check before revising her explanation. The team placed its practice blocks beside the field.

4During the relay, one robot delivered a block to a waiting robot, which completed the route. A referee watched the handoff from a taped square. After the round, the team captain decided to object to a penalty because the recording showed the block inside the boundary. The referee reviewed the clip and removed the penalty. Dalia’s notes now contained both the object being moved and the team’s decision to object.

5Juniper finished behind two other teams, but its members stayed to compare designs with their competitors. For the recorded version of her report, Dalia practiced chassis and autonomous aloud. She also checked whether relay named the event or described passing something along in each sentence. The final story would include the result, the disputed call, and a clear explanation of the machine’s work—not just a string of impressive terms.

What specific distinction does Dalia need to verify before accurately explaining the motor adjustment in paragraph 3?

A. The difference between a practice round and a final round
B. The difference between a supporting frame and a cable
C. The difference between turning force and rotational speed
D. The difference between lifting a block and delivering it

In paragraph 3, underline the ONE sentence that states the technical distinction Dalia must preserve in her explanation.

The next challenge involved lifting a block onto a raised platform.Dalia initially wrote that the team had increased the motor’s speed.Keon explained that his comment concerned torque, the turning force, rather than how fast the motor spun.Dalia marked the technical term for a dictionary check before revising her explanation.The team placed its practice blocks beside the field.

Consult the Reference Desk

These shortened dictionary-style entries were prepared for this worksheet. CAPITAL letters mark the stressed syllable. Hyphens separate syllables in the pronunciation guides. Abbreviations: n. = noun; v. = verb; adj. = adjective.

autonomous (aw-TAH-nuh-mus), adj. 1. Having the right or power to govern itself. 2. Able to operate without direct human control.

chassis (SHAS-ee), n. The supporting frame of a vehicle or other machine.

object Record A: (AHB-jekt), n. 1. A material thing that can be seen or touched. 2. A goal or purpose. Record B: (ub-JEKT), v. To express disagreement or opposition.

relay (REE-lay), n. 1. A race or task completed by participants taking successive turns. 2. An electrical device in which a signal controls the opening or closing of a circuit. v. To receive and pass along information or something else.

secure (sih-KYOOR), adj. 1. Firmly fixed or fastened. 2. Protected from danger. v. 1. To fasten firmly. 2. To obtain through effort.

torque (TORK), n. A force’s turning effect on an object.

A digital dictionary asks Dalia to select a sense of autonomous for the report. Which selection fits the opening challenge?

A. Adjective, sense 1: having the right to govern itself
B. Adjective, sense 2: operating without direct human control
C. Noun: a machine that follows programmed instructions
D. Verb: to move without a person steering the machine

Which recorded reading of chassis agrees with the supplied pronunciation guide?

A. shas-EE, with stress on the second syllable
B. SHAS-ee, with stress on the first syllable
C. CHAS-iss, with stress on the first syllable
D. chas-ISS, with stress on the second syllable

Consult secure for this sentence from paragraph 2: “Between rounds, Keon inspected the chassis and secured the cable underneath it.” Which reference record applies to secured?

A. Verb, sense 1: to fasten firmly
B. Adjective, sense 2: protected from danger
C. Adjective, sense 1: firmly fixed or fastened
D. Verb, sense 2: to obtain through effort

A lookup note says, “Torque is how quickly a motor spins.” Which replacement accurately records the supplied entry?

A. Torque: noun; the distance an object travels during a turn.
B. Torque: noun; the turning effect of a force on an object.
C. Torque: verb; to spin a motor at a higher speed.
D. Torque: verb; to lift an object onto a raised surface.

In paragraph 4, “During the relay” refers to which location within the relay entry?

A. The pronunciation guide alone
B. The noun section, sense 2
C. The noun section, sense 1
D. The verb section’s definition

Dalia writes a new sentence: “A small relay inside the controller switches the circuit.” Which reference-based explanation distinguishes this use from the relay event?

A. It uses noun sense 2 because it names an electrical device.
B. It becomes a verb because the sentence describes an action.
C. It keeps noun sense 1 because a controller takes a turn.
D. It becomes an adjective because small describes the device.

Dalia must say autonomous in a recording. Consult its pronunciation guide. Write only the capitalized syllable that receives the strongest stress.

Stressed syllable:

Verify the Editor’s Notes

Apply the same reference entries to new sentences and lookup decisions.

10.

An editor writes, “The object of the practice session was accurate placement.” Which full reference record fits object here?

A. ub-JEKT; verb; to receive and pass something along
B. AHB-jekt; noun; a material thing seen or touched
C. ub-JEKT; verb; to express disagreement or opposition
D. AHB-jekt; noun; a goal or purpose

11.

Dalia types “secured” into a print dictionary’s digital index but gets no exact headword result. She needs the meaning used in “Keon secured the cable.” What is the most useful next search?

A. Search security and copy the first definition shown.
B. Search securely and copy its pronunciation as the meaning.
C. Search cable and use its part of speech for secured.
D. Search secure and examine its verb definitions.

12.

A dictionary search returns these preview cards for relay. Dalia wants to confirm how it is used in “Officials relay the results to the announcer.” Which card directly answers her question?

A. relay — v. — receive and pass along information or something else
B. related terms — runner, circuit, announcer, message, competition
C. relay — n. — an event completed by participants in successive turns
D. relay — n. — an electrical device that controls a circuit

13.

An editor prepares this note for the recorded report: “The captain may object if an object crosses the boundary.” The editor says both uses should have the same pronunciation and part of speech because the spelling is identical. Use the reference desk to correct the note. Give the pronunciation, part of speech, and precise meaning of EACH use, and explain how the sentence helps you choose.