Synonyms and Antonyms — Answer Key
Part A: Fix the Sentence
Each sentence has an error. Rewrite it correctly on the line.
1. Fix the sentence:
The mouse was gigantic compared to the elephant standing nearby.
Corrected: The mouse was tiny compared to the elephant standing nearby.
Gigantic means extremely large, so it does not match a mouse. Tiny shows the correct shade of meaning along the small-size scale.
2. Fix the sentence:
After running ten miles, Jamal felt slightly tired and ready for more practice.
Corrected: After running ten miles, Jamal felt exhausted and ready for a long rest.
Slightly tired is too weak for ten miles of running. Exhausted shows the strongest shade of meaning on the tired scale.
3. Fix the sentence:
The minuscule mountain towered over every cloud in the sky above us.
Corrected: The enormous mountain towered over every cloud in the sky above us.
Minuscule means extremely small, which contradicts towering. Enormous matches the largest shade of meaning for size.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. On the size scale small, tiny, minuscule, the most intense word meaning the very smallest is minuscule.
Minuscule sits at the far end of the small scale, showing greater intensity than small or tiny in a precise Grade 4 thesaurus.
2. Large, huge, and gigantic are synonyms; the word with the greatest intensity of size is gigantic.
Gigantic carries the strongest shade of meaning on the large scale, signaling something far bigger than large or huge.
3. Warm, hot, and scalding describe heat; the most intense Grade 4 synonym is scalding.
Scalding means hot enough to burn, the strongest shade of meaning compared with warm or hot.
4. Happy, joyful, and ecstatic show feelings; the synonym with the strongest shade of meaning is ecstatic.
Ecstatic shows the most intense happiness, beyond happy and joyful, on a Grade 4 shade of meaning scale.
Part C: Short Answer
Answer each question in one or two complete sentences.
1. Order these synonyms from least to most intense and explain: cool, cold, freezing.
Sample answer: Cool is least intense, then cold, then freezing. The shade of meaning grows stronger as the temperature drops, with freezing showing the most intense cold on the scale.
Synonyms can share meaning but differ in intensity. Ordering them shows the precise shade of meaning each word carries.
2. Order these synonyms from least to most intense and explain: like, love, adore.
Sample answer: Like is least intense, then love, then adore. Each synonym shows a stronger shade of meaning, with adore expressing the deepest feeling on the scale.
Grade 4 readers use a thesaurus to choose precise synonyms whose intensity matches the writer's exact meaning.