Can You Pass a 6th-Grade English Test?

By: Kennita Leon
Estimated Completion Time
6 min
Can You Pass a 6th-Grade English Test?
Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

The English language - sigh. Why do we need to learn a language that we speak at home every day? Well, someone in some school system decided it was a necessary part of our curriculum and it caught on like wildfire in every English-speaking country in the world. Sixth-grade English, in particular, was quite challenging, because students were at the point where they were still young enough to be molded into proper English speakers, but old enough for it to get more challenging. So can you pass this sixth-grade English test? 

We're not going to get crazy and test you on sentence structures and things like that. But we do want to know if you know the basics, along with a few words that every sixth-grader should know. So, can you tell us what a synonym is? Do you know what hyphens and ellipses are used for? Can you tell us what the word "cumulative" means? If you can't answer these questions, then you may not be able to pass this test, but you can surely go ahead and try. Do you think you have what it takes to beat this sixth-grade English test? Let's go ahead and find out. 

noun
Shutterstock
What is a noun?
A fear of foreigners or strangers
A person, place, thing or idea
Nouns are any words other than pronouns that refer to persons, places, things, states or qualities. They can be used as the main or standalone elements as the subject in sentences.
A lewd or lascivious person
Of a vivid red to reddish-orange color
hoax
Shutterstock
What does "hoax" mean?
A scam or lie
In its verb form, to "hoax" is to knowingly masquerade a falsehood as the truth either for comedic or malicious reasons. As a noun, a "hoax" is a deception.
Perform an act, usually with a negative connotation
Something that interests you because it is important
Move towards
contraction
Shutterstock
What is a contraction?
Have in mind as a purpose
A basic or essential attribute shared by members of a class
A hole made by an animal, usually for shelter
Shortens words
This word has multiple meanings, but its most basic meaning that rings true to all its uses is either the shortening or compressing of something. Word contractions include "don't," "you'll" and "I'm."

Advertisement

semi colon
Shutterstock
What does a semicolon do?
It makes peace.
It causes someone to become awake or conscious.
It creates a pause in a sentence.
A semicolon can be used to join two related independent clauses. It can also be used to separate items in a series.
It makes words dull or muddled, as with intoxication.
boisterous
Shanna Baker/Moment/Getty Images
What does "boisterous" mean?
Lacking clarity or distinctness
Clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
Loud and rowdy
Noisy or tempestuous, "boisterous" can also mean rowdy or clamorous.
An abstract or general idea inferred from specific instances
originate
Marc Romanelli/Blend Images/Getty Images
What does "originate" mean?
To come from
To "originate" is to give commencement or initiate something. Who originated that terrible rumor?
Some situation or event that is thought about
Desire strongly or persistently
Set up or found

Advertisement

apprehensive
Shutterstock
What does "apprehensive" mean?
Move towards
Hesitant and worried about something
To be "apprehensive" is to be worried, anxious or uneasy that something will go wrong. Are you apprehensive about this quiz?
The point above the observer directly opposite the nadir
Direct the course of; manage or control
pronoun
Shutterstock
What is a pronoun?
A quick reply to a question or remark
A basic or essential attribute shared by members of a class
A hole made by an animal, usually for shelter
A word that may replace a noun
Pronouns are a small group of words that replace nouns, such as I, she or him. The nouns being replaced can be identified by context.
painstaking
aphrodite74E+/Getty Images
What does "painstaking" mean?
Without qualification
A fear of foreigners or strangers
Have in mind as a purpose
A difficult process
Something done painstakingly is meticulously done, with great care. Only loosely related to actual pain or stakes.

Advertisement

prosecute
Shutterstock
What does "prosecute" mean?
Something that interests you because it is important
Have in mind as a purpose
To take legal action against
To "prosecute" can mean to pursue legal action against someone or an organization, but it also is defined as seeing something through to the end.
Lacking clarity or distinctness
loathe
Shutterstock
What does "loathe" mean?
Hate
To "loathe" someone or something is to dislike them or it intensely. Some people loathe country music, opera or heavy metal.
A fervent and even militant proponent of something
A fear of foreigners or strangers
Tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
adjective
Shutterstock
What is an adjective?
Perform an act, usually with a negative connotation
A descriptive word
An "adjective" is a word used to describe a noun or pronoun. "Purple" is an adjective, and so is "angry."
Set up or found
A lewd or lascivious person

Advertisement

parentheses
Roc Canals Photography/Moment Open/Getty Image
What are parentheses?
Quick replies to a question or remark
Holes made by an animal, usually for shelter
Direct the course of; manage or control
Punctuation marks
Parentheses set off words that are related in some way to the main topic (like extra information). The singular form of "parentheses" is "parenthesis."
eerie
Southern Stock/Photodisc/Getty images
What does "eerie" mean?
Weird or creepy
What does "eerie" mean? Often another way to say unnatural or suspicious, this word means mysterious and odd.
Something that interests you because it is important
Without qualification
A fervent and even militant proponent of something
deteriorate
Jose A. Bernat Bacete/Moment/Getty Images
What does "deteriorate" mean?
To get worse, progressively
To "deteriorate" is to decline in status or to dwindle. Synonyms include "degenerate" and "decompose."
Of a vivid red to reddish-orange color
A basic or essential attribute shared by members of a class
Cause to become awake or conscious

Advertisement

What does "cumulative" mean?
Shutterstock
What does "cumulative" mean?
Desire strongly or persistently
Set up or found
Some situation or event that is thought about
A sum or total
"Cumulative" describes the full total of something, once all its parts are combined. What will your cumulative score be, when you finish this quiz?
innovation
Shutterstock
What does "innovation" mean?
Desire strongly or persistently
Something new or groundbreaking
An "innovation" is a fresh idea or method. Let's innovate!
Some situation or event that is thought about
Of a vivid red to reddish-orange color
paraphrase
Hero Images/DigitalVision/Getty Images
What does it mean to paraphrase something?
Direct the course of; manage or control
Perform an act, usually with a negative connotation
A customary way of operation or behavior
To rework
Could you paraphrase the question? To "paraphrase" is to rephrase words from someone else, usually to have a better understanding of them.

Advertisement

interjection
Shutterstock
What is an interjection?
An interruption
Wow! This can be either an exclamation or it can be an interruption or aside. Oh yeah!
Without qualification
A fervent and even militant proponent of something
A fear of foreigners or strangers
unanimous
Shutterstock
What does "unanimous" mean?
Have in mind as a purpose
All in agreement
To be "unanimous" is to be in one accord, and congruent. Are we in unanimous agreement on this matter?
Perform an act, usually with a negative connotation
Tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
apostrophe
JGI/Jamie Grill/Blend Images/Getty Images
What does an apostrophe do?
Move towards
Replaces missing letters
What is an apostrophe's purpose? This punctuation mark is used to express ownership or to indicate that some letters or numbers have been excluded.
Cause to become awake or conscious
Makes words dull or muddle, as with intoxication

Advertisement

synonyms
Shutterstock
What is a "synonym"?
A fervent and even militant proponent of something
A word that is similar in meaning to another
A "synonym" is a word that is similar in meaning to another word in the same lexicon. "Dog" and "canine" are synonyms.
Clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
Have in mind as a purpose
preposition
Shutterstock
What is a preposition?
A quick reply to a question or remark
The point above the observer directly opposite the nadir
A way of describing relationships between nouns or pronouns
A preposition is used to describe the relationship between a noun or pronoun in relation to the rest of the words in a sentence. For example, "down the lane," "across the universe" or "on the table."
Language or behavior intended to mock or humiliate
chronological
Shutterstock
What does "chronological" mean?
A lewd or lascivious person
Move toward
In order, based on time
"Chronological" order is an arrangement based on time of occurrence, beginning at the initial phase and progressing consecutively. It's similar in concept to alphabetical order - based on time rather than the alphabet.
Lacking clarity or distinctness

Advertisement

conspicuous
Busà Photography/Moment/Getty Images
What does "conspicuous" mean?
A fervent and even militant proponent of something
Attention-seeking
To be "conspicuous" is to be clearly perceptible or attracting attention. That sequin jacket is certainly conspicuous.
Direct the course of; manage or control
A customary way of operation or behavior
knack
Shutterstock
What does "knack" mean?
Having a habit for or being good at
Having a "knack" for something is to be particularly good at or prone to doing something. Do you have a knack for quiz-taking?
Some situation or event that is thought about
Something that interests you because it is important
An abstract or general idea inferred from specific instances
diminish
Shutterstock
What does "diminish" mean?
A fear of foreigners or strangers
Some situation or event that is thought about
Of a vivid red to reddish-orange color
To reduce or make disappear
To "diminish" is to reduce or devalue. Don't diminish the value of excellent grammar.

Advertisement

stationary
Shutterstock
What does "stationary" mean?
Move towards
Clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
Unmoving
"Stationary" means not in motion or unchanging. Don't confuse it with "stationery."
Fancy paper
hyphen
Shutterstock
What do hyphens do?
Cause to become awake or conscious
Direct the course of; manage or control
Bridge words or names together
The hyphen is a multi-faceted punctuation mark, written as a short dash, which is used to indicate that words have been joined or have a missing portion.
Make words dull or muddled, as with intoxication
makeshift
Shutterstock
What does "makeshift" mean?
Without qualification
Set up or found
Move towards
Temporary or for the time being
A "makeshift" item is a provisional substitute which is temporarily adequate. A makeshift car would be a bad idea.

Advertisement

en dash
Shutterstock
What is an en dash?
A punctuation mark
An en dash is slightly wider than a hyphen but not as wide as an em dash. It's often used between numbers, to indicate a range.
Without qualification
Clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
An abstract or general idea inferred from specific instances
adverb
Shutterstock
What is an adverb?
Direct the course of; manage or control
A customary way of operation or behavior
A word that describes a verb
An adverb describes a verb. It adds additional components and tells of quality or manner. Run quickly!
Perform an act, usually with a negative connotation
drastic
Shutterstock
What does "drastic" mean?
Without qualification
Radical or extreme
To do something "drastic" is to act with great force or intensity. Drastic times call for drastic measures!
Set up or found
Consume all of one's attention or time

Advertisement

onomatopoeia
Shutterstock
What is an "onomatopoeia"?
A customary way of operation or behavior
A word that conveys sound
An "onomatopoeia" is a word that is based on the imitation of its sound - such as "boom" or "hiss." Such a long word for such a simple idea!
Perform an act, usually with a negative connotation
A lewd or lascivious person
superlative
Shutterstock
What does "superlative" mean?
Something that interests you because it is important
A basic or essential attribute shared by members of a class
An abstract or general idea inferred from specific instances
Of the highest degree or quality
Something "superlative" is of the highest standard or quality. In grammar, it is the highest form of an adjective or adverb. The word can also mean "exaggerated praise."
siege
Shutterstock
What does "siege" mean?
A tactic by which supplies are cut off to make winning easier
A "siege" is a military operation designed to reduce the defense of a particular place by surrounding it, thereby cutting off aid and supplies to ultimately reduce resistance.
Desire strongly or persistently
The point above the observer directly opposite the nadir
Perform an act, usually with a negative connotation

Advertisement

ellipsis
Shutterstock
What is an ellipsis?
A set of dots
An "ellipsis" is a set of dots that expresses that a list or series is inexhaustible. It is also used to indicate the omission of words, as in a long quote.
A fear of foreigners or strangers
Have in mind as a purpose
Clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
persecute
Shutterstock
What does "persecute" mean?
The point above the observer directly opposite the nadir
Some situation or event that is thought about
To torment
To "persecute" is to torment a person or group, particularly due to race, creed or differing beliefs. Also used to define persistent annoyance.
Set up or found
alliteration
Shutterstock
What is an alliteration?
Language or behavior intended to mock or humiliate
A hole made by an animal, usually for shelter
A quick reply to a question or remark
A literary device
An "alliteration" is a common literary device where the first letter or sound in a series of words is repeated throughout a phrase. Dig deep!

Advertisement

context
Shutterstock
What does "context" mean?
Lacking clarity or distinctness
A customary way of operation or behavior
Surrounding a certain event
"Context" includes the circumstances surrounding an event, statement or otherwise. This can also be words directly preceding and following a statement that help in its comprehension.
A lewd or lascivious person
You Got:
/40
Shutterstock