5th Grade ELA Quiz: Decode Multisyllabic Words Using Morphology
5 questions · exam conditions
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Decode Multisyllabic Words Using MorphologyQuestion 1 of 5

The hard bench felt uncomfortable during the assembly.

How should the word uncomfortable be divided into syllables for reading?

un-com-fort-a-ble
unc-om-for-table
un-com-for-table
un-comf-or-ta-ble
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5th Grade ELA Quiz

5th Grade ELA Quiz: Decode Multisyllabic Words Using Morphology

Practice Decode Multisyllabic Words Using Morphology in 5th Grade ELA with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Decode Multisyllabic Words Using Morphology, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for 5th Grade ELA.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

All questions

Question 1

The hard bench felt uncomfortable during the assembly.

How should the word uncomfortable be divided into syllables for reading?

  1. un-com-fort-a-ble (correct answer)
  2. unc-om-for-table
  3. un-com-for-table
  4. un-comf-or-ta-ble
Explanation: The word uncomfortable has five syllables. It starts with the prefix un-, then com, then fort, then a, and ends with -ble. Putting those parts together gives un-com-fort-a-ble, so this is the correct division. The choice unc-om-for-table is wrong because it splits the prefix un- in the middle, keeping the letter c with un, which does not match the real word parts. The choice un-com-for-table gets the prefix right but joins for and table into one chunk, missing the fort and -ble breaks and giving only four syllables. The choice un-comf-or-ta-ble also keeps un- correct but pulls the f from fort into the second syllable, breaking the fort part in the wrong spot. Only un-com-fort-a-ble keeps every meaningful part whole: the prefix, the base parts, and the ending -ble.

Question 2

Read the sentence: The schedule was predictable, so we knew what came next. How does knowing the root dict help read predictable?

  1. It means you can drop the root dict and read only the prefix pre- and the suffix -able together.
  2. It helps you spot pre- + dict + -able and decode the parts, then blend. (correct answer)
  3. It means every syllable in the word gets stressed and read with the same long vowel sound.
  4. It shows you should start at the suffix -able and read each part backward to the beginning.
Explanation: The best answer helps you spot the three word parts—pre-, dict, and -able—so you can sound out each part and blend them into one word. Knowing the root dict gives you a solid anchor in the middle, which makes decoding the whole word easier. The choice about dropping the root and reading only pre- and -able is wrong because the root is the core of the word; if you skip it, you leave out sounds and change the word. The choice about stressing every syllable with the same long vowel is wrong because word parts each have their own sounds, and forcing one long vowel everywhere would not match how the word is really said. The choice about starting at -able and reading backward is wrong because we read and blend word parts from left to right, not from the end to the beginning. Only the answer that identifies the parts and blends them in order uses the root the way it actually helps you decode.

Question 3

Read the sentence: The coach gave an instructional video to help us practice. What strategy would best help a reader sound out instructional?

  1. Look at only the first letter, then choose a shorter word that starts the same way and read that instead.
  2. Sound out each letter one at a time, from left to right, without grouping any letters into larger chunks.
  3. Look for the prefix in-, the root struct, and the suffixes -ion and -al, then blend the parts. (correct answer)
  4. Guess the word by counting how many vowels it has, then match it to a word with that same vowel count.
Explanation: The word "instructional" is easier to read when you break it into meaningful parts: the prefix in-, the root struct, and the endings -ion and -al, then blend them together. That is exactly what the correct choice describes. Looking at only the first letter and reading a shorter word instead ignores most of the letters, so you would read a different word. Sounding out each single letter left to right never groups letters into syllables or word parts, so a long word stays slow and hard to blend. Counting vowels and matching another word with the same number does not use this word's real parts, so it cannot tell you how to say it. Only using the prefix, root, and suffixes decodes the whole word correctly.

Question 4

Read the sentence: The transportation system moved students to the museum. How should the word transportation be divided into syllables for reading?

  1. trans-por-ta-tion (correct answer)
  2. tran-spor-ta-tion
  3. trans-port-at-ion
  4. trans-po-rtat-ion
Explanation: The word breaks into four clear syllables: trans-por-ta-tion. Choice A divides it that way, so it is correct. Choice B splits "trans" wrong, Choice C splits "ta-tion" wrong, and Choice D breaks the middle syllables in the wrong places, so none divides the word correctly.

Question 5

Read the sentence: After the storm, reconstruction of the playground took weeks. Which word parts (morphemes) make up reconstruction?

  1. re- + construct + -ion (correct answer)
  2. rec- + on + struct + -ion
  3. recon- + struct + -ion
  4. re- + con + struct- + -ion
Explanation: The word reconstruction breaks into three meaningful parts: the prefix re- (meaning again), the root construct (meaning build), and the suffix -ion (meaning the act or result of). Together they mean the act of building again, which fits the sentence about fixing the playground. The choice re- + construct + -ion keeps each morpheme whole. The choice rec- + on + struct + -ion splits the prefix re- and the root construct into pieces that carry no meaning on their own, so it does not show real word parts. The choice recon- + struct + -ion pulls the letters 'con' out of the root and glues them to the prefix, breaking the root construct that you can hear in the word. The choice re- + con + struct- + -ion also chops the root construct into 'con' and 'struct,' and attaches the hyphen to the wrong side, so the meaningful root is lost. When you decode a long word, look for the whole prefix, the whole root, and the whole suffix instead of splitting them into smaller chunks.