Thesaurus

High school (ages 12+)
Thinking & Learning

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/thesaurus

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the historical precursor?John Wilkins' 'An Essay Towards a Philosophical Language' (1668) laid conceptual groundwork
2. What is the cognitive function?Facilitates nuanced thinking, precise expression, and the exploration of semantic fields
3. How does a thesaurus help writers think better?It shows words in groups that share ideas, so writers can pick words that match the exact feeling or meaning they want. This makes their writing clearer and more precise.
4. Where did the thesaurus come from?The idea started with early attempts to organize words by meaning. The modern thesaurus was created by Peter Mark Roget in 1852.

Semantic Field: A set of words linked by meaning, referring to a specific subject or concept.
Lexical Precision: The ability to use words that accurately and specifically convey intended meaning.
Register: The level of formality of language used in a particular context or by a particular speaker.