What does seismic mean?
Word: Seismic
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Seismic means connected with earthquakes or other movements of the ground. It can also describe a very great change.
Word origin: From Greek seismos.
How do you spell seismic?
Syllables: seis - mic
Tricky part: The vowels at the start are the trap. Together they give the sound of the word eye, so students swap them.
Watch out for: siesmic, sismic
Memory tip: Seismic waves start deep in the Earth: E, then I, for Earth's Inside.
Seismic in a sentence
Example 1: Scientists use seismic data to map the layers deep under the ground.
Example 2: The seismic station in the hills sends readings to Delhi every hour.
Example 3: The arrival of the smartphone caused a seismic change in how people take photographs.
Fun Fact
Seismic waves travel right through the Earth, which is how scientists learnt that the planet has a liquid outer core.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Champ
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
seis_ _ _
a) myc
b) mic
c) mik
d) mec
Show answer
b) mic. Like atomic and cosmic, this adjective finishes with ic after the m.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option to complete the sentence:
Seismic comes from Greek seismos, which is linked to the verb seiein, meaning ___.
a) to shake
b) to sink
c) to crack
d) to burn
Show answer
a) to shake. The idea of the ground trembling is at the heart of the word.
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
At the seismic laboratory, the technitians checked each sensor and recorded the readings in a seperate logbook.
a) only seperate
b) seismic and technitians
c) only technitians
d) technitians and seperate
Show answer
d) technitians and seperate. Technicians is built on technical, and separate has an a after the p.
Word Tally
Give 2 marks for each correctly spelt word. How many marks in all?
seismic, tremmor, volcannic, tectonic, earthquaik
a) 4
b) 2
c) 6
d) 8
Show answer
a) 4. Tremor has one m, volcanic has one n, and earthquake ends in ake, so two words score.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A seismic instrument on a hill is there mainly to record ___.
a) the height of passing clouds
b) sudden changes in wind speed
c) the amount of daily rainfall
d) tiny movements of the ground
Show answer
d) tiny movements of the ground
2. A headline speaks of a seismic shift in Indian cricket. What kind of change does it mean?
a) a small and brief one
b) a huge and lasting one
c) a slow and doubtful one
d) a local and minor one
Show answer
b) a huge and lasting one
