Context Clues — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. "The gregarious boy made friends everywhere he went." Gregarious most likely means:
A) Shy and quiet
B) Sociable and outgoing
C) Rude and loud
D) Tired and bored
The correct answer is B) Sociable and outgoing. "The gregarious boy made friends everywhere he went." Gregarious most likely means: — the answer is Sociable and outgoing.
2. "The barren field produced no crops that year." What does barren mean?
A) Fertile
B) Empty and unproductive
C) Muddy
D) Large
The correct answer is B) Empty and unproductive. "The barren field produced no crops that year." What does barren mean — the answer is Empty and unproductive.
3. "Citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons, and grapefruits, are high in vitamin C." What type of clue helps define citrus?
A) Definition clue
B) Antonym clue
C) Example clue
D) Synonym clue
The correct answer is C) Example clue. "Citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons, and grapefruits, are high in vitamin C." What type of clue helps define citrus — the answer is Example clue.
4. "The cautious driver slowed down, but the reckless one sped through the intersection." Cautious means:
A) Fast
B) Careful
C) Angry
D) Lost
The correct answer is B) Careful. "The cautious driver slowed down, but the reckless one sped through the intersection." Cautious means: — the answer is Careful.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. In "The tedious lecture went on for hours and bored everyone," tedious means long and boring .
The phrase "went on for hours and bored everyone" is an inference clue showing that tedious means long and boring.
2. The phrase "in contrast" signals that two things are being compared .
"In contrast" tells the reader to look for differences between two things, so it signals that the two items are being compared.
3. In "The prosperous town had many successful shops," prosperous means wealthy and thriving .
Having "many successful shops" shows the town is doing well financially, so prosperous means wealthy and thriving.
4. To infer a word's meaning, combine clues from surrounding sentences around it.
When there is no single signal word, you gather hints from the surrounding sentences and put them together to infer the unknown word's meaning.
5. In "The placid lake reflected the mountains like a mirror," placid means calm and still .
A lake that reflects mountains "like a mirror" must have perfectly calm water, so placid means calm and still.