Study

Context Clues

  •   0%
  •  0     0     0

  • I looked at the plans for your new house. This is earthquake country. You need to fortify the frame or you’ll have a disaster with the first tremor. The word fortify means:
    strengthen
    destroy
    build
    shake
  • Mary, of course you’re always tired. Most nights you stay up late working and infrequently take a day off. What does “infrequently” mean? 
    excitedly
    always
    sadly
    not often
  • I'm working hard for the same candidate that you support. You're doing it for pay but I'm not doing this for money. I’m doing it out of conviction. Conviction means: 
    anger
    being found guilty
    strong belief 
    fear
  • Pam and Gia are sisters, but they’re very different. Just look at how they dress. Pam doesn’t care what she wears or how outdated her clothes are. Gia, on the other hand, is quite chic. The word chic means:
    stylish
    out-dated
    intelligent
    strange
  • Lisa said, “Mia, why are you making such a big deal about Linda's hair? Yes, she did dye it purple and it's an odd color. But so what? It's such a trivial matter. ” Trivial means:
    unimportant 
    dangerous
    strange
    disgusting
  • Suzie’s mother taught her never to let anyone degrade her, so now she demands respect in all her relationships. Degrade means...
    love
    disrespect
    judge
    respect
  • If we go to the movies instead of bowling, my mom will be happy but my dad will be discontent. Discontent means...
    unhappy
    excited
    rushed
    ignored
  • Michael is an ardent supporter of his presidential candidate. That became obvious to me when I found out how much time he’s donated to the campaign. Ardent means: 
    old
    foolish
    intelligent
    enthusiastic
  • This is a clandestine operation. It is extremely important that no one discovers what you’re doing! A clandestine operation is supposed to be __________. 
    exciting
    secret
    dangerous
    harmful
  • We have lofty expectations for you, son. You will attend college and be elected president of the United States before you turn forty. Lofty means:
    low
    small
    shaky
    high
  • The speaker told an amusing anecdote about his dog. What does anecdote mean?
    picture
    lie
    cure
    story
  • My mom wanted to get the red napkins for the party and my dad wanted the blue napkins, but I’m not even concerned about such frivolous things. What does frivolous mean?
    cheap
    expensive
    unimportant
    important
  • The dogs were so hungry that they would have killed one another for a morsel of meat. What is the meaning of morsel?
    small piece
    salty in flavor
    mound
    chocolate
  • David hoped that nobody would know he was in the building. Didn’t he realize that parking his new car in the driveway made his presence rather conspicuous? The word conspicuous means: 
    important
    expensive
    unfortunate
    obvious
  • Connie is never happy when everyone is getting along. She always instigates fights and then acts like little Miss Innocent. When you instigate something, you __________. 
    get it started
    check it out
    protect it
    ignore it
  • When Kim and Kia were fighting over a boy, Shana stepped in as a mediator. She sat them both down and got them talking to each other again. Mediator means: 
    troublemaker
    enemy
    peacemaker 
    witness
  • The pristine water came from a high mountain stream where there was no pollution. What does pristine mean?
    spoiled
    dirty
    clean
    murky
  • The home team made sure the officials were on their side. They won the championship but no one from any other town would accept the winners as legitimate champions. Legitimate means:
    fake
    real
    last
    alternate
  • “I am going to rescind the permission I gave for you to use my toys," T. J. announced angrily. I thought you would take good care of them, but I was wrong!” Rescind means: 
    repeat
    celebrate
    continue
    cancel
  • If you don’t get help quickly for your condition, it could become chronic. Then you may have to take medicine for the rest of your life. Chronic means:
    makes you smell bad
    complaining
    long-lasting
    is very painful
  • No one suspected that Jerry was a spy. On the surface he behaved like any normal citizen. When his covert activity was discovered and announced to the world, we were all shocked. Covert means: 
    friendly
    helpful
    loud
    hidden
  • I like that store. The employees care about their customers and strive to make the customers feel right at home. Which word is a synonym of “strive”?
    try 
    complain
    clean
    fail
  • I was working with three other students on a group project for Science class. We had so many disagreements that we had to ask the teacher to help us resolve our issues. Resolve means: 
    debate
    cancel
    consider
    settle