Understanding Words in Context: Getting Meaning by Using Context Clues:
Reading comprehension is one of the most
difficult things to master on a standardized test. The test-makers evaluate
skills like finding the main idea, making inferences, determining the author's purpose, and understanding
vocabulary words, some of which you may have never been introduced to you
before.
The good news? You can
understand vocabulary words based on the context of the passage - the words,
clauses and phrases around the unknown vocabulary word.
You don’t have to
memorize all the vocabulary words in the dictionary!
Words in Context Example
You might not understand
the word, acerbity, by itself, but this sentence, “The acerbity of the
lemon caused the little girl to spit out the bite she had just taken” helps you
understand that the general meaning of acerbity must be “bitter or sour”. The
context clues "lemon" and "spitting out the bite," which
provide more information in the sentence, help you understand what the
vocabulary word means.
Words in Context on a Test
A question on a test may
look something like this:
After the first day on
the job, the bank’s new manager realized he would be busier than he had been
led to believe. Not only was he assisting the bank tellers with their work, but
his new boss had decided to inundate him with other tasks like creating
security systems, managing the bank’s deposits and refunds, securing loans, and
maintaining the daily operations. The new manager was exhausted as he locked
the bank up for the night.
The word “inundate” from the passage is closest in meaning to
- overload
- provide
- assault
- underwhelm
Hint: A way to figure
out if your choice is correct is by putting the answer choice in the sentence
in place of the vocabulary word. Which one fits the intended meaning the best?
You're right. It's
"overload." The first choice is the best pick, although
"assault" is a close second.
The only way that one
would work is if the tone of the passage had been more negative.
Understanding Words in Context Exercise
Try to determine the
meanings of the following italicized vocabulary words, based on the context
clues in the sentences. Pablo always showed animosity toward his
teachers by throwing spit balls and mouthing off, but his sister Mary was kind
and sweet.
1. The little girl was
showing signs of ocular problems - she squinted to read the blackboard
and complained of headaches after working on the computer for too long.
2. The crowd rewarded the
singer with plaudits, or extreme praise, by clapping and cheering during
a standing ovation.
3. Elena’s repudiation
of Jerry’s bad table manners was obvious to everyone at dinner as she dropped
her napkin and left the table.
4. From the far past to the
present day, the moon has been thought to cause lunacy. Some studies
have shown that this momentary insanity does have some association to the
moon's phases.
5. The old man’s hair was sparse
rather than thick and full like it was when he was young.
6. Janie was as devout
as the Pope himself.
7. My sister Kimmy shows a
great abhorrence for crowds, whereas my little brother Michael loves to
be the centre of attention.
8. When you admonish
someone, you point out his or her errors; an example would be scolding a child
for misbehaving.
9. The sorcerer’s minions,
or devoted followers, were willing to perform any sorcery he could conjure.
10. Ninety-seven pairs is a superfluous
number of shoes.
11. The spy was hung at the
gallows of his homeland for his perfidious deeds.
12. “Busy as a bee” and
“quiet as a mouse” are hackneyed phrases – they’re used all the time.
13. Amelia was as pretentious
as a princess when she arrived to the party. She tossed her coat to the hostess
and grabbed a drink out of a nearby guest’s hand.
14. We always listen to my
great-aunt because she is venerable, but we ignore my niece’s advice
because she’s only six.
Understanding
Vocabulary Words in Context Answers
- hatred; extreme dislike
- related to the eye
- extreme praise (the definition was right
in the sentence)
- denial; refutation; negation
- insanity; madness; psychosis
- thin; spare; light; meagre
- pious; religious; sincere
- hatred; loathing; disgust
- reprove; caution; reprimand
- crony; underling; follower
- extra; surplus; redundant
- disloyal; treacherous; deceitful
- trite; clichéd; worn out
- showy; pompous; exaggerated
- respected; esteemed; revered
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