USING CONTEXT CLUES
Some standardized test questions will ask you to choose the best definition for a word
that might be unfamiliar to you. You can often figure out the meaning of this word by
using context clues.
Context clues - frequently can be found in nearby words and phrases that provide
hints about the word.
EXAMPLES
. Comparison Clue - Jake brings to his skateboarding the prowess of an Olympic
athlete. If Jake is similar to a great athlete in prowess, prowess must mean “strong
ability” or “talent.”
. Contrast Clue - While my grandparents’ house is bright, cheerful, and not at all
mysterious, the old, abandoned mansion next to them is eerie. The word while signals
a contrast between one house and the other. If the grandparents’ house is “not at all
mysterious,” the house next door must possess some mystery. Eerie must mean
“strange” or “mysterious.”
. Restatement Clue - Jeanine’s impudence gets her in trouble. Neither teachers nor
other students appreciate her cocky, selfish attitude.
As the second sentence suggests, impudence means “cockiness and disregard for other
people.”
. Apposition Clue - As he stepped up to bat for the first time, the boy was afraid his
teammates would discover his inadequacy, his inability to perform up to their high
standards.
By restating the word inadequacy in different terms, the apposition indicates that
inadequacy means “state of not being good enough.”
. Examples Clue - The child suffered derision from her classmates in the form of
teasing, jokes, taunts, threats, and pointing fingers.
From the actions listed here—teasing, jokes, taunts, threats, and pointing fingers—
you can guess that derision means “ridicule.”
. Cause and Effect Clue - When Samuel crept into the room looking furtive, his
parents immediately became suspicious and asked him what he was up to.
If looking furtive made Samuel’s parents suspicious about his plans, furtive must mean
“sneaky” or “sly.”
