Context Clues - silly words

Context Clues - Silly Words

By Laura Gholson

You may not know the meaning of a particular word when you initially read it. However, you can use context to help you determine its meaning - even if it sounds like a silly word. In this test for instance, there’s a good chance you will not recognize the words or know what they mean on their own. However, they are real words. This process is called the ‘Replacement Test.’ To do this, read the sentence in each question and replace the word with each of the listed answers. Which answer makes the most sense in that new context?

Replacement Test

Multiple Choice

Tania’s neighbor on the corner was a curmudgeon. He yelled at all the neighborhood kids for making noise when they played basketball in the streets, called the police if a dog came onto his lawn, and never came outside his house except to complain. Curmudgeon means:

• A. A close relative

• B. A bad-tempered person

• C. Someone who lives alone

• D. A very large house

Multiple Choice

When the three children passed the pet store, they stopped and looked at the puppies inside, pointing out and laughing. Their mother called, “You children are always lollygagging about! We’ve taken too much time already. We have to get home now!” Lollygagging means:

• A. Looking at dogs

• B. Rushing about

• C. Shopping

• D. Wasting time, ‘hanging out’, or lingering

Multiple Choice

When Trey got his telescope for Christmas, he looked at the night sky and was shocked to see many, many more stars than he had ever seen before. “Why, before I thought there were thousands of stars!” he thought. “But this looks like a googolplex of stars!” Googolplex means:

• A. About 5,000 or so

• B. A few

• C. A huge number impossible to count

• D. A far away galaxy

Multiple Choice

For Anita’s first project in cooking class, she made blancmange. “This is easy,” she thought. “I’ll make it at home for dessert, if we have enough milk in the refrigerator at home.” Blancmange means:

• A. Vanilla pudding

• B. Seven-layer cake

• C. Roast beef

• D. Cooking lesson

Multiple Choice

I looked in the sky above and was excited to see a huge zeppelin slowly floating overhead. I had only seen a zeppelin once before. Where could it be going? A zeppelin means:

• A. A helicopter

• B. An airplane

• C. An alien spaceship

• D. A large passenger-carrying balloon-like vehicle

Multiple Choice

Francie went to visit her grandmother, who lived in a retirement home for older people. When she went into the lounge, she saw her grandmother and several friends enthusiastically playing cribbage. Cribbage means:

• A. A vegetable having a head with overlapping green or purple leaves

• B. Trash or unwanted leftovers

• C. A football practice game

• D. A card game in which scoring is kept by inserting small pegs into holes on a board

Multiple Choice

When four-year old Jonathan fell and got a cut on his knee, he screamed loudly as his mother washed it, put a band-aid on, kissed him ten times, gave him candy, gave him ice cream, and promised him he could stay up late tonight. “Stop that!” his grandfather exclaimed angrily. . “You are mollycoddling that child!” Mollycoddling means:

• A. Encouraging tooth decay by giving too many sweets

• B. Spreading germs

• C. Being overprotective and pampering too much

• D. Putting a child in a dangerous situation where he might fall down

Multiple Choice

“Wow!” said Marie. “That was quite a shindig at Amanda’s house last night! Her parents invited 50 people, and they all showed up! I just hope the neighbors were not bothered by our music!” Shindig means:

• A. A business meeting

• B. A birthday

• C. A loud party or celebration

• D. A dinner

Multiple Choice

Some of Tricia’s friends were surprised when she worked all summer at a job, and then spent all the money she had saved on an expensive set of ski equipment. But those who knew her ardor for sports and the outdoors were not surprised. Ardor means:

• A. Passion

• B. Boredom

• C. Money

• D. Cold Weather

Multiple Choice

In the woods we found a pond, very green and deep, filled with plants and pond creatures. We saw a large number of tiny polliwogs clinging to the edges of the lilies and other plants, their eyes big and their little tails waving. “When these polliwogs transform and grow up, we’ll see a lot of hopping, and hear a lot of croaking, around this pond,” said Dad. Polliwogs mean:

• A. Baby goldfish

• B. Tadpoles

• C. Lily pads

• D. Baby rabbits

Multiple Choice

When the old man found out that his neighbor was really his long-lost brother, he was totally gobsmacked. Gobsmacked means:

• A. Disappointed

• B. Flummoxed

• C. Courageous

• D. Angry

Multiple Choice

When Joel ate his dinner with his fingers instead of a knife and fork, his mother exclaimed, “You are acting like a Neanderthal instead of a civilized person!” Neanderthal means:

• A. A primitive caveman

• B. A wild dog or wolf

• C. A wombat

• D. A baby