RI.5.4 Context Clues

RI.5.4

Context Clues​

​Created by: Ms. Body

​- study.com

"Context Clues often mean we don't have to check an online dictionary or other reference material, allowing us to continue reading with less disruptions"

Multiple Choice

We use context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words

• True

• False

​the meaning is not given so you must use text clues

​Inference

​A word with the opposite or similar meaning is used in or near the sentence

​​Antonyms & Synonyms

​

​

​the meaning of the word is explained in the sentence

​​Definition

​an example of the word is in the sentence or nearby sentences

​​Example

​

​Let's Practice

Multiple Choice

The Kudzu Plant

 (1) Many years ago an ornamental vine was brought to this country from the Orient.  In the South it grew very well.  It made such a fine, shady screen for the front porch that almost everybody used it for this purpose.  In fact, it wasn’t long before people were calling the plant the “porch vine.”

           (2) Then, in the 1920s, some scientists got interested in this plant, whose real name is kudzu.  They noticed that it would grow almost anywhere in a warm climate.  They also saw how quickly the other shoots sprouted.  “Isn’t there anything else we can use kudzu for?” they asked themselves. (2)

            (3) The scientists began planting it in gullies to see if it would keep topsoil from being washed away in the heavy rains.  “If it makes a good screen for the porch,” they thought, “maybe it will make a good cover for the soil.”  And the plant did just that.  Its long, trailing shoots spread over the ground quickly.  At every joint it sent out roots that anchored the vines solidly into the ground.  Then farmers discovered that cows liked to eat kudzu.  They found it to be a very good plant for hay or pasture.

(4) But the problem with kudzu is that it grows too well!  Kudzu can also destroy valuable forests by preventing trees from getting sunlight.  By 1972, kudzu was officially declared to be a weed, and some people wanted to change its name to the Vine That Ate The South! 

What is the meaning of the word anchored used in paragraph 3?

• to secure firmly in place.

• to hold a ship in one place.

• to have a plant with roots.

• to protect topsoil.

Multiple Choice

First, read the sentence from "Cuisine and Etiquette in Zambia." 

Zambia's staple food is maize (corn), and Zambians eat maize in several ways.

Now read the sentence from "Cuisine and Etiquette in Uganda." 

In Uganda, the staple food is matoke (cooking bananas). 

Which dictionary definition best defines staple as it is used in both texts?  

• a metal wire fastener

• a quality of cloth fiber

• an important part of the diet

• raw material for manufacture

Multiple Choice

Normally, African penguins are vocal birds.

What does the word vocal mean as it is used in the sentence?

• shy

• fearful

• noisy

• challenging

Multiple Choice

Which sentence from the article best helps the reader understand the meaning of vocal?

• "I expected to walk in to a chorus of honking and squawking."

• "Only the hushed voices of people could be heard."

• "I felt overwhelmed."

• "My heart ached for the distressed birds."