Context Clues

Your poster is very good. The drawing really lets people know what our club is all about. I do think that you could

enhance it by adding some more color. That will tend to grab everyone’s attention.

When you enhance something, you __________.

• draw it

• throw it out

• ruin it

• make it better

Don’t feel stupid. Yes, you thought this worthless replica was a valuable work of art. But it even fooled a lot of

experts. It certainly looked like the real thing!

A replica is __________.

• a dishonest act

• something ugly

• anything that has no value

• a copy

I just can’t beat Paula when we play chess! Every time I make a move that should lead me to victory, she makes a

better move that thwarts my plan.

If you thwart a robbery, you __________.

• commit a crime

• stop a crime from happening

• imagine a theft

• give warts to a thief

Murphy Mole is the protagonist in the new novel by Trent Troll. Murphy must stop Oscar Rat and Shrimpy Shark

from enslaving the inhabitants of Lazy Woods Park. He risks his life in a series of events that lead to a final battle

between good and evil.

What is a protagonist?

• the main character of a story

• an animal that lives underground

• someone whose first and last names start with the same letter

• someone with bad body odor

The owner of the restaurant wouldn’t allow Samantha to walk through the door. “I’m sorry,” she said, “but you

started a food fight the last time you were here. You may not have ingress to my restaurant!”

What does “ingress” mean in this selection?

• a kind of bird that lives by the sea

• any food that can be thrown

• a good price for a meal

• the right to enter

Her cardinal rule is this: Be kind to others! She believes that everything else in life will fall properly into place if one

follows that rule.

What does “cardinal” mean in this context?

• main, or most important

• red

• like a bird

• not worth remembering

“If you knew the gravity of the situation, you wouldn’t be laughing,” Mr. Farmer said quietly. He didn’t have to say

more to get everyone’s attention.

What does “gravity” mean in this context?

• a force that draws different objects toward each other

• seriousness

• humor

• enjoyable, or comfortable

The signal from the cable is too strong for our television. We’ll have to use a filter to attenuate it.

When you attenuate something, you _______________.

• watch it carefully

• take good care of it

• make it be less

• get past it

Amy was feeling low. Every business she tried lost money or made only pennies a day. Her newest idea was selling

chocolate covered baby shoes. She was convinced that it would be a lucrative business. Her friends tried to warn her

that it was not a certain road to riches.

What does lucrative mean?

• tasting great with vanilla ice cream

• helping young feet to grow correctly

• showing no careful thought

• bringing in a lot of money, or profit

There may be some parts of my plan to arrest the thieves that should be changed. But I feel very strongly that

renting the apartment over their headquarters is the linchpin of the scheme. We must do that immediately!

What does linchpin mean?

• part that everything else depends on

• piece of metal used to connect things

• place where people live

• a computer designed for police work