Context Clues

1. I was propped with blankets on the living room sofa—a look of contentment on my face. I never cried much when I was a baby; Mom swears it’s true. What does contentment mean?

• pleasure

• darkness

• sadness

• dejection

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

2. I saw a special on PBS once on children who were geniuses. These kids could remember complicated strands of numbers and recall words and pictures in correct sequence and quote long passages of poetry. So can I. What does recall mean?

• blurry

• remember

• forgetfulness

• vague

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.4

3. She rocks for hours in the corner under one of the dumb smiling flowers. The teachers are always trying to coax her out, but she wraps her arms around herself like she’s cold and keeps on rocking.

What does coax mean?

• gently persuade

• power

• lever

• force

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.4

4. She peeked her head in to check on me and said, “I’m going to lie down for a couple of minutes, Melody. Are you okay for a few?”. . . I laughed so hard, I jerked forward in my chair and found myself face down on the floor. Butterscotch went to the closed door and scratched. Mom came to the door, looking groggy. Her hair was all messed up. What does groggy mean?

• sleepy

• grouchy

• hungry

• happy

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

5. “Well, Melody is, well, you know, really special, ”Dad said hesitantly. “All kids are special,” Mrs. V had replied with authority. “But this one has hidden superpowers. I’d love to help her find them.” “We can’t possibly pay you what this is worth to us,” Dad began. Mrs. V had shrugged and said with a smile, “I’ll appreciate whatever you can give me.” My dad looked sheepish. “Well, thanks. What does sheepish mean?

• tied

• pushed

• bold

• embarrassed

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.4

6. She ignored me, walked away, and flipped on her CD player. Loud marching band music blared through the room. What does blared mean?

• breathed

• boomed

• hissed

• whispered

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

7. Then my tornado explosion took over. I flailed and jerked and basically spazzed out. I kicked so hard that my shoes popped out of the foot straps on my chair. That made me tilt to one side, and I screamed even louder. What does flailed mean?

• respectful

• waved

• politely

• said

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.4

8. Mom took the CD, dug down in her purse for a moment, gave Mrs. Billups a five-dollar bill, and deftly snapped the disc in half. What does deftly mean?

• shyly

• skillfully

• clumsily

• awkwardly

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.4

9. For a long time it was just me, my mom and dad, and my goldfish, Ollie. He lived in a small bowl on the table in my room. The bottom of the bowl was covered with tiny pink rocks, and a fake plastic log sat wedged in the rocks. I guess it was supposed to look like something from under the sea, but I don’t think there are any lakes or oceans that really have rocks that color. What does wedged mean?

• weak

• jammed

• sloppy

• free

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.4

10. But suddenly, for no reason I could figure, Ollie dove down to the bottom of his bowl, rushed to the top, and hurled himself right out of the bowl. I screeched. Ollie continued to flop and gasp, looking more desperate. Ollie needed water. What does hurled mean?

• swam

• launched

• waved

• crawled

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.4