Context Clues

After Bobby Fischer learned to play chess, he said it was all he wanted to do. He started playing when he was six and was soon beating older players. At fourteen, he became the youngest person ever to win the United States Chess Championship. He won the World Chess Championship in 1972, becoming the first American-born world champion. Fischer's victories led to an increase in chess's popularity in the United States. They also made Fischer famous around the world. Fischer, though, did not seem to enjoy the fame. He stopped seeing his friends, choosing instead to live as a recluse. Fischer played very little chess in the decades that followed, but he did play one more famous match. On the twentieth anniversary of his World Championship victory, he played a rematch against Boris Spassky. Showing that he was still a champion, Fischer once again defeated Spassky and claimed a 3.6 million dollar prize. What does recluse mean?

• a person who helps others that need assistance

• a person who lives alone and avoids others

• a performer

• a competitor

Lichen is composed of two organisms, an alga and a fungus. The fungus acts like a sponge, holding on to water that the alga needs. At the same time, the alga is constantly turning sunlight into energy, so the fungus, which cannot perform this function for itself, benefits from an unwavering energy source. Lichen has, in turn, a relationship with the tree that it grows on. The tree provides lichen with a place to grow, but the tree is unaffected.

What is the meaning of unwavering as used in the passage?

• new

• limited

• uncertain

• steady

In the early days of automobiles, rain was a real problem for drivers. Water covered the windshields, so drivers had to open their windows and stick their heads outside to see! When Mary Anderson saw drivers struggling in the rain, she thought she could help. Anderson started working on designs for a rain-clearing device. Even after many failures, she kept experimenting. This persistence resulted in Mary Anderson's invention of the modern windshield wiper. Her design put a rubber blade on a wooden stick. Today's wipers use the same basic principle that Mary Anderson dreamed up in 1903.

What is the meaning of persistence as used in the passage?

• the lack of a sense of humor

• a feeling of bewilderment

• a quality to continue despite hardships

• a feeling of sorrow

In 1773, the British Parliament passed the Tea Act, which would have given the East India Company a monopoly on the American colonies' tea market. The American colonists feared that this special advantage would allow the company to control tea sales. In defiance of the act, the colonists resisted the British by either turning ships away from ports or threatening ships with violence. The Sons of Liberty, a group dedicated to protecting the rights of colonists, led an unforgettable demonstration. They put their plan into action on the night of December 16, 1773. While in disguise, they boarded three ships in the Boston Harbor and destroyed over ninety thousand pounds of tea by throwing it overboard. Today, this famous event is known as the Boston Tea Party.

What is the meaning of defiance as used in the passage?

• lack of interest

• opposition

• obedience

• uncertainty

Sedimentary rock forms in layers over time. When the layers form, plant and animal remains can create fossils in the rock. Older rock layers are usually found deeper underground. Unfortunately, movements of Earth's tectonic plates can cause some older layers to appear higher than younger layers. This movement makes determining the age of rocks challenging. However, geologists can use fossils to help them decipher the age of rock layers. This is why fossils are so important.

What is the meaning of decipher as used in the passage?

• erase

• hide

• change

• figure out

In the northeastern United States and Canada, the year 1816 brought unusually cold conditions. A June snowstorm dumped a foot of snow in some areas. In July and August, temperatures fell below freezing—crops froze, and many people went hungry. Normal summer conditions never occurred. For years, scientists were baffled about what happened. Now, however, they believe that the cause was volcanic dust in the atmosphere. The previous year, far across the ocean, Indonesia's Mt. Tambora had erupted in an enormous explosion, shooting tons of ash and dust into the air. Scientists believe that this dust caused the sun's rays to be reflected back into space, leading to the big chill.

What is the meaning of baffled as used in the passage?

• educated

• puzzled

• furious

• nervous

The legend of Molly Pitcher dates from the Revolutionary War. An American gunner named John Hays was at the Battle of Monmouth. Hays's wife, Mary, also known as "Molly," was helping him and the other soldiers. The day was terribly hot, so Mary carried a pitcher of water from a nearby spring to the field of battle. The soldiers drank and cooled their cannons with the spring water. She kept bringing more fresh water to the soldiers, replenishing the pitcher again and again. For her help, Mary soon earned the nickname, "Molly Pitcher." Later, when her husband was unable to continue shooting, Molly took his place at the cannon. She is remembered today as a hero.

What is the meaning of replenishing as used in the passage?

• refilling

• shaking

• spilling

• breaking

In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States by adding 828,000 square miles of land to the nation. This acquisition resulted in the U.S. having unexplored territory. So, in 1803, President Thomas Jefferson asked Congress for approval to fund an expedition. The goals of the expedition were to explore the new territory and to find a practical route to the western part of the country. Jefferson chose Meriwether Lewis to lead this expedition. Lewis selected William Clark as second in command. This was the birth of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

What is the meaning of acquisition as used in the passage?

• removal

• split

• addition

• invention

Phillis Wheatley arrived in America on a slave ship in 1761. She was thought to be eight years old at the time. After her arrival, Phillis was sold to the Wheatleys, a Boston family whose last name she took. Members of the family helped teach Phillis how to read and write. Since most enslaved people were not allowed any schooling at that time, Phillis's education was an anomaly. Phillis learned about many topics, including history, languages, and science. At the age of thirteen, she published her first poem. In 1773, Phillis Wheatley made history by becoming the first African American to publish a book of poems. She became one of the first American women to do so as well.

What is the meaning of anomaly as used in the passage?

• something sad

• something normal

• something uncommon

• something exciting