Context Clues

Tina would need to mow the lawn again before the weekend, if it didn't rain. The fescue had grown tall, green, and ragged, not at all like Barb Nelson's manicured lawn. The old hag would be calling the HOA on her any day now. Fescue most likely means...

• A tree

• A type of flower

• A landscaping fence

• A type of grass

Isaiah worked restlessly, constrained by his materials. How could he hope to create the shimmering masterpiece in his mind's eye, with only a cheap set of oil pastels to work with? Constrained most likely means...

• Confused

• Limited

• Hurt

• Bored

Principal Torres said he appreciated our petition, but he was adamant about his decision. No touch, tackle, or flag football would be allowed at recess, no matter how much we begged. We left the office defeated. The meaning of adamant most likely means...

• Firm, tough

• Cowardly

• Hopeful

• Nervous

Peter tended his garden with meticulous care, crawling on hands and knees to uproot even the tiniest sprigs of crab grass. Each plant received a specific amount of water recommended by the gardener's handbook, and Heaven help the squash bug or cucumber beetle that dared alight on these precious vines. Meticulous most likely means...

• Precise, error-free

• Careless

• Cheerful

• Obedient

This morning she wore a Gucci belt with jeans that cost more than my first car. She didn't have to tell me that the diamonds on her watch were real, but that didn't stop her. Don't get me started on her shoes. I'm sick of her ostentatious displays of wealth. Ostentatious most likely means...

• Unpleqsant, ugly

• Beautiful

• Noticable, showy

• Exciting

The rhinos are dangerous, of course. Everyoe should know to watch out for crocodiles, especially if you're vacationing near water. A hippo can be deadlier than any of them, if made angry. Still, I say you haven't felt true terror until you've heard the soft hiss of a boomslang, and seen its forked tongue flicking in and out of its sleeck, scaly green head. Boomslang most likely means...

• A poisonous plant

• A snake

• A fish

• A wild cat

The rollerskate lay on its side, untouched by the devastation (or destruction) around it. The fire still smoldered beneath the collapsed roof beams and ruined shingles, but not a single smudge of ash had touched the pastel-pink leather. Robert hoped the child who had once worn the skate was alright since his roller skate was in clean condition; the roller skate looked almost incongruous in the destruction. Incongruous most likely means...

• Cheap and worthless

• Damaged

• Out of place

• Pretty

I am not going, and you cannot convince me. I don't want to go. I hate loud music, I hate spicy food, and I hate everyone who's going to be there. I'm exhausted. I think I have a sore throat coming on. I have a myriad of reasons not to go. Myriad most likely means...

• One reason

• Few reasons

• Bad reasons

• Many reasons

No company men were invited to the clandestine meeting. A lookout was chosen to patrol the street outside the empty house, and two more members stood guard just inside the door. All the lights in the house were put out, and the doors and windows were locked. Only then did the union leader begin his speech. Clandestine most likely means...

• Secretive

• Undesirable

• Great

• Boring

Yvette was proud of her roses, daisies, and dandelions. She would gladly spend hours discussing her prized flowers. All of these, though, weren't nearly like her favorite: the sleek orange blossom of her Bird of Paradise. Bird of Paradise most likely means...

• A type of flower

• A tropical bird

• A type of fruit

• A drink