How can context clues be used to assess the meaning of a word?

What are the different types of context clues?

Their extravagant food became simple again, and the fisherman’s wife once again learned to cherish the little that they had.

Which is the BEST meaning of the word extravagant as it is used in this sentence?

She explained that she had been the photographer of her high-school yearbook. She pulled out the old crimson book and opened it up to a giant photograph that took up a whole page. A small group of kids crowded into the shot. I looked away from the photograph and up at my grandmother’s sentimental smile.

In paragraph 2 the word sentimental means

Lizzy's Game

A. Gautam

1. Lizzy did not like the seats at the basketball game. She felt like she was sitting on a giant slope. There were hundreds of people cheering and talking. Everyone seemed to be having so much fun, but Lizzy felt dizzy.
   
   

2. She thought the players seemed so small. There was a lot going on at the basketball court. She could not focus on the game. Lizzy wished she had watched the game at home on her television. Just then, she saw some guys catapulting T-shirts. Before she knew it, a T-shirt landed on her lap. Lizzy couldn’t help but be excited.

What can the reader tell based on the story?

Lizzy's Game

A. Gautam

1. Lizzy did not like the seats at the basketball game. She felt like she was sitting on a giant slope. There were hundreds of people cheering and talking. Everyone seemed to be having so much fun, but Lizzy felt dizzy.
   
   

2. She thought the players seemed so small. There was a lot going on at the basketball court. She could not focus on the game. Lizzy wished she had watched the game at home on her television. Just then, she saw some guys catapulting T-shirts. Before she knew it, a T-shirt landed on her lap. Lizzy couldn’t help but be excited.

What can the reader tell based on the story?

Not Again!

A. Gautam

1. Shelba was running late. She had exactly five minutes to get to the building, but she wanted to get to her class on time as she wanted to sit up front. She always focused better while near the whiteboard.  While running, Shelba tumbled and fell. She wasn’t injured, so she got up and started running again. Then, she realized she dropped her backpack while she fell in the field.
    

2. Shelba ran back to grab her backpack and found it to be muddy. She grabbed her backpack and ran back into the building. The lecture had already started. There was only one empty seat in the corner. Shelba was sad, muddy, and sweaty as she took her seat in class.

Select the two inferences you can best make from the story.

After school, Rhea sobbed and stayed in her room all evening. She did not know that Rosy had come to her house, talked to her mother, and found out how exactly Rhea made the volcano. Rosy asked Rhea’s mother not to tell Rhea about the visit and said she was sorry. All the while, Rhea kept thinking about excuses to skip school. She didn’t want to go to the fair. She did not want to see Rosy. She hated everything.

Based on paragraph 4, the reader can tell that

Responses

from Call for Peace

A. Gautam

1. My father says that we are living in an important time in our country. Although he says I am too young to understand many things, he talks about big things with me anyway. He doesn’t tell me why we don’t have enough to eat, but he talks about Bapu all the time. How am I, a child of ten, to understand the man. He seems so small and quiet. He seems so weak and old. Bapu needs a cane to walk. He is always weaving cotton and sitting with people who listen to him. 

Based on paragraph 1, the reader can tell that the narrator 

When the announcer called my name, I sauntered to the enormous black piano in the center of the stage. I had butterflies in my stomach. Even though I had practiced for months, the bright lights and the cheers from the crowd made me a bit nervous. I glanced out at the audience and found my mom and dad. My mom had a huge grin on her face. She knew I could do it. I plopped down on the padded piano bench and began to play. My fingers did the walking and I hit every note.

Which sentence in paragraph 2 supports the idea that the narrator is nervous before the recital.

My Day Before I found Dexter

A. Gautam

  Since my Dexter has been lost  I cannot pull myself together  My heart is a dark hole Again, into myself I fall   5 My couch is a memory of his purr My bed a sight of his scratches I think of my beloved cat And choke as if I, too, swallowed a hairball   Nightly, next to his toys I sit 10 Hourly, I aim to forget about it The world outside feels so big My dear cat feels so small   What good are those flyers? What good are phone calls? 15What good is asking around for Dexter If I cannot find him at all?

Which lines from the poem support the idea that the narrator is distraught about losing Dexter? 

Antwan's Bad Day

A. Gautam
 

1. Antwan wished his mother asked him what was wrong. At the same time, he wished she left him alone. He regretted saying, “You wouldn’t understand” when she wanted to talk. So, Antwan lay in bed, pillow over his head and sulked.
   

2. He didn’t know that his mother was standing by the door, watching him. First, he smelled the pizza with garlic powder, his favorite, and took the pillow away from his face.
    

3. “I also have lemonade, buddy,” Mrs. Williams said, coming closer.
    

4. Antwan sat up and slid to the edge of the bed. His mother handed the plate to her only child. She never allowed eating in the room. She was being extra kind, and Antwan knew it. 

Which sentence best supports the conclusion that Antwan’s mom knows he is upset? 

1. The next morning, Mrs. VanHaven saw a set of footprints that started from the counter and continued all the way up the stairs. Her idea had worked. She had put a mound of flour on the floor, so whoever went for the dough would step right on it. Mrs. VanHaven followed the footprints of flour that led to Izzy’s room. Why was Izzy taking a piece of the dough? Mrs. VanHaven opened the door to her daughter’s room and saw that Izzy was sound asleep. The two raw dough pieces were in the trashcan. That was the day Mrs. VanHaven found out about her daughter’s sleepwalking. 

Which sentence from paragraph 4 that supports the conclusion that Mrs. VanHaven is determined to find who keeps taking the dough?

1. “You know when I was your age, Robbie, Mr. Knowles’ father sat on that porch. All the kids were scared of him and thought he was a grumpy old man. But once my brother tripped and fell. The old man taught him how to properly tie his shoes. He did small kind things like that every day. They are good people,” Mrs. Levine said. 
    

2. When the children finally found a brown hat with a wide brim, they marched to Mr. Knowles’ porch right away. The children didn’t say anything. The old neighbor didn’t say anything. He took the hat and smiled. Every afternoon since then, the children waved at the old man at the porch. They were glad someone was always looking out for them. 

Which sentence from the passage that suggests the neighborhood kids are no longer afraid of Mr. Knowles?