Vocabulary in Context

Poll

How are you feeling today?

• Awful

• Not bad

• Pretty good

• Fantastic

Open Ended

What's currently on your mind?

​BEST Vocabulary Standards

Multiple Choice

Many of us have ambivalent feelings about our politicians, admiring but also distrusting them. Ambivalent means:

• mixed

• critical

• approving

• annoyed

Multiple Choice

The officer tried to ascertain the truth about the accident by questioning each witness separately. Ascertain means:

• create

• avoid

• find out

Multiple Choice

I prefer the occasional disturbance of ear-splitting thunder to the incessant dripping of our kitchen sink. Incessant means:

• harmless

• exciting

• nonstop

• annoying

Examples as Context Clues

​Examples within the sentence or in the surrounding sentences may help you know the meaning of an unknown word. They are often introduced with signal words & phrases like:

​For example

​For instance

​Including

​Such as

​Let's practice!

Multiple Choice

Nocturnal creatures, such as bats and owls, have highly developed senses that enable them to function in the dark. Nocturnal means:

• feathered

• living

• wise

• active in the dark

Multiple Choice

The adverse effects of this drug, including dizziness, nausea, and headaches, have caused it to be withdrawn from the market. Adverse means:

• deadly

• harmful

• expensive

• fatal

Multiple Choice

Instances of common euphemisms include "final resting place" (for the grave), "intoxicated" (for drunk), and "restroom" (for toilet). Euphemism means:

• unpleasant reactions

• answers

• substitutes for offensive terms

​Synonyms as Context Clues

​Context clues are often available as synonyms (words that mean the same or almost the same as the unknown word). Examples:

​

​Fresh garlic may not enhance the breath, but it does improve the sauce.

​

​As soon as I made a flippant remark to my boss, I regretted sounding so disrespectful.

​

​Although the cashier tried to assuage the angry customer, there was no way to soothe that Karen.

​Synonyms & Antonyms

​Antonyms as Context Clues

Antonyms, or words that mean the opposite of another word, can be useful context clues. Signal words to help identify them include:

​But

​Yet

​However

​On the other hand

​In contrast

​Let's practice!

Multiple Choice

Trying to control everything your teens do can impede their growth. To advance their development, allow them to make some decisions on their own. Impede means:

• block

• predict

• improve

• assist

Multiple Choice

During their training, police officers respond to simulated emergencies in preparation for dealing with real ones. Simulated means:

• made up

• mild

• actual

​General Sense of the Passage as Context

​All of the Vocabulary in Context questions you will encounter on the SAT will be based on a passage. Again, many of the types of context clues may be present, but you can rely on your understanding of the text to help guide you to the best meaning of the word in question.

​

​Yup, you guessed it, let's practice.

Multiple Choice

A former employee, irate over having been fired, broke into the plant and deliberately wrecked several machines. Irate means:

• relieved

• furious

• undecided

• excited

Multiple Choice

Despite the proximity of Ron's house to his sister's, he rarely sees her. Proximity means:

• similarity

• nearness

• superiority

• distance

Multiple Choice

The car wash we organized to raise funds was a fiasco-it rained all day. Fiasco means:

• success

• surprise

• disaster

Multiple Select

Select all types of context clues listed below:

• Synonyms (words that mean the same)

• Antonyms (words that mean the opposite)

• General sense of the passage (clues in surrounding sentences)

• Examples (for instance, including, for example, such as)

Multiple Choice

What does the word "vaunting" mean as it is used in these lines?

• A

• B

• C

• D

Multiple Choice

Read this paragraph from the passage.

William continued to read his farm paper, but it was not Hester's custom to wait for an answer. She usually divined his arguments and assailed them one by one before he uttered them.

What is the meaning of assailed as it is used in the passage?

Hint: there is synonym context clue

• A. explained

• B. fought

• C. ignored

• D. understood

Multiple Choice

9. "Babe was a great pet and very docile as a general thing but he seemed to have a sense of humor and frequently got into mischief."

The word "docile" comes from the Latin word for "to teach". Based on this information, what is the meaning of the word docile as it is used in paragraph 6?

• A. aware

• B. ill-suited

• C. serious

• D. well-behaved

Multiple Choice

What does the word accolades mean as it is used in paragraph 4?

"The legendary singer had accumulated, over a career spanning five decades, more than 100 singles on the Billboard charts, 18 Grammy awards, and numerous other accolades."

• A. fictional stories

• B. formal recognitions

• C. various professions

• D. performance spaces

Multiple Choice

"To her dismay, she could not find many of the creatures that were in the journal. She found references to a few, but the most profound one she discovered was a large jellyfish that had thick limbs and velvety looking skin."

Select the word from the Latin word meaning "deep".

• dismay

• references

• profound

• velvety

​Work Period

​Please visit Actively Learn to complete Student Guide: How to Use Context Clues (25 points).

After, visit Exact Path to complete the Context Clues assignment.