Context Clue Review

The air brakes of the old bus brought him out of his trance and he hurried aboard, anxious to escape the icy wind. Dropping his money into the fare box, he paused to acclimate himself to the air inside the bus. As the warmth of the bus’s interior rushed over him, he felt a brief chill roll across his skin. He relaxed his shoulders and scanned the seats of the mostly empty bus. He chose a seat near the back and headed toward it.

In paragraph 4, the word acclimate

means to —

• verify carefully

• become adjusted

• identify accurately

• feel comforted

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

“Yeah,” Charles said, not sure how to respond. “I guess it has.” He wasn’t sure whether to continue the conversation or tell his old friend it was nice to see him again and go to his seat. He looked more closely at Tony, who seemed equally uncomfortable. A few years ago they had been best friends, but they had somehow lost touch in high school. Now they saw each other only sporadically once or twice each year.

What does the word sporadically mean in paragraph 9?

• to occur periodically

• to do intentionally

• to bring about cheerfully

• to come upon peacefully

Tags

CCSS.L.1.5D

CCSS.L.2.5B

CCSS.L.3.5C

CCSS.L.K.5D

“Yeah, I used to think that too,” Charles sighed, looking down at the floor. “I guess I’m not that good either,” he said frankly. This had been on his mind a lot lately, but he was surprised by his candor now. The truthfulness of the statement felt like an admission. Suddenly, his stomach felt like he had swallowed a roller coaster, and he wished he had stayed home. “Oh, well,” he said, looking up, “life goes on.”

Which is a synonym for the word candor in paragraph 15?

• anger

• anxiety

• enthusiasm

• honesty

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.4A

CCSS.L.7.4A

CCSS.L.7.5B

CCSS.L.8.4A

CCSS.L.9-10.4A

In 1813 the famous naturalist John James Audubon observed a vast flock of passenger pigeons as he traveled through Kentucky. The flock took three days to pass above; in such a black cloud, they obliterated the sun at times. Conservatively, he estimated their numbers at 1.1 billion birds (Reeve 60). This overwhelming

population had also been noted by such explorers as Champlain, who reported seeing in 1605 “an infinite number of pigeons” (qtd. in Forbush 40). How could a bird that was the most prolific in North America become extinct? While some might argue they suffered from destruction and loss of habitat, others state that the birds’ inability to adapt after their numbers decreased caused their demise. Despite these contributing factors, the main cause of the extinction of the passenger pigeon was unregulated hunting.

What does the word prolific mean in paragraph 1?

• intelligent

• abundant

• attractive

• respected

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.4C

CCSS.L.6.4C

CCSS.L.7.4C

CCSS.L.8.4C

CCSS.L.9-10.4C

Others are students or professionals. Family, church, and community groups can offer their services to work as teams. Volunteers become more cognizant of the needs of the community and the way in which they can play a meaningful role in satisfying those needs. Performing community services pays big dividends in the form of satisfaction and pride. To help us find the best place for your time and skills, we invite you to complete the following application.

In the description of the program, the word cognizant means

• showing fear

• behaving proudly

• being aware

• acting carelessly

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.4A

CCSS.L.7.4A

CCSS.L.7.5B

CCSS.L.8.4A

CCSS.L.9-10.4A

Many specialized plants and animals call the Sonoran Desert home. Rains are intermittent in this arid climate, which has forced desert dwellers to adapt in a variety of ways. Many plants have needles and thorns instead of leaves, which help conserve water.

Based on the context, the word intermittent in paragraph 1 means

• not beneficial

• in certain seasons

• not frequent

• above average

Tags

CCSS.L.1.5D

CCSS.L.2.5B

CCSS.L.3.5C

CCSS.L.K.5D

Both Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, were built near and, in some cases, on ancient cities of the Hohokam people. These cities, in recent years, have refurbished some of their oldest canals, transforming ancient American Indian (First American) wonders into modern marvels.

In paragraph 2, the word refurbished means

• overlooked

• approved

• covered

• updated

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.4C

CCSS.L.6.4C

CCSS.L.7.4C

CCSS.L.8.4C

CCSS.L.9-10.4C

Researchers are amazed by the technological complexity of the ancient Hohokam canal system. The turbulent rivers of the Phoenix Basin posed a particular challenge. The powerful water could easily wash away stone and dirt walls at the juncture between river and canal. The Hohokam solved this problem by building canals on terraces, allowing the rivers to flood the area leading up to the canals. The canals would simply drain the terraces as they filled with water. The canals sloped gradually away from the rivers, which allowed water to flow to farming plots in the desert many miles away.

Which of these is a synonym for the word juncture in paragraph 4?

• connection

• space

• flow

• bottom

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.4A

CCSS.L.7.4A

CCSS.L.7.5B

CCSS.L.8.4A

CCSS.L.9-10.4A

Searching for lost or misplaced items is frustrating and time consuming. Experts estimate that people waste an average of 150 hours each year trying to overcome disorganization. Squandered time could be

used for working on assignments, studying for tests, or enjoying some free time.

In the section “Why Organize,” the word squandered means-

• physically inactive

• commonly ignored

• wastefully spent

• briefly available

Tags

CCSS.L.1.5D

CCSS.L.2.5B

CCSS.L.3.5C

CCSS.L.K.5D

Are the Champ sightings all part of a perpetrated hoax? This is highly unlikely because “it would have required collusion among pranksters, seemingly otherwise unrelated, scheming together secretly across several generations” (Drummond 17). This leaves two other possibilities. The first possibility is that the monster is a

fantasy or an illusion—what anthropologist Aaron Drummond prefers to call an “honest misinterpretation” (17).

From the context of this report, the reader can determine that collusion in

• urgency

• conspiracy

• efficiency

• accuracy

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4