Common Core: 7th Grade English Language Arts : Use Context Clues to Determine Word Meanings: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.7.4.A
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Example Question #1 : Use Context Clues To Determine Word Meanings: Ccss.Ela Literacy.L.7.4.A
Adapted from Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (1871)
One thing was certain, that the white kitten had had nothing to do with it—it was the black kitten's fault entirely. For the white kitten had been having its face washed by the old cat for the last quarter of an hour (and bearing it pretty well, considering); so you see that it COULDN'T have had any hand in the mischief.
The way Dinah washed her children's faces was this: first she held the poor thing down by its ear with one paw, and then with the other paw she rubbed its face all over, the wrong way, beginning at the nose: and just now, as I said, she was hard at work on the white kitten, which was lying quite still and trying to purr—no doubt feeling that it was all meant for its good.
But the black kitten had been finished with earlier in the afternoon, and so, while Alice was sitting curled up in a corner of the great arm-chair, half talking to herself and half asleep, the kitten had been having a grand game of romps with the ball of worsted Alice had been trying to wind up, and had been rolling it up and down till it had all come undone again; and there it was, spread over the hearth-rug, all knots and tangles, with the kitten running after its own tail in the middle.
'Oh, you wicked little thing!' cried Alice, catching up the kitten, and giving it a little kiss to make it understand that it was in disgrace. 'Really, Dinah ought to have taught you better manners! You OUGHT, Dinah, you know you ought!' she added, looking reproachfully at the old cat, and speaking in as cross a voice as she could manage—and then she scrambled back into the arm-chair, taking the kitten and the worsted with her, and began winding up the ball again. But she didn't get on very fast, as she was talking all the time, sometimes to the kitten, and sometimes to herself. Kitty sat very demurely on her knee, pretending to watch the progress of the winding, and now and then putting out one paw and gently touching the ball, as if it would be glad to help, if it might.
'Do you know what to-morrow is, Kitty?' Alice began. 'You'd have guessed if you'd been up in the window with me—only Dinah was making you tidy, so you couldn't. I was watching the boys getting in sticks for the bonfire—and it wants plenty of sticks, Kitty! Only it got so cold, and it snowed so, they had to leave off. Never mind, Kitty, we'll go and see the bonfire to-morrow.' Here Alice wound two or three turns of the worsted round the kitten's neck, just to see how it would look: this led to a scramble, in which the ball rolled down upon the floor, and yards and yards of it got unwound again.
Based on the way in which the word is used in the passage, the word “worsted” refers to a type of __________.
tea
clock
heavy rope
bead
yarn
yarn
In order to figure out what “worsted” is, you need to consider the way in which the word is used in the passage. “Worsted” is first mentioned in the third paragraph:
“. . . the kitten had been having a grand game of romps with the ball of worsted Alice had been trying to wind up, and had been rolling it up and down till it had all come undone again; and there it was, spread over the hearth-rug, all knots and tangles, with the kitten running after its own tail in the middle.”
It's then mentioned at the end of the passage:
"Here Alice wound two or three turns of the worsted round the kitten's neck, just to see how it would look: this led to a scramble, in which the ball rolled down upon the floor, and yards and yards of it got unwound again."
What does this tell us about “worsted”? Well, it is something that can be wound up into a ball, since the passage says “he ball of worsted Alice had been trying to wind up.” This allows us to eliminate any answer choice that can’t be wound up: “bead” and “tea.”
What else does the passage tell us about worsted? A kitten can unwind it and cause it to have “knots and tangles.” Later in the passage, also, Alice “scramble[s] back into the arm-chair, taking the kitten and the worsted with her, and [begins] winding up the ball again.” This means that “clock” can’t be the correct answer, because while you can wind a clock, you can’t wind it into a ball, and a kitten can’t make it have “knots and tangles” by romping around in it. “Thick and heavy rope” can’t be the answer either, as kittens are relatively small animals and not that strong; if thick and heavy rope were wound up, it’s unlikely that a kitten playing around near or in it would be able to unwind it. Also, Alice would have a hard time scooping the large, heavy rope and the kitten into her lap later in the passage. Based on the context clues, we can (correctly) conclude that “worsted” is a type of yarn. (“Worsted” actually refers to a specific weight, or thickness, of yarn.)
Example Question #2 : Use Context Clues To Determine Word Meanings: Ccss.Ela Literacy.L.7.4.A
Adapted from Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (1871)
One thing was certain, that the white kitten had had nothing to do with it—it was the black kitten's fault entirely. For the white kitten had been having its face washed by the old cat for the last quarter of an hour (and bearing it pretty well, considering); so you see that it COULDN'T have had any hand in the mischief.
The way Dinah washed her children's faces was this: first she held the poor thing down by its ear with one paw, and then with the other paw she rubbed its face all over, the wrong way, beginning at the nose: and just now, as I said, she was hard at work on the white kitten, which was lying quite still and trying to purr—no doubt feeling that it was all meant for its good.
But the black kitten had been finished with earlier in the afternoon, and so, while Alice was sitting curled up in a corner of the great arm-chair, half talking to herself and half asleep, the kitten had been having a grand game of romps with the ball of worsted Alice had been trying to wind up, and had been rolling it up and down till it had all come undone again; and there it was, spread over the hearth-rug, all knots and tangles, with the kitten running after its own tail in the middle.
'Oh, you wicked little thing!' cried Alice, catching up the kitten, and giving it a little kiss to make it understand that it was in disgrace. 'Really, Dinah ought to have taught you better manners! You OUGHT, Dinah, you know you ought!' she added, looking reproachfully at the old cat, and speaking in as cross a voice as she could manage—and then she scrambled back into the arm-chair, taking the kitten and the worsted with her, and began winding up the ball again. But she didn't get on very fast, as she was talking all the time, sometimes to the kitten, and sometimes to herself. Kitty sat very demurely on her knee, pretending to watch the progress of the winding, and now and then putting out one paw and gently touching the ball, as if it would be glad to help, if it might.
'Do you know what to-morrow is, Kitty?' Alice began. 'You'd have guessed if you'd been up in the window with me—only Dinah was making you tidy, so you couldn't. I was watching the boys getting in sticks for the bonfire—and it wants plenty of sticks, Kitty! Only it got so cold, and it snowed so, they had to leave off. Never mind, Kitty, we'll go and see the bonfire to-morrow.' Here Alice wound two or three turns of the worsted round the kitten's neck, just to see how it would look: this led to a scramble, in which the ball rolled down upon the floor, and yards and yards of it got unwound again.
Which of the following words or phrases could replace the underlined uses of the word “ought” in the first sentence of the fourth paragraph without changing the meaning of Alice’s statement?
Could have
Should have
Would have
Won't
Will
Should have
“Ought” is an old term that people doesn’t often use in modern conversations, but that doesn’t mean you can’t solve this question by looking at the way in which the word is used in the passage. It appears at the beginning of the fourth paragraph:
'Oh, you wicked little thing!' cried Alice, catching up the kitten, and giving it a little kiss to make it understand that it was in disgrace. 'Really, Dinah ought to have taught you better manners! You OUGHT, Dinah, you know you ought!' she added, looking reproachfully at the old cat, and speaking in as cross a voice as she could manage . . .
In this part of the passage, Alice is lightly chastising the black kitten and saying that Dinah, presumably its mother, “ought” to have taught it better manners. We can ignore “will” because nothing about the future is suggested; rather, the idea that Dinah might have done something in the past. “Won’t” can similarly be discarded because it is a negative term and present-tense, and we need to find something that has to do with potential past actions.
This leaves us with “should have,” “could have,” and “would have.” Which makes most sense? Alice is saying that Dinah should have taught the kitten better manners; “could have” and “would have” don’t make as much sense in the sentence as “should have” does.
Example Question #1 : Meanings Of Unknown And Multiple Meaning Words And Phrases: Ccss.Ela Literacy.L.7.4
Adapted from White Fang by Jack London (1906)
Dark spruce forest frowned on either side the frozen waterway. The trees had been stripped by a recent wind of their white covering of frost, and they seemed to lean toward each other, black and ominous, in the fading light. A vast silence reigned over the land. The land itself was a desolation, lifeless, without movement, so lone and cold that the spirit of it was not even that of sadness. There was a hint in it of laughter, but of a laughter more terrible than any sadness -- a laughter that was mirthless as the smile of the Sphinx, a laughter cold as the frost and partaking of the grimness of infallibility. It was the masterful and incommunicable wisdom of eternity laughing at the futility of life and the effort of life. It was the Wild, the savage, frozen-hearted Northland Wild.
But there was life, abroad in the land and defiant. Down the frozen waterway toiled a string of wolfish dogs. Their bristly fur was rimed with frost. Their breath froze in the air as it left their mouths, spouting forth in spumes of vapor that settled upon the hair of their bodies and formed into crystals of frost. Leather harness was on the dogs, and leather traces attached them to a sled which dragged along behind. On the sled, securely lashed, was a long and narrow oblong box. There were other things on the sled -- blankets, an axe, and a coffee-pot and frying-pan; but prominent, occupying most of the space, was the long and narrow oblong box.
In advance of the dogs, on wide snowshoes, toiled a man. At the rear of the sled toiled a second man. On the sled, in the box, lay a third man whose toil was over, -- a man whom the Wild had conquered and beaten down until he would never move nor struggle again.
But at front and rear, unawed and indomitable, toiled the two men who were not yet dead. Their bodies were covered with fur and soft-tanned leather. Eyelashes and cheeks and lips were so coated with the crystals from their frozen breath that their faces were not discernible. This gave them the seeming of ghostly masques, undertakers in a spectral world at the funeral of some ghost. But under it all they were men, penetrating the land of desolation and mockery and silence, puny adventurers bent on colossal adventure, pitting themselves against the might of a world as remote and alien and pulseless as the abysses of space.
They travelled on without speech, saving their breath for the work of their bodies. On every side was the silence, pressing upon them with a tangible presence.
The pale light of the short sunless day was beginning to fade, when a faint far cry arose on the still air. It soared upward with a swift rush, till it reached its topmost note, where it persisted, palpitant and tense, and then slowly died away. It might have been a lost soul wailing, had it not been invested with a certain sad fierceness and hungry eagerness.
A second cry arose, piercing the silence with needlelike shrillness. Both men located the sound. It was to the rear, somewhere in the snow expanse they had just traversed. A third and answering cry arose, also to the rear and to the left of the second cry.
"They're after us, Bill," said the man at the front.
"Meat is scarce," answered his comrade. "I ain't seen a rabbit sign for days.”
At the fall of darkness they swung the dogs into a cluster of spruce trees on the edge of the waterway and made a camp. The coffin, at the side of the fire, served for seat and table. The wolf-dogs, clustered on the far side of the fire, snarled and bickered among themselves, but evinced no inclination to stray off into the darkness.
- - -
"Henry," said Bill, munching with deliberation the beans he was eating, "How many dogs 've we got, Henry?"
"Six."
"Well, Henry . . ." Bill stopped for a moment, in order that his words might gain greater significance. "As I was sayin', Henry, we've got six dogs. I took six fish out of the bag. I gave one fish to each dog, an', Henry, I was one fish short."
"You counted wrong."
"We've got six dogs," the other reiterated dispassionately. "took out six fish. One Ear didn't get no fish. I come back to the bag afterward an' got 'm his fish."
"We've only got six dogs," Henry said.
"Henry," Bill went on, "I won't say they was all dogs, but there was seven of 'm that got fish."
Henry stopped eating to glance across the fire and count the dogs.
"There's only six now," he said.
"I saw the other one run off across the snow," Bill announced with cool positiveness. "I saw seven.”
Bill opened his mouth to speak, but changed his mind. Instead, he pointed toward the wall of darkness that pressed about them from every side. There was no suggestion of form in the utter blackness; only could be seen a pair of eyes gleaming like live coals. Henry indicated with his head a second pair, and a third. A circle of the gleaming eyes had drawn about their camp.
Based on the context in which it is used, what is the meaning of “a rabbit sign” in the underlined paragraph?
Evidence that rabbits are in the area
A sign of good luck, like a rabbit’s foot
A sign stating that rabbit meat is for sale
A symbol of a rabbit carved on a tree
A text-based message for rabbits to read
Evidence that rabbits are in the area
The phrase "a rabbit sign" is used in the short conversation between Bill and Henry after they have heard wolves howling behind them:
"They're after us, Bill," said the man at the front.
"Meat is scarce," answered his comrade. "I ain't seen a rabbit sign for days.”
Based on this conversation and the surrounding context the passage, we can narrow down our answer choices. "A text-based message for rabbits to read" doesn't make any sense in the story—this is a realistic story, and it doesn't suggest that rabbits can read. "A sign stating that rabbit meat is for sale" doesn't make much sense as the two men appear to be alone in the wilderness, with no other people around. "A symbol of a rabbit carved on a tree" and "a sign of good luck, like a rabbit’s foot" could each potentially be correct, but neither make sense in the conversation. Why would Henry mention that he hadn't seen a good luck charm or a symbol of a rabbit on a tree for days as a follow-up statement to "Meat is scarce"? We're not given any evidence that he means either of these things when he says "a rabbit sign." The correct answer is "evidence that rabbits are in the area." Meat is scarce, Henry says, and he hasn't seen any evidence of rabbits. This is relevant because the animals after them are carnivorous and motivated by hunger. If rabbits were in the area, they could potentially hunt the rabbits for food, but since there are no rabbits, they are following the people—to try to hunt and eat, we can infer.
Example Question #2 : Use Context Clues To Determine Word Meanings: Ccss.Ela Literacy.L.7.4.A
Read the sentences and determine which part(s) help you determine the meaning of the underlined word.
The wedding guests all whispered amongst themselves and looked from side to side. They were gossiping about Stephanie, the capricious bride. The music started but no bride came down the aisle. The groom’s family reminded him of other similar behaviors Stephanie exhibited: sky-diving, booking a cross-country trip on a whim, and dying her hair a new color every other week.
Which words or phrases from the passage best help you determine the meaning of the word capricious?
Side to side, music, sky-diving
Wedding, music, bride, aisle, groom
Whispered, gossiping, sobbing, behaviors, hair color
No bride, similar behaviors, sky-diving, booking a cross-country trip on a whim and dying her hair a new color every other week
No bride, similar behaviors, sky-diving, booking a cross-country trip on a whim and dying her hair a new color every other week
Capricious means to be unpredictable and impulsive. All of the words/phrases listed characterize someone who makes rash decisions and whose behavior is not stable.
Example Question #2 : Use Context Clues To Determine Word Meanings: Ccss.Ela Literacy.L.7.4.A
Read the sentences and determine the meaning of the underlined word using context clues or your prior knowledge.
My excitement for the business deal slowly began to abate when I heard the terms of the agreement. I would have to give up a lot of equity and wouldn’t get much in return.
What does the word abate mean in the context of these sentences?
Become less in amount or intensity
Cause great suffering and distress
To increase gradually in quantity or number
Move or cause to move back and forth
Become less in amount or intensity
The context clues of this sentence hint to a bad deal that would not increase someone’s excitement unless they were on the receiving end of it. Excitement is slowly abating, give up, wouldn’t get much in return are all clues that would lead the reader to understand the excitement is decreasing rather than increasing. The subject of the sentence isn’t in pain or suffering and their excitement is not moving back and forth.
Example Question #1 : Use Context Clues To Determine Word Meanings: Ccss.Ela Literacy.L.7.4.A
Read the sentences and determine the meaning of the underlined word using context clues or your prior knowledge.
The man was despondent and sobbing as he packed up his grandfather’s belongings into cardboard boxes. He couldn’t believe he would never see such an important person in his life again. The pain was unbearable.
What does the word despondent mean in the context of this sentence?
Feeling or showing extreme hunger
Feeling or showing hope for the future
Feeling or showing range and anger
Feeling or showing extreme discouragement, dejection, or depression
Feeling or showing extreme discouragement, dejection, or depression
The context clues in this sentence: sobbing and unbearable pain describe the mental state of this man. He is distraught and upset and based on the context something unfortunate has happened to his grandfather. The sentence’s mood and tone because of the context lead the reader to understand his pain and lead to the correct answer.
Example Question #2 : Use Context Clues To Determine Word Meanings: Ccss.Ela Literacy.L.7.4.A
Read the following sentence and determine the meaning of the underlined word using context clues or your prior knowledge.
The emblem on his team jacket was proudly displayed across the entirety of his back as he marched with his school’s band in the Thanksgiving Day Parade.
What does the word emblem mean in the sentence above?
Something to clasp or hold
To protect from decay or oblivion
A device, symbol, or figure adopted and used as an identifying mark
Strong and sharp, as a taste or smell
A device, symbol, or figure adopted and used as an identifying mark
The word emblem is often described as the symbol or figure that represents a brand, school, group, etc.. The school may have their mascot across the back of the jackets or the acronym for the school. The context clues that help readers understand the word are: team, proudly displayed, school’s band, and he is in a parade. All of these are clues that he is happy to be showing off his school and has pride in what he is doing. The jackets are worn by all members of the group and seem to be a uniform based on the clues.
Example Question #2 : Use Context Clues To Determine Word Meanings: Ccss.Ela Literacy.L.7.4.A
Read the sentences below and determine the synonym of the underlined word using context clues or your prior knowledge.
I gave my friend the most incredulous stare as he told me his story. He claimed to have been camping the weekend prior and stumbled across large footprints. He thought he saw none other than...Bigfoot. I was in awe that he not only believed this story, but that he expected me to as well.
Infuriated
Trusting
Skeptical
Overwhelmed
Skeptical
The definition of incredulous is unwilling to admit or accept what is offered as true. In the context of the story the subject’s friend saw something that is difficult to explain or believe based on his or her current belief system and first-hand knowledge. Trusting is an antonym for incredulous meaning the opposite. Infuriated and overwhelmed are emotions one might feel during a conversation but the context of this conversation do not lead readers to believe that.
Example Question #7 : Use Context Clues To Determine Word Meanings: Ccss.Ela Literacy.L.7.4.A
Read the sentences and determine which part(s) help you determine the meaning of the underlined word.
My cousin has always been the class-clown type of student and last week he outdid even himself. This prank was not intended to play out the way it did so when his pants split in front of everyone at the pep rally and the watermelon fell on his head he was the cause of much mirth. Students were talking about it for days after and you could see tears rolling down their faces, hear snorts of laughter, and watch reenactments all through the lunchroom.
Pep rally, watermelon, students, faces, snorts, lunchroom
Cousin, himself, his pants, his head
Class-clown, prank, pants split, watermelon fell on his head, tears rolling, laughter
Intended, students, reenactments
Class-clown, prank, pants split, watermelon fell on his head, tears rolling, laughter
All of these words are clues to the meaning of mirth. Mirth means gladness or gaiety as shown by or accompanied with laughter. The students in the text are all demonstrating laughter, joy, happiness, and the events in the text explain why. Watching a prank backfire on someone would cause laughter, he is the cause of this mirth because he is the center of attention.
Example Question #3 : Use Context Clues To Determine Word Meanings: Ccss.Ela Literacy.L.7.4.A
Read the sentences and determine the meaning of the underlined word using sentence clues or your prior knowledge.
Samantha was mortified when she discovered that her mother had read her diary. She had her most private thoughts in that book! Samantha had written about the time she talked to her crush all afternoon with spinach between her teeth and when she slipped in the mud running to class. She would never be able to face her mother.
What does the word mortified mean in the context of the sentences above?
Embarrassed
Neutral
Confident
Thrilled
Embarrassed
The word mortified means subject to severe and vexing embarrassment. She was mortified that her mother read her most embarrassing secrets that were private and she had already lived out at school. Samantha would not feel confident about her mother reading the diary, and certainly the phrase “never be able to face her mother” does not support that. Readers can imagine that they would not feel thrilled for their mothers to read all of these hidden thoughts. Neutral would mean she has no feelings either way but the context lets readers know she does have feelings and thoughts about the situation.
All Common Core: 7th Grade English Language Arts Resources
