Context Clue Inference Practice Test

Based on the context, which word could best replace erosion?

Waves crash against a rocky shore day after day. Priya notices that a small arch in the cliff looks wider each year. Her teacher explains that moving water and wind slowly break rock apart and carry pieces away. This process is erosion. The broken pieces become sediment that drifts along the coast. When the water becomes calmer, deposition happens and the particles settle into new sandbars.

What does the word sediment mean in the passage?

Maria visits a creek after a storm. The water looks cloudy and brown instead of clear. Her teacher explains that rain causes erosion on nearby hillsides, loosening soil and tiny rock pieces. The creek carries this sediment along as it flows. When the current slows near a bend, deposition occurs and the particles sink to the bottom. Maria scoops a jar of water and watches the small grains settle in layers.