MAP 7th Grade Reading › 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 discouragement, dejection, or depression
Feeling or showing hope for the future
Feeling or showing extreme hunger
Feeling or showing range and anger
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.
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
To increase gradually in quantity or number
Cause great suffering and distress
Move or cause to move back and forth
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.
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?
A device, symbol, or figure adopted and used as an identifying mark
To protect from decay or oblivion
Strong and sharp, as a taste or smell
Something to clasp or hold
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.
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.
Skeptical
Trusting
Infuriated
Overwhelmed
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.
Read the following sentences and determine the meaning of the underlined word using context clues or your prior knowledge.
My uncle is a peevish sort of man. It only takes the slightest annoyance or misstep to upset him.
What does the word peevish mean?
Easily irritated
Hard to understand
Overly excited
Constantly late
Peevish people are easy to annoy or anger and are ill-tempered in nature. The clues in this sentence that it only takes a slight annoyance or misstep to upset him let us know that it doesn’t take much to irritate or bother him. The context clues would not allude to any of the other answer choices.
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?
Should have
Could have
Would have
Will
Won't
“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.
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.
Class-clown, prank, pants split, watermelon fell on his head, tears rolling, laughter
Cousin, himself, his pants, his head
Pep rally, watermelon, students, faces, snorts, lunchroom
Intended, students, reenactments
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.
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
Confident
Thrilled
Neutral
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.
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?
No bride, similar behaviors, sky-diving, booking a cross-country trip on a whim and dying her hair a new color every other week
Wedding, music, bride, aisle, groom
Whispered, gossiping, sobbing, behaviors, hair color
Side to side, music, sky-diving
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.
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 __________.
yarn
bead
heavy rope
clock
tea
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.)