Students can practice their vocabulary skills by using context clues to define underlined words in this engaging reading comprehension activity.

Let's solve each question by using context clues — the surrounding words and sentences that help us understand the meaning of the underlined word.

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1. The beaver *gnawed* on the branch before dragging it into the pond.

- Context: A beaver is eating or working on a branch.
- "Gnawed" means to chew with teeth, especially in a hard or persistent way.
- Option A: sat – doesn’t fit; not an action related to chewing.
- Option B: chewed – matches perfectly with “beaver” and “branch.”
- Option C: pushed – not relevant here.
✔ Answer: B. chewed

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2. The delightful *aroma* of food cooking in the kitchen made my mouth water.

- Context: Food is cooking, and it makes your mouth water — this suggests a pleasant smell.
- "Aroma" refers to a smell, especially a pleasant one.
- Option A: smell – correct definition.
- Option B: color – unrelated to taste or mouth watering.
- Option C: wealth – completely off-topic.
✔ Answer: A. smell

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3. The late students always had a *plethora* of excuses.

- Context: Students are late and have many excuses.
- "Plethora" means an excessive amount or abundance.
- Option A: shortage – opposite meaning.
- Option B: none – contradicts the idea of many excuses.
- Option C: excessive number – fits perfectly.
✔ Answer: C. excessive number

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4. The mood was *somber* at the funeral of the former Prime Minister.

- Context: A funeral → sad, serious event.
- "Somber" means serious, solemn, or grave.
- Option A: hungry – irrelevant.
- Option B: serious – matches the tone of a funeral.
- Option C: shyly – describes behavior, not mood.
✔ Answer: B. serious

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5. When he didn’t understand the instruction, the student asked the teacher to *clarify* them.

- Context: Student doesn’t understand → asks for help to make things clearer.
- "Clarify" means to explain or make clear.
- Option A: remove – doesn’t help understanding.
- Option B: call – not relevant.
- Option C: explain – best match.
✔ Answer: C. explain

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6. The scared rock climber balanced *precariously* on the edge of the cliff.

- Context: Climber is scared and on the edge of a cliff → dangerous situation.
- "Precariously" means in a way that is likely to fall or fail.
- Option A: dangerously – matches the sense of risk.
- Option B: hopefully – positive, but not fitting the fear.
- Option C: gracefully – implies elegance, not danger.
✔ Answer: A. dangerously

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7. The *frigid* water made Aydan’s teeth chatter.

- Context: Teeth chattering = sign of being very cold.
- "Frigid" means extremely cold.
- Option A: cold – correct.
- Option B: clean – unrelated.
- Option C: warm – opposite meaning.
✔ Answer: A. cold

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8. Instead of a *grimace*, Levon had a big smile across his face.

- Context: Contrast between a grimace and a big smile.
- A "grimace" is a twisted facial expression showing pain or distaste.
- So, it’s the opposite of a smile.
- Option A: grin – similar to smile, but not the opposite.
- Option B: frown – yes! A frown is a negative facial expression like a grimace.
- Option C: mask – not a facial expression type.
✔ Answer: B. frown

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✔ Final Answers:

1. B
2. A
3. C
4. B
5. C
6. A
7. A
8. B

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🔍 Explanation Summary:

Each answer was found by analyzing the sentence context, identifying what the underlined word must mean based on the actions, emotions, or descriptions around it. This skill helps readers understand unfamiliar words without needing a dictionary — just by using clues from the text.