Sure! Let’s solve each question by using
contextual clues — that means looking at the surrounding words in the sentence to figure out what the orange word likely means.
---
A. She showed great *prowess* in painting and won first prize for her school.
- Context: She won
first prize → that means she was very good at painting.
- “Prowess” must mean
skill or ability.
-
✔ Correct answer:
skill
> *Why not others?*
> - Anxiety = nervousness → doesn’t fit winning a prize.
> - Patience = waiting calmly → not directly related to winning.
> - Power = strength or authority → too vague here.
---
B. He would not listen to anyone who tried to *persuade* him to stay at home.
- Context: Someone is trying to get him to stay → they’re trying to
convince him.
- “Persuade” means to convince someone to do something.
-
✔ Correct answer:
convince
> *Why not others?*
> - Force = make someone do something against their will → too strong.
> - Please = polite request → possible, but “persuade” implies more effort.
> - Discourage = make someone not want to do something → opposite meaning.
---
C. He took off his hat and held it upside down, shaking it *briskly*.
- Context: “Shaking it briskly” → how? Quickly? Energetically?
- “Briskly” suggests quick, lively motion.
-
✔ Correct answer:
rapidly
> *Why not others?*
> - Slowly → opposite of briskly.
> - Lovingly → emotional, not about speed.
> - Forcefully → could be close, but “briskly” focuses on speed, not strength.
---
D. This expensive handbag is made of *superior* leather.
- Context: It’s
expensive → so the material must be high quality.
- “Superior” = better than average, higher quality.
-
✔ Correct answer:
better
> *Why not others?*
> - Kind = type or category → doesn’t fit.
> - Cheap → contradicts “expensive”.
> - Bored → unrelated.
---
E. I haven't had much sleep lately, so I feel *drowsy*.
- Context: Not enough sleep → feeling sleepy, tired.
- “Drowsy” = sleepy, sluggish.
-
✔ Correct answer:
tired
> *Why not others?*
> - Active / energetic → opposite of drowsy.
> - Helpful → unrelated to physical state.
---
F. The chef added a pinch of salt to *enhance* the flavor of the dish.
- Context: Adding salt to make the flavor
better.
- “Enhance” = improve or make something better.
-
✔ Correct answer:
improve
> *Why not others?*
> - Decrease / destroy / remove → all make flavor worse → opposite meaning.
---
##
✔ Final Answers:
| Question | Correct Answer |
|----------|----------------|
| A | skill |
| B | convince |
| C | rapidly |
| D | better |
| E | tired |
| F | improve |
---
💡
Tip for using contextual clues: Always look at what happens before and after the unknown word. Think: What makes sense in this situation? What word fits logically?
Let me know if you’d like to practice more like this! 😊
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of context clues worksheet 2nd grade.
