Look Around! Meaning in Context | Middle School Worksheets - Free Printable

Sure! Let’s go through each question one by one, using context clues to determine the best meaning for each underlined word.

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1. The last campers suffered in the heat of the desert sun.

> Context: They were in the *heat of the desert sun* — likely uncomfortable or in pain.
- A. are → doesn’t fit
- B. burned → too literal; not necessarily physically burned
- C. slept → doesn’t match “in the heat” (would imply comfort)
- D. sunbathed → implies voluntary exposure; they’re suffering, so not voluntary

✔ Best answer: B. burned
*(In context, “suffered” means they endured discomfort or pain — “burned” captures the physical discomfort from extreme heat.)*

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2. Congress put a tariff on overseas goods so the price would not be lower than domestic products.

> Context: A tax added to imported goods to make them more expensive than local ones.
- A. stamp → unrelated
- B. prohibition → banning, not taxing
- C. ad → advertisement? No
- D. tax → YES — tariffs are taxes on imports.

✔ Best answer: D. tax

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

> Context: He’s scared and on the edge — implies instability or danger.
- A. gracefully → contradicts “scared”
- B. lazily → no
- C. dangerously → YES — matches fear and being on the edge
- D. hopefully → doesn’t fit context

✔ Best answer: C. dangerously

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4. We often travel to New England in the autumn to see the bright colors of the fall foliage.

> Context: Autumn + bright colors → leaves changing color.
- A. hurricane → no
- B. plays → no
- C. snow → winter, not autumn
- D. leaves → YES — “foliage” = plant leaves, especially decorative ones in fall.

✔ Best answer: D. leaves

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5. Each student was allotted two tickets to the dance.

> Context: “Allotted” means given or assigned a share.
- A. allowed → close, but “allowed” is permission, not distribution
- B. joyful → emotion, not action
- C. taken → opposite
- D. fed → irrelevant

✔ Best answer: A. allowed
*(Though “given” would be perfect, “allowed” is the closest available — it implies permission to have/use the tickets.)*

> ⚠️ Note: In strict vocabulary, “allotted” = assigned/distributed. But among choices, “allowed” is best fit.

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6. The mood was somber at the funeral of the former president.

> Context: Funeral → sad, serious event.
- A. shy → personality trait
- B. serious → YES — somber = grave, solemn, serious
- C. hungry → irrelevant
- D. plenty → quantity

✔ Best answer: B. serious

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7. The country cottage was just outside the quaint and picturesque town.

> Context: “Quaint” = charmingly old-fashioned; “picturesque” = visually appealing, like a picture.
- A. charming → YES — fits with “quaint”
- B. running → no
- C. ruined → opposite
- D. perhaps → adverb, not adjective

✔ Best answer: A. charming

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8. When he didn’t understand the instructions, the student asked the teacher to clarify them.

> Context: Didn’t understand → needs explanation.
- A. remove → no
- B. call → no
- C. explain → YES — clarify = make clear
- D. stop → no

✔ Best answer: C. explain

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9. The impudent boy was rude to the policeman.

> Context: “Impudent” = bold, disrespectful.
- A. handsome → appearance
- B. carefully → manner
- C. poor → economic status
- D. bold → YES — impudent = shamelessly bold or disrespectful

✔ Best answer: D. bold

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10. Cold rain fell all day, making it a dismal Saturday afternoon.

> Context: Cold rain + all day → gloomy, depressing weather.
- A. gloomy → YES — dismal = dark, dreary, depressing
- B. red → color, irrelevant
- C. shining → opposite
- D. fun → opposite

✔ Best answer: A. gloomy

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## ✔ Final Answers:

1. B. burned
2. D. tax
3. C. dangerously
4. D. leaves
5. A. allowed
6. B. serious
7. A. charming
8. C. explain
9. D. bold
10. A. gloomy

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