ST. CLARE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION SCHOOL, INC.

Leviste, Laurel, Batangas

Subject: 21st Century 12 a.Piscatorial creatures, such as flounder,

salmon, and trout, live in the coldest parts of the
Lesson No. 9 ocean.
Topic: Context Clues “Piscatorial” obviously refers to fish.
Name of Teacher: Mr. Jemuel S. Natanauan b.Celestial bodies, including the sun, moon, and
stars, have fascinated man through the
THINGS TO REMEMBER centuries.
“Celestial” objects are those in the sky or
 Context clues are hints found within a heavens.
sentence, paragraph, or passage that a
reader can use to understand the 3. SYNONYM RESTATEMENT CLUE
meanings of new or unfamiliar words.  The reader may discover the meaning
 A reader must be aware that many of an unknown word because it repeats
words have several possible meanings. an idea expressed in familiar words
Only by being sensitive to the
circumstances in which a word is used
nearby. Synonyms are words with the
can the reader decide upon an same meaning.
appropriate definition to fit the context.
 A reader should rely on context clues Examples:
when an obvious clue to meaning is a. Flooded with spotlights – the focus of all
provided, or when only a general sense attention – the new Miss America began her
of the meaning is needed for the
year-long reign. She was the cynosure of all
reader’s purposes.
 Context clues should not be relied upon eyes for the rest of the evening.
when a precise meaning is required, “Cynosure” means “the focus of all attention.”
when clues suggest several possible b. The mountain pass was a tortuous road,
definitions, when nearby words are winding and twisting like a snake around the
unfamiliar, and when the unknown word trees of the mountainside.
is a common one that will be needed “Tortuous” means “winding and twisting.”
again; in these cases, a dictionary
should be consulted.
4. CONTRAST / ANTONYM CLUE
 Antonyms are words with opposite
There are several different types of context
meanings. An opposite meaning context
clues.
clue contrasts the meaning of an
unfamiliar word with the meaning of a
1. DEFINITION / DESCRIPTION CLUE familiar term. Words like “although,”
 The new term may be formally defined, “however,” and “but” may signal contrast
or sufficient explanation may be given clues.
within the sentence or in the following
sentence. Clues to definition include Examples:
“that is,” commas, dashes, and a. When the light brightens, the pupils of the
parentheses. eyes contract; however, when it grows darker,
Examples: they dilate.
a. His emaciation, that is, his skeleton-like “Dilate” means the opposite of “contract.”
appearance, was frightening to see. b. The children were as different as day and
“Skeleton-like appearance” is the definition of night. He was a lively conversationalist, but she
“emaciation.” was reserved and taciturn.
b.Fluoroscopy, examination with a fluoroscope, “Taciturn” means the opposite of a “lively
has become a common practice. conversationalist.”
The commas before and after “examination with
a fluoroscope” point out the definition of
“fluoroscopy.” 5. MOOD / TONE CLUE
 The author sets a mood, and the
2. EXAMPLE CLUES meaning of the unknown word must
 Sometimes when a reader finds a new harmonize with the mood.
word, an example might be found
nearby that helps to explain its meaning. Examples:
Words like including, such as, and for a. The lugubrious wails of the gypsies matched
example, point out example clues. the dreary whistling of the wind in the all but-
deserted cemetery.
Examples: “Lugubrious,” which means “sorrowful,” fits into
the mood set by the words “wails,” “dreary,” and
“deserted cemetery.”
NAME:________________________________
Critical Thinking- the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a
judgment.
 ST. CLARE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION SCHOOL, INC.
Leviste, Laurel, Batangas

YEAR & SECTION: _____________________

Subject: 21st Century 12

Lesson No. 9
Name of Teacher: Mr. Jemuel S. Natanauan

THINGS TO D0

I. On the space provided. Write the letter of the best meaning for the underlined
word as it is used in context.

_____1. My brother said, “I just freed myself from a very loquacious history professor. All
he seemed to want was an audience.”
a. pretentious b. grouchy
c. talkative d. worried
_____2. There is no doubt that the idea of living in such a benign climate was appealing.
The islanders seemed to keep their vitality and live longer than Europeans.
a. tropical b. not malignant
c. kind d. favorable
_____3. It is difficult to imagine a surfeit of talent in one individual, yet Leonard Bernstein
simply does not have the time to make complete use of his talent as conductor,
performer, writer, and lecturer.
a. excess b. variety
c. superiority d. lack
_____4. There is a large demand all over the United States for plants indigenous to the
desert. Many people in Arizona have made a good business of growing and selling cacti
and other local plants.
a. native b. necessary
c. foreign d. alien
_____5. After the Romans left, a millennium and a half passed before people again lived
in such comfort. Churchill wrote, “From the year 400 until the year 1900 no one had
central heating and very few had hot baths.”
a. a decade b. many years
c. 1000 years d. a century
_____6. Many years before, Caesar’s men had tried and failed to invade Britain. No doubt
this contributed to the xenophobia of the Romans. They were cautious about strangers
who entered their country.
a. honesty b. fear of foreigners
c. kindliness d. stubbornness
_____7. Such are the vicissitudes of history. Nothing remains the same. Three hundred
years of peace ended in darkness and confusion.
a. evils b. mistakes
c. changes d. rules
_____8. The purpose of the psychiatrist is to mitigate the suffering of the patient.
a. make milder b. beautify
c. increase d. banish
_____9. We knew he couldn’t hold out much longer, because he had been doomed from
the beginning. One night he met his ineluctable fate.
a. forgotten b. inevitable
c. hidden d. unhappy
_____10. A combination of fog and industrial smoke, called smog, has vitiated the air in
and around many big cities.
a. concentrate b. fill up
c. replace d. contaminate

Critical Thinking- the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a
judgment.