IXL | Use context to identify the meaning of a word

Read the passage and then answer the question.

The French artist Marcel Marceau lived from 1923 to 2007. He is best remembered for his brilliant pantomime performances. In these performances, Marceau brought many characters to life on stage, using his body and face but no words. Marceau was also trained as a dancer. It is said that Michael Jackson learned a few dance moves by watching Marceau perform. Marceau spent more than sixty years performing for audiences around the world. What is not as well known is that Marcel Marceau was a hero during World War II. He helped rescue children and took them to safety across the French border into Switzerland. He was honored for this work in 2001.

What is the meaning of pantomime as used in the passage?

a silent story told with expressions and movements

a solo performance in an opera

a whirling dance done by a single person

a concert performed by playing many instruments

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question

Read the passage and then answer the question.

The United States court system has three main levels. The first is the District Court, where trials are first held. This trial court's decision is final unless a party appeals to the Court of Appeal. The appeals court considers arguments from both sides and decides who is right. The last level is the United States Supreme Court. The Supreme Court chooses carefully which cases to hear. Those cases usually involve important issues. The Supreme Court may also take a case if something egregious happened in the lower courts. For example, the court might consider a case where someone was denied a fair trial. The Supreme Court hears less than one percent of the cases brought to it.

What is the meaning of egregious as used in the passage?

new and entertaining

small and easily explained

very bad and easily noticed

simple to ignore

key idea

If you don't know the meaning of a word, you can look for context clues. Context clues are nearby words and phrases that help you figure out the meaning of an unknown word.

Here are some examples:

Janet's dog punctured her ball with his teeth, causing it to go flat.

You can guess that punctured means "made a hole in."

She had a map, so she offered to be the trip's navigator.

You can guess that a navigator is someone who gives directions on a journey.

The guard closely monitored the building. He was on the lookout for anything that seemed out of place.

You can guess that monitored means "watched."

solution

As used in the passage, egregious means very bad and easily noticed.

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GG.2Determine the meaning of words using synonyms in context

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