Context clues are:

Context clues are:

• A. A dictionary entry.
• B. Cues in the environment that help clarify meaning.
• C. The main idea of a paragraph.
• D. The tone of a speaker's voice only.

Answer: (B)

Context clues are the words and phrases around an unfamiliar word that help you figure out its meaning. These clues come from the surrounding text—sometimes a nearby definition, a synonym or antonym, an example, or a restatement that explains the word in simpler terms. In the given choices, the idea that context clues are cues in the surrounding text that help clarify meaning fits best, with the understanding that “environment” here means the text around the word. A dictionary entry provides a definition outside the sentence, not the in-text clues you use while reading. The main idea of a paragraph is about what the whole passage is mostly about, not about decoding a word. The tone of a speaker’s voice relates to attitude or mood, not to how you infer word meaning from context. Example: If a sentence says, “The voyagers felt buoyant after the storm,” the surrounding words hint that buoyant means feeling light or happy, even if you don’t know the word itself.

Context clues are the words and phrases around an unfamiliar word that help you figure out its meaning. These clues come from the surrounding text—sometimes a nearby definition, a synonym or antonym, an example, or a restatement that explains the word in simpler terms. In the given choices, the idea that context clues are cues in the surrounding text that help clarify meaning fits best, with the understanding that “environment” here means the text around the word.

A dictionary entry provides a definition outside the sentence, not the in-text clues you use while reading. The main idea of a paragraph is about what the whole passage is mostly about, not about decoding a word. The tone of a speaker’s voice relates to attitude or mood, not to how you infer word meaning from context.

Example: If a sentence says, “The voyagers felt buoyant after the storm,” the surrounding words hint that buoyant means feeling light or happy, even if you don’t know the word itself.