Why are context clues useful for determining meaning?

• A. They replace reading entirely
• B. Context clues are not useful
• C. Dictionaries are slow and often have multiple definitions
• D. They are only useful for verbs

Answer: (C)

Understanding meaning through context clues means using the surrounding words and sentences to infer what an unfamiliar word means as you read. This helps you keep the flow of reading and maintain comprehension without stopping to look up every word in a dictionary. Dictionaries can be slow to consult in the middle of a passage, and many words have multiple definitions, which can make choosing the right meaning tricky. So context clues are useful because they let you deduce the intended sense from the context, enabling faster and more accurate understanding. They aren’t limited to verbs, and they don’t replace reading entirely, so those ideas don’t fit.