What are clues that an author provides to help readers understand word meaning?

• A. Context clues
• B. Connotation
• C. Imagery
• D. Hyperbole

Answer: (A)

Context clues are the hints or signals tucked into the surrounding words and sentences that help you figure out what an unfamiliar word means. An author may define the term right in the sentence, use a nearby synonym or antonym, or offer examples and explanations that point to the word’s meaning. This is exactly what readers rely on to interpret meaning without stopping to look things up. In this question, the focus is on how writers guide understanding of word meanings, and context clues are the mechanism they use. By contrast, connotation deals with the feelings or associations a word carries beyond its literal definition, imagery uses vivid sensory details, and hyperbole is exaggerated emphasis. None of those are the specific tool used to infer a word’s meaning from the surrounding text.