7/31/2019 Drill 3 - Context Clues

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Drill (Context Clues)

Name: ______________________________________________  Score: _____/_____ 

Directions: Read the selection, and then answer the questions that follow.

Vast Vessels

Galleons were large ships used by Europeans from the sixteenth to eighteenthcenturies. Equipped with three or four masts and two or more decks, these gallant shipshelped countries like Spain and England establish their naval power.

 A galleon's sides were 3–4 feet (.9–1.2 m) thick, strong enough to hold the heavyforemast and mainmast, both equipped with huge square sails. The foremast was, as theword fore suggests, the one closest to the front, or bow, of the ship. One or two smaller mastswere toward the ship's stern, or rear. They had lateens— three-cornered sails. Openings onthe ship's sides held heavy cannons.

 After the discovery of the Americas, the Spanish used fleets of galleons to ship homechattel from the Americas, like gold, silver, and precious gems. But many ships never made itback. Hard to maneuver, they often couldn't evade lighter pirate ships. And many galleonssank during violent hurricanes. Today, treasure-hunting divers still find the wreckage of themajestic ships and their caches of riches today.

1. A foremast isa. the mast closest to the stern.b. the mast closest to the bow.c. the mast in the middle.d. the tallest mast.

2. Which is most likely the meaning of chattel?a. landsb. informationc. adviced. possessions

3. From the context of the selection, maneuver most likely meansa. study or read.b. paint and restore.c. steer or guide.d. submerge and sink.

In Sight

What causes myopia? You may know that we see because light bounces off objectsand into our eyes. In a normal eye, the light rays go through the lens and focus on the retina,the sensory membrane or sheet that lines the eye, to create images. In myopic eyes, the lightfocuses in front of the retina instead of directly on it. So nearsighted people can usually seereally well up close, but they squint to try to see things far away.

Often, nearsightedness is suspected if a kid has trouble seeing the chalkboard or whiteboard in school. Then a vision test is set up to diagnose perception. In other words, a

7/31/2019 Drill 3 - Context Clues

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doctor checks how well the person can read various sized letters at various distances.Early diagnosis is important because nearsightedness can be ameliorated with

corrective visual devices, like glasses and contact lenses. These devices can't "cure" myopia,but they help a nearsighted person see distant objects more clearly. The lens of the glassesor contacts refocuses the light before it reaches the eye so it hits the retina where it should.

Doctors can also do surgery to help some people who have myopia. Adults with

myopia, whose glasses or contact prescription hasn't changed for at least a year, may be ableto have a laser procedure that can clear up their problem.Nearsightedness affects men and women equally. People with a family history of 

myopia are more likely to develop it. And there's no way to prevent it. At one time peopleactually believed that reading too much or watching too much TV caused nearsightedness.Those activities can make your eyes tired, but they can't cause myopia.

1. What is the retina?a. a ray of lightb. a lensc. a membrane or liningd. a light shaft

2. What is the meaning of diagnose?a. detectb. identifyc. analyzed. all of the above

3. Which is most likely the meaning of ameliorated?a. worsenedb. improvedc. continuedd. renewed

4. For which does the author give two or more examples as context clues?a. kinds of membranes in the bodyb. lenses in camerasc. corrective visual devicesd. types of eye conditions

5. If you didn't know the meaning of surgery, which nearby word would be a clue?a. doctorsb. myopiac. glassesd. problem