Practice Read the following passages and determine the mean- ing of the words from their context. The answers appear immediately after the questions. Although social work is not a particularly lucrative career, I wouldn’t do anything else. Knowing I’m helping others is far more important to me than money. 6. Lucrative means. a. highly profitable. b. highly rewarding. c. highly exciting. When you are in an interview, try not to show any overt signs that you are nervous. Don’t shift in your chair, shake, or stutter. 7. Overt means. a. embarrassing, awkward. b. subtle, suggestive. c. obvious, not hidden. By the time our staff meeting ended at 8:00, I was ravenous. I had skipped lunch and hadn’t eaten since breakfast. 8. Ravenous means a. like a raven, bird-like. b. extremely hungry, greedy for food. c. exhausted, ready for bed. Answers 6. a. The writer says money is not important to him. If money is not an issue, it is okay that social work is not highly profitable, that it doesn’t earn a lot of money. 7. c. Shifting, shaking, and stuttering are all obvious, not hidden signs of nervousness. They are not b, subtle or suggestive; and though they may make the interviewee feel a, embarrassed or awkward, the signs them- selves are not embarrassing or awkward. 8. b. Because the writer hadn’t eaten since break- fast, she is extremely hungry, greedy for food. She may also be c, exhausted, but the context tells us that this word has something to do with eating. Summary The ability to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words from their context is an essential skill for read- ing comprehension. Sometimes, there will be unfa- miliar words whose meaning you can’t determine without a dictionary. But more often than not, a care- ful look at the context will give you enough clues to meaning. – DEFINING VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT– 37 ■ Circle any unfamiliar words you come across today and the rest of the week. Instead of looking them up in a dictionary, try to figure out the meanings of these words from their context. Then, look them up in a dictionary to make sure you are correct. ■ Begin a vocabulary list of the words you look up as you work your way through this book. Many peo- ple feel insecure about their reading and writing skills because they have a limited vocabulary. The more words you know, the easier it will be to understand what others are saying and to express what you have to say. By writing down these new words, you’ll help seal them in your memory. Skill Building until Next Time . fact and opinion. To be successful, a detective must do all these things at the same time. Similarly, reading really can’t be broken down into these separate tasks. Read- ing comprehension comes. opinion, and what does it matter, anyway? It matters a great deal, especially when it comes to reading comprehension. During your life, you’ll be exposed to a wide variety of literature, ranging. United States. OPINION: The voting age should be lowered to 16 years of age. Now you try. Suggested answers come after the questions. 6. FACT: Healthcare costs have risen over the last several