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Reading topic

Vocabulary in Context

Determine word meaning from surrounding text.

Practice this topic

The bank includes 67 questions on vocabulary in context: 0 easy, 63 medium, 4 hard.

Why this question type matters on the PreACT 9

The PreACT 9 Reading section has 33 questions in 40 minutes. The mix is roughly even across question types, so vocabulary in context questions appear on every test. Strong students do not over-study any one type; they make sure no type is a glaring weakness.

Vocabulary-in-context questions punish students who memorize dictionary definitions. The right answer is what the word means in this sentence — sometimes the second or third dictionary meaning.

Topics are aligned to 8th-grade Common Core standards. The actual CPS HSAT covers slightly more than these buckets but the core mix is the same.