Question

Which sentence contains an explanation clue for the word inspect?

They asked us to inspect the bag, which meant looking at the stuff inside it.
The officer went to inspect the car, including looking in the trunk and glove box.
Rather than inspect my bag, the guard took a quick look inside and let me pass.
The staff usually asks to inspect, or examine, my purse when I go to concerts.

Answer 1

The last sentence has an explanation clue. The phrase "or examine" is a brief clue that tells what it means to inspect. The rest have contextual clues.

Answer 2

Answer:

The answer is actually letter A) They asked us to inspect the bag, which meant looking at the stuff inside it.

Explanation:

There are basically 4 types of context clues:

1. definition/explanation clues;

2. restatement/synonym clues;

3. contrast/antonym clues;

4. gist/inference/general knowledge clues.

Explanation clues are the ones that define a word previously mentioned. They come right after the word and truly provide readers with an explanation of its meaning. That is precisely what we have in letter A. Right after the verb "inspect" is mentioned, the author of the sentence explains its meaning: to inspect --> meant looking at the stuff inside it.

Note: letter D is a synonym clue. The author is simply adding another verb that is a synonym, another way (to examine) to say the same thing (to inspect).