Which of the following statements uses a synonym as a context clue to help define an unfamiliar word?

• A. The arid climate, which is dry and lacking in moisture, makes farming difficult.
• B. The jubilant crowd cheered loudly, showing their excitement.
• C. The nocturnal animal, unlike those active during the day, sleeps during daylight hours.
• D. The frigid air made everyone shiver, as the temperature dropped below freezing.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand what a synonym is — a word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word.
2. Step 2: Identify the unfamiliar word in each sentence and look for a word or phrase nearby that means the same thing (a synonym) to serve as a context clue.
3. Step 3: Examine the sentence 'The arid climate, which is dry and lacking in moisture, makes farming difficult.' Here, 'dry and lacking in moisture' is a phrase that explains 'arid' using synonyms.
4. Step 4: Check the other sentences to see if they use synonyms as context clues. For example, 'jubilant' is explained by 'showing their excitement' (not a synonym but an example), 'nocturnal' is contrasted with 'active during the day' (an antonym), and 'frigid' is explained by 'temperature dropped below freezing' (an example, not a synonym).
5. Step 5: Conclude that the sentence with 'arid' uses a synonym as a context clue because it directly provides words with the same meaning to define the unfamiliar word.