Question

read the following sentence:

hungry and impatient, she beckoned the waiter, but he pretended not to see her snapping fingers and continued taking orders from his other table.

based on context clues in the reading, define \beckon.\

belittle or run down
shout at
wave away
summon with a gesture

Explanation:

Analyze the target word

The sentence asks us to define the underlined word "beckoned" based on context clues.

Identify context clues

Using Context Clues, we look at the surrounding text: "she beckoned the waiter, but he pretended not to see her snapping fingers." The action of "snapping fingers" is a physical gesture used to get someone's attention.

Evaluate the options

Using Vocabulary in Context, we evaluate the choices:

• "belittle or run down" does not fit the physical action of snapping fingers to get service.
• "shout at" refers to vocal volume, whereas snapping fingers is a silent physical gesture.
• "wave away" means to dismiss, which contradicts her wanting the waiter to come over because she is "hungry and impatient."
• "summon with a gesture" perfectly matches the context of snapping fingers to get the waiter to come to her table.

Answer:

• belittle or run down
• shout at
• wave away
• summon with a gesture (Correct answer)