Question

7 strategies for decoding word meaning

• use context clues to formulate the meaning of a word by

looking at words around it.

1. word parts - use the meanings of either the words roots or affixes

to figure out the words meaning

1. definitions or explanations - look to see if the author

provides the meaning of the word

1. synonyms - look for words that have similar meaning to

the word

1. examples - see if there are examples of the word nearby

where it is located

1. antonyms - look for words that would show contrast

with the meaning of the word

1. analogy - look to see if the author makes a comparison

between two things that are usually different

1. appositives - look for additional information between

commas that follow the word
use 1 of the 7 strategies to decode the
meaning of the underlined word. the
soldiers fortified the walls of their base
because in the past their walls were too
weak to keep out the enemy.
strengthen
make more of

Explanation:

We use the strategy of antonyms. The sentence says that in the past the walls were "too weak". The action "fortified" is done to change this situation. Since "weak" is an antonym - related clue (as we want to move away from weakness), and "strengthen" is the opposite of making something weak.

Answer:

strengthen