Question

Read the excerpt from The Hot Zone. She took up a scalpel and slit the monkey's abdomen, making a slow and gentle cut, keeping the blade well away from her gloved fingers. The spleen was puffed up and tough, leathery, like a globe of smoked salami. She did not see any bloody lesions inside this monkey. She had expected that the monkey's interior would be a lake of blood, but no, this monkey looked all right, it had not bled into itself. Which strategy would be most helpful in determining the meaning of the word “scalpel”?

Answer 1

Sharp small knife used to operate on animals or humans

Answer 2

Answer:

Using context clues “away from her gloved fingers”

Explanation:

According to a different source, these are the options that come with this question:

• Replacing “scalpel” with the nearby synonym “blade.”
• Substituting the word “object” for the word “scalpel.”
• Using context clues “away from her gloved fingers.”
• Becoming familiar with prefixes, roots, and suffixes.

The best way to determine the meaning of the word "scalpel" would be to look at the words that surround it and use context clues. For example, we could look at the phrase "away from her gloved fingers," and this could indicate to us that a scalpel is something that should not be close to your fingers. We could also look at the use of the verb "slit." These two options would suggest that a scalpel is a type of knife or blade.