Question

Read the passage below. Use context clues to determine the meaning of the underlined word. The cabin's plank walls were supplemented with sheets of corrugated iron, its general shape suggested it's original design: square, with four tiny rooms opening onto a shotgun hall, the cabin rested uneasily upon four irregular lumps of limestone. Its windows were merely open spaces in the walls, which in the summer were covered with greasy strips of cheese cloth to keep out the varmints that feasted on Maycomb's refuse. a. humans c. children b. monsters d. animals

Answer 1

I believe that the underlined word is "varmints".

The correct answer is d. animals.

The passage refers to the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee and published in 1960.

The context makes it clear that varmints refer to rats. This is firstly supposed by noting that the Ewell family is very poor and live in precarious situation, especially in terms of hygiene and safety. Secondly, the excerpt itself relates that the varmints are kept out with greasy strips of cheese cloth, which is only able to stop small animals, not humans nor monsters. It is also known that in the summer animal invasions tends to worsen, which is noted by the text.