Question

Using context clues, determine the meaning of the bolded word. He made the (prudent) decision to study, but his friend foolishly decided not to and failed the test.

Answer 1

Using context clues while reading is a technique that consists of looking at the surrounding information of an unknown word in order to infer the meaning of that word.

In the sentence, by looking at the surrounding information, we find two major clues: 1. the word "but" which indicates that the clause this conjunction introduces will contrasts with or contradicts with the preceding clause "He made the prudent decision to study", thus, we expect the second clause to say the opposite of the first one; 2. and the adverb "foolishly" which means "Without good judgment", therefore, we can infer that "prudent" means "with good judgment" or someone who shows care and thought for the future.

Answer 2

You can conclude that prudent means wise, as the opposite is foolish.