After they had gone, he felt lonely and began to tire of his lady-love. "She has no conversation," he said, "and I am afraid that she is a coquette, for she is always flirting with the wind." And certainly, whenever the wind blew, the Reed made the most graceful curtsies. "I admit that she is domestic," he continued, "but I love travelling, and my wife, consequently, should love travelling also." Which of the following words' meaning can be determined through the context of its use in this passage?

Answer

Coquette

Rationale

The passage explains that the speaker calls his lady-love a "coquette" because "she is always flirting with the wind," giving an immediate contextual definition of the word as someone who flirts or is fickle/attention-seeking in affection. This is a clear example of context clues (definition/restatement) revealing an unfamiliar word's meaning, which is exactly what the question is testing.

Answer choices

• A. Flirting

• B. Graceful

• C. Travelling

• D. Coquette

  The passage explains that the speaker calls his lady-love a "coquette" because "she is always flirting with the wind," giving an immediate contextual definition of the word as someone who flirts or is fickle/attention-seeking in affection. This is a clear example of context clues (definition/restatement) revealing an unfamiliar word's meaning, which is exactly what the question is testing.