Question

Use context clues to determine the meaning of the word tangible in the reading selection. Write your definition here. Explain how this knowledge, and your knowledge of affixes, helps you define the word "intangible" in the next paragraph.

Answer 1

Tangible means real and touchable.
The PREFIX, in, would tend to make the meaning opposite. So we can assume that intangible means unreal or not able to be touched. You would also use context in the paragraph mentioned, I assume.

Answer 2

Alright, so using context clues is a crucial part of expanding vocabulary (and, frankly, passing the PSAT and SAT). Basically, a good place to start is to find a word that could replace the one in quotation marks and sound like it means the same.

In this case, as you read, you notice that the phrase "tangible factors" seems to be synonymous with "physical facilities". A big giveaway is the word "another" before "tangible" which proves that the word before it is indeed equal (or similar) in meaning.

Take for a moment, then, that:
physical facilities = tangible factors

Facilities and factors are both nouns, so we'll pass over them for a moment.
physical ≈ tangible

This is how you can use context clue. And, if you look up the definition of tangible, you'll see it means something like "able to be perceived or touched", which is pretty close to "physical". (But, without using a dictionary, you can still infer that the word "intangible" is equivalent to the opposite of "physical". Write your sentence with that in mind.)