Question

Highlight a context clue that helps the reader determine the meaning of the word calculated.

This was Henderson Creek, and he knew he was ten miles from the forks. He looked at his watch. It was ten o'clock. He was making four miles an hour, and he calculated that he would arrive at the forks at half-past twelve. He decided to celebrate that event by eating his lunch there.

–“To Build a Fire,”
Jack London

Which clue in the passage can help the reader determine that the word calculated means “used math to figure out”?

“This was Henderson Creek”
“was making four miles an hour”
“by eating his lunch there”

Answer 1

“was making four miles an hour”

Reason: that phrase gives his speed (combined with “he knew he was ten miles” and the time), which is the numerical information used to compute arrival time—showing he “used math to figure out.”