Question

f you wanted to sail, it was impossible to keep a precise record of time. And at sea, if you can’t tell the time, you don’t how far east or west you are. It is relatively easy to calculate latitude – your distance north or south of the equator – by measuring the height of the Sun above the horizon at noon; but this won’t let you calculate longitude – your position east or west.

–A History of the World in 100 Objects,
Neil MacGregor

Which context clue can best help you determine the meaning of the word latitude?


What type of context clue is this?

Answer 1

The phrase that helps most is the parenthetical definition: "your distance north or south of the equator."
This is a definition (an appositive/explanatory) context clue — the word is directly defined in the sentence.