Question

read the excerpt from the hot zone. she took up a scalpel and slit the monkeys abdomen, making a slow and gentle cut, keeping the blade well away from her gloved fingers. the spleen was puffed up and tough, leathery, like a globe of smoked salami. she did not see any bloody lesions inside this monkey. she had expected that the monkeys interior would be a lake of blood, but no, this monkey looked all right, it had not bled into itself. which strategy would be most helpful in determining the meaning of the word \scalpel\? replacing \scalpel\ with the nearby synonym \blade\ substituting the word \object\ for the word \scalpel\ using context clues \away from her gloved fingers\ becoming familiar with prefixes, roots, and suffixes

Explanation:

The text mentions "keeping the blade well away from her gloved fingers" immediately after introducing the scalpel, indicating "blade" is a synonym for scalpel. This direct synonym substitution is the most helpful strategy to determine the word's meaning.

Answer:

replacing "scalpel" with the nearby synonym "blade"