He had never before known such penury. There was no money for medicine, no money for even a night's lodging. Truth

be told, he wasn't sure he could remember the last time he had slept in a bed. Not only was there no money for food,

but he had been unable to locate even a charity soup kitchen for a meal. Huddled in the corner of an alley in the

unfamiliar city, he pulled the discarded newspaper and boxes close around him. That, he thought, may break the wind

and also make me harder to see. He lulled himself into an uneasy sleep imagining how he might convince someone to

give him a few dollars-or a job-now there would be dream!

Based on the context clues, penury most likely means

happiness

loneliness

O poverty

freedom

opportunity

Question

English

Julie

3 May, 21:09

He had never before known such penury. There was no money for medicine, no money for even a night's lodging. Truth

be told, he wasn't sure he could remember the last time he had slept in a bed. Not only was there no money for food,

but he had been unable to locate even a charity soup kitchen for a meal. Huddled in the corner of an alley in the

unfamiliar city, he pulled the discarded newspaper and boxes close around him. That, he thought, may break the wind

and also make me harder to see. He lulled himself into an uneasy sleep imagining how he might convince someone to

give him a few dollars-or a job-now there would be dream!

Based on the context clues, penury most likely means

happiness

loneliness

O poverty

freedom

opportunity

+5

Answers (2)

Know the Answer?

Tania Wall · Answer 1

It is poverty

Explanation: because of context clues it is poverty

in the fourth and fifth sections it is shown he's homeless. therefore poverty

Cornelius Gross · Answer 2

Based on the context clues, penury most likely means:

C) poverty

Explanation:

The word penury refers to a situation of extreme poverty or need, a situation of destitution. But even if we do not know the meaning, we can guess it from the context clues in the passage. Right after mentioning the character had never known such penury before, the narrator explains the character has absolutely no money, no place to go and spend the night, no food to eat. He is actually in the corner of an alley, trying to protect himself from the cold wind with newspapers and boxes to get some sleep. From all those facts, we can safely assume that penury refers to poverty.