Use the sentences below to answer the question.

The debate over the whether dogs or cats made better pets had become so contentious that soon students were shouting at each other. Only when the teacher rang a loud bell did the arguing finally stop.

Which word or phrase is NOT a useful context clue to help you find the meaning of contentious?

dogs or cats

debate

shouting at eachother

arguing

The word or phrase that is NOT a useful context clue to help find the meaning of contentious is "dogs or cats."

dogs or cats

The word or phrase that is NOT a useful context clue to help you find the meaning of contentious is "dogs or cats."

To find the meaning of contentious, you can look for clues in the sentence such as "debate," "shouting at each other," and "arguing." These words suggest a situation where there is a disagreement or conflict, which helps us understand that contentious means involving a lot of arguments or disputes. However, the mention of "dogs or cats" is not directly related to the meaning of contentious and does not provide any clue about its definition.