Hey student! 

Great question - your explanation is FANTASTIC! I love the way you phrase it: "somewhat related to the text but not "completely supported by it." I call this tangentially related. 

For example, 

Passage: Da Vinci made millions of dollars, only to lose it all a year later. 

Out of context answer: Da Vinci was famous artist.  

Although the text is about the subject matter of Da Vinci, the topic isn't about his fame or popularity (there are people who make millions of dollars that you've never heard of, right? =)) Thus, we can definitely say that this option is out of context.

The phrase out of context gets thrown out a lot, so there can be a lot of confusion around it. Here's my definition and explanation: 

Context, as I define it, means surrounding information, which in this case means the content of the passage. 

Thus, if an answer is 'out of context,' it isn't fully supported by it. There might be an idea (sometimes even a word) that is stated in the answer choice that isn't supported by the passage. 

I would say keep your definition...it is a VERY solid one. Great job bringing clarity to an unclear phrase. 

(C) So clearly, the speaker isn't having a discussion WITH the friend (as if they are in a coffee shop together chatting)...Hence, (C) is out of context. Hope that makes sense! 

By the way, I started a YouTube channel to offer support to committed students who may not be as confident in their English abilities as they are in their math. Here's the link: 

https://www.youtube.com/@JinTeaches...

If you click on the description to a recent video, you can read up on how to take a free diagnostic exam (the score report is pretty powerful stuff )

Keep up the amazing work! 

You Got This! 

Jin Teacher