During his first semester at the prestigious university, Julian felt acutely aware of his modest, working-class background. Surrounded by peers who conversed effortlessly about classical literature and European travels, he felt an intense pressure to fit in. To mask his deep-seated insecurity, Julian affected a posture of intellectual detachment, pretending that the academic debates in the seminar rooms were beneath his interest. He spoke rarely, and when he did, he adopted a dry, cynical tone. However, this aloof facade did not fool his professor, who recognized the student’s silence as a shield rather than a sign of genuine indifference.
As it is used in the passage, the word *affected* most nearly means which of the following?
- Ainfluenced
- Bcultivated
- assumedAnswer
- Dconcealed
Answer
assumed
The correct answer is 'assumed' because, in this context, 'affected' means to pretend to feel or possess, or to artificially adopt a characteristic. Similarly, to 'assume' a posture or attitude means to take it on or simulate it, particularly as a pretense. The passage explicitly states that Julian was 'pretending' his detachment and that his behavior was an 'aloof facade,' confirming the sense of artificiality.
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