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Question

Difficulty: Very hardDecoding Low-Frequency Academic and Technical Words

In analyzing the community's response to the crisis, the sociologist noted that the prevailing sentiment was not active hostility, but rather a profound aporia. On one hand, citizens recognized the urgent necessity of reforming the local governing board; on the other hand, they were paralyzed by the realization that any replacement board would inherit the same structural deficits. Caught in this logical impasse, where every proposed course of action immediately nullified itself, the public remained completely inactive.

As used in the passage, the word aporia most nearly means:

  1. a state of logical deadlockAnswer
  2. B
    general indifference toward municipal governance
  3. C
    open hostility to structural reforms
  4. D
    a debate between conflicting groups

Answer

a state of logical deadlock
The correct answer is the option describing a state of logical deadlock. The passage directly clarifies the meaning of the target word by describing the situation as a 'logical impasse' where every option 'nullified itself,' leading to paralysis. This directly matches the concept of a deadlock.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the target word in the text and examine the surrounding sentences.
The word is used to describe the primary collective sentiment of the community during the crisis.
Establishing the location of the word sets the scope for searching for contextual definitions.
2
Identify the primary context clues that explain or restate the target word.
The passage describes the public as being 'paralyzed' by contradictory factors, summarizing this situation as a 'logical impasse' where actions 'nullified' themselves.
Locating restatements or structural explanations reveals the precise meaning of the low-frequency academic word.
3
Match the gathered context clues with the closest definition among the options.
The concept of a 'logical impasse' where choices cancel each other out aligns directly with a logical deadlock.
This confirms the correct option based on the text's specific qualifiers.

Key Concept

Decoding low-frequency academic and technical vocabulary using context clues
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Decoding Low-Frequency Academic and Technical Words

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