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Difficulty: MediumSecondary Meanings of Common Words

Although the editor-in-chief of the literary magazine was widely known for her demanding standards and sharp red pen, she eventually learned to temper her critiques of the novice writers with constructive encouragement. She recognized that excessive harshness would only crush their developing voices, whereas a balanced approach would foster long-term growth. By blending rigorous editing with supportive feedback, she successfully guided the young creative team toward producing high-quality feature articles that resonated with the magazine's broad readership.

As it is used in the passage, the word "temper" most nearly means which of the following?

  1. A
    harden
  2. moderateAnswer
  3. C
    agitate
  4. D
    tune

Answer

The correct answer is 'moderate'.
The correct answer is 'moderate'. In the passage, the editor-in-chief learns to balance her demanding critiques with supportive feedback. In this context, to 'temper' means to moderate or soften the severity of something by mixing it with an opposing element.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the target word in the sentence and analyze the surrounding context clues.
The passage describes an editor-in-chief who balances her 'demanding standards' with 'constructive encouragement' to avoid 'excessive harshness.'
Understanding the context is necessary to determine how the word functions in the sentence.
2
Substitute the options into the sentence to see which one maintains the author's intended meaning of creating a 'balanced approach.'
Replacing 'temper' with 'moderate' makes sense: the editor learned to 'moderate' (soften or balance) her critiques.
Testing the fit of each word in the sentence confirms the correct meaning in context.

Key Concept

Secondary Meanings of Common Words
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Secondary Meanings of Common Words

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