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Question

Difficulty: MediumSecondary Meanings of Common Words

For decades, paleontologists accepted the theory that the ancient megafauna of the region went extinct solely due to sudden climatic shifts. However, Dr. Lin's recent analysis of fossilized pollen and soil layers suggests a more complex narrative, one in which early human hunting practices played a decisive role. While some traditionalists argue that this new hypothesis is speculative, others acknowledge that the mounting carbon-dating evidence may compromise the validity of the long-standing climatic consensus, forcing researchers to re-examine the timeline of human arrival.

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

  1. A
    settle
  2. B
    expose
  3. undermineAnswer
  4. D
    negotiate

Answer

undermine
The correct answer is the word that means to weaken or damage the credibility or integrity of something. In the passage, the mounting evidence threatens the validity of the established consensus, so the word is used in its secondary sense to mean weaken or undermine.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the target word 'compromise' in the passage and analyze the surrounding context.
The word is used in the phrase 'mounting carbon-dating evidence may compromise the validity of the long-standing climatic consensus'.
Examining the immediate context helps identify how the word functions in the sentence structure.
2
Analyze the relationship between the subject ('evidence') and the object ('validity').
The sentence describes how new evidence contradicts an old theory. Therefore, the verb must describe how the new evidence weakens or threatens the established theory's validity.
Identifying this relationship points to a secondary meaning of the word that involves weakening or damaging.
3
Substitute the options into the sentence to see which one maintains the correct meaning.
Substituting 'undermine' fits the context perfectly ('evidence may undermine the validity...'), whereas the other options either invoke the irrelevant primary meaning of settling an agreement or fail to capture the sense of weakening.
Substitution confirms the semantic and grammatical suitability of the chosen option.

Key Concept

Secondary Meanings of Common Words
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Secondary Meanings of Common Words

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