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Question

Difficulty: HardAntonym Context Clues

Read the sentence below and identify the word that best completes the thought based on the contrast clue. Which word correctly fills in the blank?

Answer:In sharp contrast to his predecessor's lavish expenditures on luxury fixtures, the new base comptroller instituted remarkably 【frugal】 procurement policies that eliminated all non-essential spending.

Answer

frugal (or thrifty / economical)
The introductory phrase 'In sharp contrast to' indicates that the missing descriptor is the opposite of 'lavish' (extravagant and wasteful). The term 'frugal' precisely conveys careful, sparing, and economical resource management, which directly aligns with eliminating non-essential spending.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the structural contrast marker in the sentence.
The opening prepositional phrase 'In sharp contrast to' establishes an explicit opposite relationship between the predecessor's actions and the new comptroller's policies.
Contrast markers signal that the target word must have a meaning opposite to the provided context clue.
2
Analyze the meaning of the underlined clue word.
The word 'lavish' describes spending that is extravagant, excessive, and wasteful.
Understanding the precise definition and connotation of the clue word provides the reference point for finding its antonym.
3
Deduce the required antonym that fits the remaining sentence context.
The target term must mean prudent, sparing, or economical, particularly in reference to cutting non-essential spending, yielding 'frugal'.
The blank modifies procurement policies characterized by eliminating non-essential costs.

Key Concept

Antonym Context Clues in Sentence Comprehension
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Antonym Context Clues

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