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Question

Difficulty: EasyIdentifying Antonym and Contrast Context Clues

While modern composite airframes are remarkably resilient, earlier prototype materials were easily damaged under extreme thermal stress. Ground crews had to inspect older aircraft for fractures after every test flight, whereas new models consistently endured the harsh conditions without structural wear.

As used in the passage, what does the word "resilient" most nearly mean?

  1. A
    Easily damaged
  2. Able to withstand damageAnswer
  3. C
    Extremely expensive to produce
  4. D
    Recently manufactured

Answer

Able to withstand damage
The sentence opens with the contrast transition word 'While', contrasting the 'resilient' modern airframes with older prototypes that were 'easily damaged'. Additionally, the passage notes that new models 'consistently endured the harsh conditions', confirming that 'resilient' means able to withstand damage.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the contrast indicator and opposing clause in the text.
The word 'While' at the beginning of the sentence establishes a direct contrast between 'resilient' modern airframes and earlier prototypes that were 'easily damaged'.
Contrast signal words show that the two compared subjects possess opposite characteristics.
2
Determine the antonym of the contrast clue to define the target word.
Since the contrasting prototype materials were easily damaged and the new models endured harsh conditions, 'resilient' means able to withstand damage or recover quickly.
Deriving the opposite meaning of 'easily damaged' directly yields the definition of the target word.

Key Concept

Identifying Antonym and Contrast Context Clues
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Identifying Antonym and Contrast Context Clues

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