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Question

Difficulty: EasyAntonym Context Clues

Rather than spending money extravagantly on luxury office furnishings, the department head remained frugal with the administrative budget. What is the meaning of the underlined word frugal as used in this sentence?

  1. A
    Wasteful and excessive
  2. Economical and thriftyAnswer
  3. C
    Cruel and mean-spirited
  4. D
    Fragile and easily broken

Answer

Economical and thrifty
The sentence begins with the contrast phrase 'Rather than spending money extravagantly,' which signals that the department head did the opposite of spending excessively. Therefore, 'frugal' means careful, thrifty, and economical with money.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the contrast clue in the sentence
The phrase 'Rather than spending money extravagantly' establishes an antonym relationship with the target word.
Contrast transition markers indicate that the target word means the opposite of the clue.
2
Determine the opposite of the clue word
The opposite of 'extravagantly' (spending carelessly or excessively) is managing resources carefully and thriftily.
Applying the antonym clue directly reveals the contextual definition of 'frugal'.

Key Concept

Using contrast transition phrases ('Rather than') to determine word meaning through antonym clues.
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Antonym Context Clues

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