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Difficulty: MediumSynonym Context Clues

During the prolonged search-and-rescue mission, the team leader praised the canine unit for its tenacious pursuit, a persistent and unrelenting effort that never wavered despite exhaustion. In this sentence, what is the meaning of the underlined word tenacious?

  1. A
    tentative
  2. persistentAnswer
  3. C
    hesitant
  4. D
    temporary

Answer

persistent
The sentence provides an explicit appositive context clue immediately following the target word: 'a persistent and unrelenting effort that never wavered'. This restatement directly establishes that 'tenacious' means holding firmly to a purpose, which corresponds directly to 'persistent'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the target word and identify surrounding context clues in the sentence.
The target word is 'tenacious', describing the canine unit's pursuit during a search-and-rescue operation.
Context clues often immediately follow or restate the target word to clarify its meaning.
2
Analyze the clarifying appositive phrase set off by commas.
The phrase 'a persistent and unrelenting effort that never wavered' directly restates and clarifies the quality of the pursuit.
Appositive phrases function as explicit synonym clues by providing direct definitions or parallel terms.
3
Match the meaning derived from the context clue to the correct option.
The word 'persistent' exactly matches the definition provided by 'persistent and unrelenting'.
The correct synonym must reflect the meaning conveyed by the explicit context clue.

Key Concept

Using appositive and restatement context clues to determine the synonym of an unfamiliar word in context
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Synonym Context Clues

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