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Difficulty: HardInferring Meaning from Examples and Explanations

Deep within the Earth's mantle, rock under extreme heat and confining pressure behaves in a plastic manner. Unlike brittle surface rocks that shatter when stressed, this solid material yields continuously over millennia without fracturing, much like warm wax flowing slowly under steady gravitational pull. This property allows solid convective plumes to rise toward the crust while maintaining their crystalline coherence.

Based on the examples and explanations in the passage, what does the word 'plastic' most nearly mean?

  1. A
    composed of synthetic polymer compounds
  2. B
    melted into a free-flowing liquid state
  3. capable of deforming steadily without fracturingAnswer
  4. D
    rigid and unyielding under physical stress

Answer

capable of deforming steadily without fracturing
The correct answer accurately reflects the passage's explicit explanation that the solid rock yields continuously over millennia without fracturing, directly contrasting with brittle rocks that shatter under stress.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the target word and surrounding explanatory context in the text.
The word 'plastic' describes how deep mantle rock behaves under intense heat and pressure.
Contextual clues immediately follow the sentence introducing the target term.
2
Analyze the contrastive and descriptive clues provided by the author.
The text contrasts 'plastic' behavior with 'brittle surface rocks that shatter' and clarifies that this solid material 'yields continuously over millennia without fracturing.'
Explanatory clauses define the exact nature of the deformation.
3
Match the synthesized meaning with the available answer choices.
The option stating 'capable of deforming steadily without fracturing' captures both the continuous yielding and the absence of breakage described in the passage.
This is the only definition directly supported by the author's concrete explanation.

Key Concept

Inferring specialized contextual vocabulary definitions through contrastive examples and explanatory clauses.
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Inferring Meaning from Examples and Explanations

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