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Question

Difficulty: HardSecondary Meanings and Polysemy

In his exhaustive study of early modern legal institutions, the historian observed that despite formal attempts by the centralized state to codify statutory law, local customary practices continued to __________ throughout the rural provinces well into the eighteenth century.

Which of the following words best completes the sentence?

  1. obtainAnswer
  2. B
    acquire
  3. C
    lapse
  4. D
    proliferate
  5. E
    falter

Answer

obtain
The correct word is 'obtain'. In formal academic prose, 'obtain' has a secondary intransitive definition meaning 'to be prevalent, customary, or in effect'. The clause states that despite central government efforts to standardize law, customary regional traditions continued to be in effect ('obtain') in rural areas.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze sentence syntax and structural indicators
The sentence features a contrast signal ('despite formal attempts... to codify statutory law') implying that despite top-down legal standardization, local customs remained in effect and customary.
Understanding sentence context and structural pivot clues determines the required semantic meaning of the missing word.
2
Determine the required target meaning for the blank
The blank requires a verb that means 'to remain prevalent, valid, customary, or in effect'.
The sentence explains that local traditions continued to hold sway in rural provinces.
3
Evaluate vocabulary options for secondary meanings
While 'obtain' is commonly used as a transitive verb meaning 'to acquire', its secondary intransitive meaning is 'to be established, prevalent, or customary' (e.g., 'the rule still obtains').
'Obtain' fits the precise secondary definition required by advanced GRE Text Completion questions.

Key Concept

Secondary Meanings of Polysemous Words
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Topics

Secondary Meanings and Polysemy

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