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Difficulty: HardElaboration and Restatement Clues

The policy board’s new compliance manual is fundamentally ________; in other words, it sets down exact, mandatory instructions for every stage of the manufacturing process rather than offering general, discretionary advice. Which of the following words best completes the blank in the sentence?

  1. prescriptiveAnswer
  2. B
    discretionary
  3. C
    tentative
  4. D
    ambiguous
  5. E
    visionary

Answer

The word 'prescriptive' correctly completes the sentence because it means imposing definitive rules or directions, matching the elaboration clue provided after the semicolon.
The transition 'in other words' functions as an explicit restatement signal. The elaboration that follows defines the manual as setting down exact, mandatory instructions. The word meaning 'enforcing authoritative rules or instructions' is 'prescriptive', making it the logically necessary fit.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify structural clues and restatement signals in the sentence stem.
The phrase 'in other words' following the semicolon signals an explicit elaboration or restatement of the missing descriptor in the first clause.
Restatement clues indicate that the second clause defines or expands directly upon the blank in the main clause.
2
Analyze the contextual meaning established by the restatement clause.
The elaboration specifies that the manual 'sets down exact, mandatory instructions... rather than offering general, discretionary advice.'
This establishes that the target word must describe something that dictates explicit, obligatory rules.
3
Evaluate the vocabulary options against the required meaning.
'Prescriptive' precisely means enforcing authoritative rules or instructions. The remaining options either state the opposite or introduce irrelevant concepts.
Selecting 'prescriptive' satisfies both the semantic demand of the sentence and the logical constraint set by the restatement clue.

Key Concept

Elaboration and Restatement Clues
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Topics

Elaboration and Restatement Clues

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