Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyLeveraging Secondary and Obscure Word Definitions

During the diplomatic summit, the envoy did not declare his government's intentions outright; instead, he preferred to _____ their position through nuanced phrasing and indirect remarks. Which of the following words best completes the sentence?

  1. intimateAnswer
  2. B
    proclaim
  3. C
    conceal
  4. D
    ratify
  5. E
    familiarize

Answer

The word 'intimate' correctly completes the sentence by leveraging its secondary verb definition, meaning to hint or state indirectly.
The correct option is 'intimate'. As a verb, to intimate means to hint or communicate indirectly, which aligns precisely with the clue 'nuanced phrasing and indirect remarks' in contrast to declaring a stance outright.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze structural contrast and context clues in the stem.
The phrase 'did not declare... outright; instead, he preferred to...' signals a contrast between direct declaration and indirect communication ('nuanced phrasing and indirect remarks').
Identifying the contextual pivot helps determine that the missing word must mean to state or suggest subtly.
2
Evaluate definitions of the options, focusing on secondary meanings of familiar words.
While 'intimate' is commonly known as an adjective meaning close or personal, as a verb it means to communicate delicately and indirectly, matching the context.
Recognizing polysemy allows for selecting the precise verb definition required by sentence context.

Key Concept

Secondary Verb Definitions of Polysemous Words
Rate this question

Topics

Leveraging Secondary and Obscure Word Definitions

More questions from this topic