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Difficulty: Very hardSynonyms and Words Nearest in Meaning

In the sentence below, the minister's mercurial temperament made it extremely difficult for senior civil servants to predict policy shifts from one week to the next. Which word is nearest in meaning to the underlined word?

  1. volatileAnswer
  2. B
    steadfast
  3. C
    malicious
  4. D
    diplomatic

Answer

The word nearest in meaning to 'mercurial' in the given context is 'volatile'.
In the given sentence, 'mercurial' describes a temperament characterized by sudden, unpredictable fluctuations, which is accurately captured by 'volatile'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context of the sentence
The contextual phrase 'made it extremely difficult for senior civil servants to predict policy shifts from one week to the next' implies erratic, rapidly changing behavior.
Contextual clues define the precise sense in which the target word is used.
2
Define the target word in context
'Mercurial' means characterized by rapid, unpredictable changes of mood, mind, or stance.
Determining the core contextual synonym needed for substitution.
3
Evaluate choices against the contextual meaning
'Volatile' directly conveys rapid, unpredictable change. The remaining choices represent an antonym, an unwarranted assumption of malice, or a misapplied domain register.
Selecting the choice that preserves sentence meaning while eliminating distractors.

Key Concept

Identifying contextual synonyms and distinguishing precise lexical nuances in formal passages.
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Topics

Synonyms and Words Nearest in Meaning

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