Read the unseen prose extract below carefully and match each highlighted word from the passage to its precise contextual meaning:
"The old merchant regarded the young suitor's mercenary intentions with cold detachment. Having accumulated vast wealth through decades of frugal living, he was not about to let a profligate youth squander his estate on ephemeral pleasures. Although the young man presented a specious argument regarding his honorable devotion to the family, the merchant remained impervious to such calculated charm."
- mercenaryMotivated primarily by financial greed
- profligateRecklessly extravagant and wasteful
- speciousSuperficially plausible but deceptive
- imperviousUnmoved and unaffected by persuasion
Answer
'mercenary' matches 'Motivated primarily by financial greed'; 'profligate' matches 'Recklessly extravagant and wasteful'; 'specious' matches 'Superficially plausible but deceptive'; 'impervious' matches 'Unmoved and unaffected by persuasion'.
Each word aligns precisely with the narrative dynamics of the excerpt: 'mercenary' underscores greed for wealth, 'profligate' denotes extravagant wastefulness, 'specious' highlights misleading reasoning, and 'impervious' emphasizes unyielding resistance.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Contextual Word Meaning and Vocabulary in Unseen Passages