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Difficulty: MediumVocabulary and Word Meaning in Context

Read the sentence below carefully. Based on the surrounding context, fill in the blank with the word that best completes the meaning of yielding or lessening the firmness of one's stance.

Answer:Despite fierce opposition from committee members, the director refused to 【soften】 her stance on the proposed environmental policy.

Answer

The blank is accurately completed by words such as 'soften', 'moderate', or 'relax', which express reducing the intensity or firmness of a position.
In this contextual scenario, the sentence requires a verb signifying a reduction in rigidity or an act of compromise. Words such as 'soften', 'moderate', or 'relax' correctly convey that the director declined to lessen the firmness of her policy position.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the syntactic and semantic context of the sentence.
The phrase 'refused to [blank] her stance' combined with 'despite fierce opposition' indicates an unwillingness to make a position less rigid or compromising.
The prepositional phrase 'despite fierce opposition' establishes a contrast, signaling that an action showing concession or relaxation of firmness was expected but rejected.
2
Identify semantically appropriate substitution words.
Words like 'soften', 'moderate', or 'relax' fit grammatically as infinitives after 'refused to' and convey the contextual meaning of yielding.
These options capture the exact contextual nuance of easing a rigid position in formal administrative discourse.

Key Concept

Vocabulary and Word Meaning in Context
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Vocabulary and Word Meaning in Context

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