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Difficulty: MediumVocabulary and Word Meaning in Context

During the economic summit, the finance minister emphasized that while aggressive fiscal expansion could stimulate short-term growth, policymakers must temper their enthusiasm with rigorous debt sustainability analysis to prevent hyperinflation.

In the passage context above, which of the following best captures the meaning of the word temper?

  1. moderate or restrainAnswer
  2. B
    harden or toughen through heat treatment
  3. C
    completely abandon or discard
  4. D
    express anger or irritability toward

Answer

The word 'temper' as used in this context means to moderate or restrain.
In the context of the sentence, 'temper' functions as a transitive verb meaning to soften, moderate, or exercise restraint over an intense feeling or action. The minister is warning that enthusiasm for fiscal growth must be moderated by analytical caution to avoid hyperinflation.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the sentence structure and surrounding vocabulary
The word 'temper' acts as a verb taking 'their enthusiasm' as its object and is paired with 'with rigorous debt sustainability analysis'.
Syntactic context reveals how the action acts upon the policymakers' enthusiasm.
2
Evaluate the contrasting logical relationship indicated by 'while'
'While' contrasts the potential benefit (short-term growth) with the need for caution (preventing hyperinflation).
The sentence presents a call for balance between aggressive expansion and cautious restraint.
3
Substitute candidate meanings into the text
Replacing 'temper' with 'moderate or restrain' preserves the logic that excitement should be balanced by careful analytical restraint.
Semantic substitution confirms that moderation fits both grammatically and contextually.

Key Concept

Contextual Word Meaning in Reading Comprehension
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Topics

Vocabulary and Word Meaning in Context

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