Read the following excerpt from a dramatic monologue carefully:
"Listen to me, noble chiefs of the council! You call my counsel rash because I refuse to bow before the storm. But I tell you, this timid peace you embrace is merely a phantom. It wears the mask of harmony today, yet tomorrow it will devour the very soil your ancestors bled to preserve."
As used in the passage above, what is the contextual meaning of the word "phantom"?
- An illusion or deceptive appearance of securityAnswer
- BA supernatural ghost or spectral apparition
- CA destructive physical beast or monster
- DA lasting and binding political treaty
Answer
An illusion or deceptive appearance of security
The word 'phantom' is used figuratively to describe a peace that is unreal and deceptively mask-like. The speaker warns that what appears to be harmony is actually an illusion that will bring ruin, making 'an illusion or deceptive appearance of security' the correct interpretation.
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Contextual Word Meaning in Literature