Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumVocabulary and Word Meaning in Context

Read the passage excerpt below carefully and complete the statement with the most appropriate contextual meaning of the highlighted word.

Answer:Passage excerpt: "Despite the board's optimistic financial projections, the lead auditor refused to sanction the expenditure until verifiable receipts were presented."

In the passage above, the word sanction contextually means to 【authorize】.

Answer

The word 'sanction' in this context means to authorize or approve.
In an administrative and auditing context, 'sanction' functions as a verb meaning to give official authorization or permission for an expenditure.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the syntactic role and immediate context of the target word in the sentence.
The word 'sanction' is used as an infinitive verb ('refused to sanction the expenditure').
The surrounding phrase 'until verifiable receipts were presented' indicates an official process of granting permission for financial disbursement.
2
Distinguish between competing definitions of the contronym 'sanction'.
'Sanction' can mean either to grant official approval or to impose penalties. Here, it clearly denotes granting formal permission.
An auditor reviewing financial documents grants formal authorization when compliance conditions (verifiable receipts) are met.
3
Determine the appropriate semantic replacement.
Words such as 'authorize', 'approve', or 'endorse' seamlessly substitute for 'sanction' without changing the meaning of the excerpt.
Substituting 'authorize' preserves the intended administrative and financial register of the passage.

Key Concept

Contextual Word Meaning and Contronyms
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

Vocabulary and Word Meaning in Context

More questions from this topic