A words in context question tests whether you can use the text to work out a missing word's meaning. When the blank is followed by a goal, read that goal and the rest of the sentence to see what the missing word must name. Use those clues to predict the meaning in plain words, then test each word by its meaning. A word can fit the grammar and still add something the text doesn't show.
Hints
- Hint 1
Look at the goal after the blank. What does the missing noun have to do with that goal?
- Hint 2
Make a plain-word prediction using both the goal and the sentence's word initiative.
Step-by-step
Use the project and its goal
Step 1Predict what the missing noun names
Follow the sentence from the blank to the initiative, which names the officials' work. The phrase to balance historic preservation with the demand for affordable housing tells us what that work is meant to reach. What kind of noun would connect the officials to this goal? An initiative is a project started to reach a goal, so let's predict an effort or attempt to bring the two needs into balance.
- Step 2
Test the other meanings
Do the passionate support and the fierce opposition change what we're naming? These are reactions to the initiative, not evidence that the officials are unwilling to carry it out. Hesitation means not wanting to act or delaying, which the sentence doesn't show in the officials. Discretion means good judgment or freedom to decide, but the passage doesn't describe their care in deciding or their right to make decisions. Immunity means protection from something, and the sentence gives no sign that the officials are protected from criticism or any other harm.
- Step 3
Check the word in the sentence
Try endeavor with to balance. An endeavor is an effort or attempt to reach a goal, so the full phrase names the officials' work toward that goal. It describes an attempt rather than a result, which fits a sentence about a plan whose success hasn't been reported. Choice B.