Question 110·Medium·Words in Context
The CEO’s announcement that the company had achieved record profits was met with only cautious applause; investors, still wary after last year’s unexpected losses, found the boast ______.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
For SAT Words-in-Context questions like this, first read the entire sentence (and surrounding sentences if given) to understand the situation and tone before looking at the choices. Use contrast clues (like “however,” semicolons, or descriptions such as “still wary”) to predict the general idea that should fill the blank (for example, something like “too early” or “insincere”). Then, check each option’s exact dictionary meaning—not just its vibe—and plug it back into the sentence. Eliminate words that don’t logically explain the characters’ reactions or the cause-and-effect relationship in the sentence, and choose the one that fits both meaning and tone most precisely.
Hints
Focus on the clause after the semicolon
Reread the part after the semicolon: “investors, still wary after last year’s unexpected losses, found the boast ______.” What does being still wary suggest about how they react to the CEO’s bragging?
Think about the investors’ attitude
Is their attitude positive, neutral, or negative? Connect “cautious applause” and “still wary” to what kind of judgment they would make about the CEO’s announcement.
Match each option to that attitude
Briefly define each choice in your own words, then plug it into the sentence. Which one best explains why cautious and wary investors would react that way to the CEO’s boast?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the situation in the sentence
First, restate the sentence in your own words: The CEO announces record profits and boasts about them. However, investors only give cautious applause because they are still wary after last year’s unexpected losses. So the blank describes how the investors view the CEO’s boast.
Use context and tone clues
Look at the clause after the semicolon: “investors, still wary after last year’s unexpected losses, found the boast ___.” The phrase “still wary” and the mention of unexpected losses create a skeptical, cautious tone. Investors are not fully convinced; they think something is not quite appropriate about the CEO’s boasting at this time.
Check each answer’s meaning against the context
Now test each option by plugging it into the blank and asking, Does this match how wary investors would feel about the boast, given the recent losses?
- Would they see the boast as unnecessary repetition?
- As unclear or hard to understand?
- As poor or needy?
- Or as happening at a time that doesn’t make sense yet? Only one idea fits the logical reason for their cautious reaction.
Select the word that matches “too soon for comfort”
Because the investors are “still wary after last year’s unexpected losses,” they feel the CEO’s proud announcement of record profits comes too early for them to trust or celebrate it. That sense of being ill-timed or too soon makes D) premature the most logical and precise completion of the sentence.