A words in context question tests whether you can use the text to judge what a proposed action would mean. Read the full sentence to find the clue and its direction. Does the blank restate the clue, name its result, or turn against it? Use that link to predict the meaning in plain words before looking at the choices. A word can sound right for the topic but still describe something the sentence never shows.
Hints
- Hint 1
Read the words before the semicolon for the writer’s intended audience.
- Hint 2
Compare the diaries’ intended audience with making them public. Predict what that would mean for the writer’s privacy.
Step-by-step
Predict from the writer’s wishes
Step 1Find the clue about privacy
The diaries were so intimately personal that they were never intended for public view, which gives us a clue about the missing word. What does this tell us about the writer’s wishes? The diaries were meant to remain private, so we need to judge publishing them against that wish.
- Step 2
Predict what publishing would do
After the semicolon, to publish them now names what Hampton is judging. What would publishing do to the privacy described earlier? It would expose personal writing to an audience it wasn't meant for, so predict crossing a private boundary. The diaries’ private nature explains why Hampton objects to making them public.
- Step 3
Test the word meanings
Which meanings describe the effect on the writer’s privacy? A concession means something granted, given up, or admitted, but the writer didn't intend to give the public access to these diaries. An endorsement means approval or support, which doesn't describe Hampton’s objection. A celebration means honoring something or showing joy, and publishing these diaries would work against the writer’s privacy, not honor it.
- Step 4
Check the word against the clue
Violation means breaking a rule or crossing a boundary that should be respected. Does that describe Hampton’s concern? Publishing diaries never intended for public view crosses the writer’s private boundary, so the word names the harm publishing would do to privacy. Choice D.