Question 132·Hard·Words in Context
Historians long assumed that medieval villagers rarely ventured far from their birthplaces; recently uncovered toll records, however, paint a far more ______ picture, showing farmers crisscrossing entire kingdoms to attend seasonal fairs.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
For Words-in-Context questions, always start by ignoring the answer choices and reading the full sentence carefully, especially transition words like “however,” “although,” or “but,” which tell you whether the blank should agree with or oppose earlier information. Paraphrase the meaning of the blank in your own simple words using clues before and after it—here, “crisscrossing entire kingdoms” clearly suggests lots of travel. Only after you have a rough meaning in mind should you look at the answer choices, define each one, and eliminate those that contradict the sentence’s logic or tone, even if they sound sophisticated. Choose the one word whose definition cleanly matches your paraphrased meaning and fits the contrast or cause-effect relationship in the sentence.
Hints
Pay attention to the contrast word
Look closely at the phrase “recently uncovered toll records, however, paint a far more ______ picture.” The word “however” tells you the new picture should be the opposite of “rarely ventured far from their birthplaces.”
Use the example after the blank
The part after the blank says “showing farmers crisscrossing entire kingdoms to attend seasonal fairs.” Ask yourself: what does this tell you about how much the farmers moved around?
Describe the blank in your own words
Before looking too hard at the choices, try to say in simple words what kind of picture the toll records paint—think about whether it suggests staying put or moving around a lot.
Eliminate choices that clash with ‘crisscrossing entire kingdoms’
Check each option and remove any whose meaning (once you recall it) clearly contradicts the idea of people traveling long distances across whole kingdoms.
Step-by-step Explanation
Use the contrast clue
Focus on the structure of the sentence:
- “Historians long assumed that medieval villagers rarely ventured far from their birthplaces; recently uncovered toll records, however, paint a far more ______ picture…”
- The word “however” signals a contrast between the old assumption and the new evidence.
- Old assumption: villagers rarely ventured far.
- New evidence: must show the opposite—villagers traveling more than expected.
Use the example after the comma
Look at the phrase after the blank: “showing farmers crisscrossing entire kingdoms to attend seasonal fairs.”
- “Crisscrossing entire kingdoms” suggests a lot of travel over long distances.
- So the new picture is one of villagers being very mobile, not staying in one place.
- Mentally, you might fill in the blank with something like “mobile,” “traveling,” or “constantly on the move.”
Define each answer choice
Now match that idea to the choices by recalling what each word means:
- parochial: limited, narrow, or local in outlook; also relating to a parish.
- stationary: not moving; fixed in one place.
- anachronistic: out of its proper time period; historically out of place.
- peripatetic: traveling from place to place, often for work or duty. Keep in mind that the correct choice must match the idea of lots of movement and travel.
Match the meaning to the context
The blank needs a word that matches villagers crisscrossing entire kingdoms and contrasts with “rarely ventured far.”
- parochial suggests being limited or local, which reinforces the old view instead of contradicting it.
- stationary means not moving, the exact opposite of “crisscrossing entire kingdoms.”
- anachronistic is about being out of time, which the sentence never mentions.
- peripatetic directly describes a lifestyle of moving from place to place, which fits the new picture of traveling farmers perfectly.
So, the correct answer is D) peripatetic.