Question 164·Medium·Words in Context
Though the committee's findings were incomplete, they were still considered ______: they accurately reflected the data that were available at the time.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
For Words-in-Context questions, first use the sentence structure and punctuation (like commas and colons) to see how ideas relate—contrast, cause, explanation. Next, restate in your own words what the blank needs to mean, based on nearby clues. Then quickly test each choice by definition, eliminating any with the wrong tone or focus (for example, words about timing when the sentence is about accuracy). Finally, plug the remaining option into the sentence to confirm it makes the meaning clearer and more precise, not just barely acceptable.
Hints
Focus on the contrast
Look at the word “Though” at the beginning. What is the limitation mentioned, and what positive quality do the findings still have despite that limitation?
Use the explanation after the colon
The phrase after the colon explains why the findings were still valued. What does “they accurately reflected the data that were available at the time” suggest about the kind of word that should fill the blank?
Check tone and meaning of each option
Decide whether each choice describes being accurate and matching the data, or whether it describes something else like uncertainty, copying, or timing.
Try substitution
Read the sentence with each answer choice in place of the blank and see which one makes the clearest, most logical sense with the idea of accurately reflecting the data.
Step-by-step Explanation
Use the sentence structure and clues
The sentence starts with “Though,” which sets up a contrast: something is true despite a limitation. The limitation is that the findings were “incomplete,” but the second part, after the colon, explains what was still good about them: “they accurately reflected the data that were available at the time.” The blank must describe findings that, even if incomplete, still accurately matched or stood for the data.
Identify the needed meaning and tone
Because the findings are said to “accurately” reflect the data, the tone about the blank is positive. We need a word that means something like “accurately showing,” “standing for,” or “typical of” the available data. Any option that mainly suggests doubt, copying, or bad timing will not match this idea.
Test and eliminate mismatching options
Check each option against the idea of “accurately reflecting the available data.”
- Tentative means uncertain or not final; it focuses on doubt, not on accurately reflecting data.
- Derivative means copied from or based too much on another source; that has nothing to do with accurately matching data.
- Premature means happening too soon; this is about timing, not about whether the findings match the data.
None of these directly capture the idea of accurately matching or standing for the data.
Confirm the remaining option fits
The remaining option, “representative,” means typical of a group, sample, or whole; something representative accurately stands for the larger set. That perfectly matches the explanation that the findings “accurately reflected the data that were available at the time.” Therefore, the correct answer is B) representative.