A words in context question tests whether you can use the text to work out a missing word’s meaning. Read the whole sentence, then find the clue that explains the blank, especially after a semicolon. Ask whether the clue restates the idea, gives its cause, or contrasts with it; contrast words point you toward an opposite meaning. Predict in plain words, then test each choice’s meaning against that prediction. A word can sound suitable for the topic without expressing what the text shows.
Hints
- Hint 1
Read past the semicolon and look for the evidence and the proposed explanations. What do these tell you about the researchers’ understanding?
- Hint 2
Use the opening phrase to guide your prediction. What would decades of study lead you to expect, and does the evidence after the semicolon support that expectation?
Step-by-step
Find the clue, predict, and test meanings
Step 1Read what the evidence supports
After the semicolon, researchers use limited sonar data to propose hypotheses, or possible explanations. The blank describes the migration patterns, so what does this tell us about how well those patterns are known? Researchers are still building possible explanations from limited evidence, so they don't have firm answers yet.
- Step 2
Follow the contrast and predict
Why does the text begin with Even after decades of study? That phrase shows that years of effort haven't produced a firm answer. The hypotheses often contradict one another, so they don't add up to one agreed explanation. The blank needs to describe a difficulty that has lasted despite the research. Let's predict still hard to understand or pin down.
- Step 3
Test the other meanings
Which meanings miss that prediction? Coherent means logical and consistent, which conflicting hypotheses don't show. Predictable means able to be known in advance, but limited sonar data don't show that researchers can predict the patterns. Ostentatious means showy or meant to attract attention, while the difficulty here is understanding the patterns, not putting on a display.
- Step 4
Check the precise meaning
Elusive means hard to find, grasp, or understand. Can it describe the observed migration patterns? Yes, because something can be seen without being fully understood: researchers have data, but those data haven't settled how the squid migrate. The word describes the difficulty of pinning down the patterns, which has lasted through many years of research. Choice D.