In discussing the letters of an eighteenth-century composer, biographer Lena Ortiz describes them as guarded. Ortiz does not mean that the letters avoid forceful judgments: they criticize patrons bluntly, but each criticism is presented as a remark made by an unnamed colleague. This indirection, Ortiz argues, let the composer circulate controversial views while making it difficult to attribute those views directly to him.
As used in the text, what does the word “guarded” most nearly mean?
For a difficult words-in-context question, identify both what the target word describes and what nearby details merely explain how that quality is produced. Use explicit contrasts to eliminate choices, then distinguish between an action or method and the broader stance or effect named by the target word.
Hints
Use the explicit contrast
Notice that the letters contain blunt criticism. Do not assume that caution must mean mild or restrained language.
Consider the role of attribution
Ask what the composer gains by presenting each criticism as someone else’s remark.
Separate method from stance
One choice describes how the criticism is delivered, while another describes the position the composer creates for himself through that delivery.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what the word does not mean
Ortiz explicitly says that the letters do not avoid forceful judgments: they criticize patrons bluntly. Thus, “guarded” does not mean that the composer’s language is unusually restrained.
Examine the method and its effect
The composer attributes each criticism to an unnamed colleague. This method allows controversial views to circulate while making it difficult to hold the composer directly responsible for them.
Distinguish purpose from method
The letters are indirectly critical, but indirection is the method the composer uses. “Guarded” more precisely describes the protective stance achieved by obscuring authorship, so Self-protective is the best answer.