Question 87·Hard·Words in Context
In her memoir, the scientist ______ recounts the experimental setbacks she faced, refusing to obscure the miscalculations that eventually led to her breakthrough.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
For SAT Words-in-Context questions, always read the entire sentence first and use any strong clue phrases—like "refusing to obscure"—to predict the general meaning (for example, "openly and honestly") before looking at the choices. Then, eliminate options that clearly clash with the tone or logic (wrong attitude, wrong part of speech, or wrong idea such as frequency instead of manner), and choose the one word that best matches the meaning implied by the context rather than relying on whether the word simply “sounds good.”
Hints
Look at the clause after the comma
Focus on the phrase “refusing to obscure the miscalculations that eventually led to her breakthrough.” What does this tell you about how she talks about her past mistakes?
Think about attitude, not time or frequency
Is the blank describing how often she recounts the setbacks, or the way and attitude with which she recounts them?
Check for a word that fits the tone of honesty
The sentence praises the scientist for not hiding her errors. Which option matches a tone of open, straightforward treatment of difficult or embarrassing facts, instead of hesitation, randomness, or indirectness?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the situation in the sentence
Read the whole sentence and restate it in your own words:
"In her memoir, the scientist ______ recounts the experimental setbacks she faced, refusing to obscure the miscalculations that eventually led to her breakthrough."
This means she is writing about her experimental setbacks and miscalculations, and she refuses to hide or cover them up. So the blank must describe the way she recounts these failures.
Use the key context clue: “refusing to obscure”
Focus on the phrase “refusing to obscure the miscalculations.” To "obscure" something is to hide it or make it unclear.
If she refuses to obscure them, then she is:
- being very open about her mistakes,
- not trying to hide or soften them,
- facing them directly and honestly.
So the missing word should describe direct, straightforward, and brave honesty about uncomfortable facts.
Check each answer choice against the meaning from context
Now compare each option to the meaning suggested by the sentence:
- reluctantly = unwillingly, with hesitation.
- sporadically = occasionally or at irregular intervals.
- obliquely = indirectly, not in a straightforward way.
None of these match the idea of boldly and directly telling the truth:
- "Reluctantly" suggests she doesn’t really want to talk about her mistakes, which clashes with “refusing to obscure” them.
- "Sporadically" talks about how often something happens, but the sentence is about how honestly she tells the story.
- "Obliquely" means indirectly, which is the opposite of refusing to hide or blur the truth.
That leaves the remaining option, which describes facing and describing difficult truths directly and without avoidance; this best fits the context of honest, open recounting of setbacks.
State the correct answer
The word that best matches the idea of directly and bravely recounting her mistakes, while "refusing to obscure" them, is “unflinchingly.”