ASVAB · Vocabulary in Context

Read: 'The general's strategy proved prescient — the supply routes he had secured three months earlier became critical when the enemy cut off all other lines.' In context, 'prescient' most nearly means:

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Correct answer

Showing knowledge of future events; foresighted

A Complicated
B Unpopular
C Expensive
D Showing knowledge of future events; foresighted

Why this is the answer

Context clues: the strategy was made '3 months earlier' and it 'proved' its value later — the general correctly anticipated a future need. 'Prescient' = having foreknowledge, foresighted, almost prophetically accurate. The prefix 'pre' (before) + Latin 'scire' (to know) = knowing beforehand. Context alone allows this deduction without knowing the root — the timing words 'three months earlier' and 'proved' signal that the strategy correctly anticipated future events.

Source: ASVAB PC, Vocabulary in Context

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About this topic: Vocabulary in Context

Vocabulary-in-context questions ask what a word means as used in the passage. Substitute each answer into the sentence; the one that keeps the sentence's meaning is correct, even if the word has other meanings elsewhere. This is one of 13 Paragraph Comprehension questions on vocabulary in context, each with a full explanation on a single study page.

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Read: 'The general's strategy proved prescient — the supply routes he had secured three months earlier became critical when the enemy cut off all other lines.' In context, 'prescient' most nearly means:

Why this is the answer

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About this topic: Vocabulary in Context

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