ASVAB · Vocabulary in Context

Read the passage and answer: The bridge was designed to be RIGID so that it would not bend or sway under heavy loads. As used in the passage, RIGID most nearly means:

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Correct answer

Stiff and unbending

A Decorative
B Flexible
C Lightweight
D Stiff and unbending

Why this is the answer

The context explains the meaning directly: the bridge is RIGID 'so that it would not bend or sway.' Something that does not bend is stiff and unbending. The distractor 'flexible' is the opposite of what the passage describes. Vocabulary-in-context items reward reading the surrounding words: here the phrase 'would not bend or sway' defines RIGID for you. Choose the synonym that matches the passage's usage — stiff and unbending — rather than a meaning the word might have in another context.

Source: ASVAB Paragraph Comprehension — 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 passage and answer: The bridge was designed to be RIGID so that it would not bend or sway under heavy loads. As used in the passage, RIGID most nearly means:

Why this is the answer

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About this topic: Vocabulary in Context

Related questions

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