The more definitions a given noun has, the more valuable is each one.

Question

The more definitions a given noun has, the more valuable is each one. Multiple definitions, each subtly different from all the others, convey multiple shades of meaning. They expand the uses of the word; language is enriched, thought is widened, and interpretations increase or dilate to fill the potentialities of association. The very impossibility of absoluteness in the definition of certain nouns adds to the levels of connotation they may reach. The inner life of a writer often says more than most readers can know; the mind of a reader can discover truths that go beyond the intent or perhaps even the comprehension of the writer. And all of it finds expression because a word can mean many things.    1 
 1. In the context in which it appears, “shades” (line 2) most nearly means

A reminders
B nuances
C obscurities
D coverings
E degrees

2 
 2. The passage suggests that a writer’s use of nouns that have multiple definitions can have which of the following effects on the relationship between writer and reader?

A. It can encourage the reader to consider how the writer’s life might have influenced the work.
B. It can cause the reader to become frustrated with the writer’s failure to distinguish between subtle shades of meaning.
C. It can allow the reader to discern in a work certain meanings that the writer did not foresee.
D. It allows the writer to provide the reader with clues beyond the word itself in order to avoid ambiguity.
E. It allows the writer to present unfamiliar ideas to the reader more efficiently.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. In the context in which it appears, “shades” (line 2) most nearly means

Explanation

In the context in which it appears,  “shades”  is used to refer to the subtle distinctions in meaning that are made possible by  “multiple definitions, each subtly different from all the others.”  Since the sentence deals with multiple definitions conveying meaning,  Choice C (“obscurities”)  and the more literal
 
  Choice D (“coverings”)  may be eliminated. In deciding between  Choice B and     Choice E , one should bear in mind that the sentence focuses on subtle   differences in meaning as opposed to different degrees of emphasis for the same   meaning.

Choice B, “nuances,”  best captures this sense of slight variations in   meaning and is therefore the correct answer.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. The passage suggests that a writer’s use of nouns that have multiple definitions can have which of the following effects on the relationship between writer and reader?

Explanation

Passage clearly indicate that multiple meanings of words enable readers to  “discover truths that go beyond the intent or perhaps even the comprehension of the writer” ; hence,  Choice C  is the correct answer. Choices A, B, D, and E all deal with topics that are not mentioned in the passage: the writer’s life, the reader’s frustration, the avoidance of ambiguity, and the question of how efficiently multiple definitions can aid in the presentation of unfamiliar ideas.

The more definitions a given noun has, the more valuable is each one.

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