In CAT RC, a word's meaning in context is best inferred from:

### Understanding Contextual Vocabulary in CAT RC In the Reading Comprehension (RC) section of the CAT, you are often tested on your ability to understand a word as it is used in a specific passage, rather than its literal or most common dictionary definition. This is known as **Contextual Meaning**. #### Step-by-Step Analysis: 1. **Analyze the Sentence Structure:** Look at the word's position in the sentence. Is it describing a noun, or is it the action itself? The grammatical relationship helps narrow down the word's function. 2. **Identify Semantic Clues:** Authors often provide hints such as: - **Synonyms/Restatements:** "The politician was $loquacious$; indeed, he never stopped talking." - **Contrast:** "Unlike the $austere$ surroundings of the monastery, the palace was filled with gold." - **Cause and Effect:** "Because the bridge was $tenuous$, it collapsed under the weight of the truck." 3. **Evaluate the Tone and Flow:** The logical progression of the argument (the 'flow') dictates whether a word should have a positive, negative, or neutral connotation. #### Why other options are incorrect: - **External Dictionary:** You do not have access to one during the exam, and CAT often uses words in figurative ways that standard definitions might miss. - **Author's Name:** This might hint at a general style, but it cannot define a specific vocabulary word. - **Font Choice:** This is a purely visual element and holds no linguistic value in standard RC passages. **Final Conclusion:** Meaning is derived from the **Surrounding words and sentence flow**.