SAT OwlQuestion bank / Words in Context
Some historians portray the treaty as a triumph of diplomacy. Yet the negotiators' own letters reveal that neither side believed the agreement would last, and each signed it chiefly to buy time to rearm. Far from settling the conflict, the treaty was, in one historian's words, merely a ______ arrangement.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
magnanimous
clandestine
definitive
provisional
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D
Both sides expected the treaty to fail and used it to buy time, so it was temporary by design. "Provisional" means arranged for the present, possibly to be changed later. That fits "far from settling the conflict."
Choice B, "clandestine," may seem to fit the private letters, but the treaty itself was public; the issue is how long it was meant to last, not secrecy.
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