Words in Context

SAT Reading and Writing· difficulty 3/5

The composer's late quartets reach a depth her earlier music only gestured toward. The grief is unmistakable, but she refuses the comforts of resolution; the music ends, in each case, on a note that withholds as much as it gives.

As used in the text, what does the word "withholds" most nearly mean?

  • A

    preserves intact

  • B

    refuses to grant

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  • C

    deducts from a paycheck

  • D

    physically detains

Explanation

The closing note refuses to grant full resolution; "withholds" means refuses to grant, not the tax, detaining, or preserving senses.

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