SAT Reading & Writing · Words in Context
Despite the merger announcement, financial analysts described investor confidence as ______, pointing to unusually low trading volume and…
Despite the merger announcement, financial analysts described investor confidence as ______, pointing to unusually low trading volume and a wave of insider stock sales in the weeks that followed.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
Answer and explanation
Answer: B: guarded
Low trading volume and insider selling are both indirect signals of caution instead of enthusiasm, which guarded names: cautiously withholding full confidence. Exuberant would mean enthusiastic and unrestrained, the opposite of what these signals suggest. Incidental concerns something minor or accidental, not a deliberate stance toward the merger. Retroactive concerns applying backward in time, unrelated to a present stance of confidence.
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