Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. Excluding the volatile food and energy components, so-called core prices accelerated from a month earlier, rising by a larger-than-forecast 0.6%. The measure jumped 5.5% from a year earlier, the biggest advance since 1991. The increase in the CPI was led by higher prices for shelter and used vehicles.Food costs also contributed.Energy prices, which were a key driver of inflation through most of 2021, fell last month. The data bolster expectations that the Fed will begin raising interest rates in March, a sharp policy adjustment from the timeline projected just a few months ago. Rock-solid inflation has proven more stubborn and widespread than the central bank predicted amid unprecedented demand for goods along with capacity constraints related to the supply of both labor and materials. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate has now fallen below 4%. Against this evolving backdrop, some Fed policy makers have said that it could be appropriate to begin shrinking the central bank’s balance sheet soon after raising rates. Market expectations for Fed tightening expected in March and 2022 as a whole were largely unchanged after the report. Yields on 10-year Treasuries fluctuated while S&P 500 futures maintained gains and the dollar extended its decline on the day. The energy index declined 0.4% from November, the first monthly decline since April as gasoline prices slided. Food inflation climbed 0.5%, a slight deceleration from the previous month due to falling costs for meats. Shelter costs which are considered to be a more structural component of the CPI and make up about a third of the overall index—rose 0.4% from the prior month. Other gauges of home prices and rents have surged last year, likely presaging a sharp acceleration in the report’s housing metrics this year and offering an enduring tailwind to inflation.
Choose the word which is most nearly the same in meaning of the word 'Rock-solid'.
Invariable
Understanding the Meaning of 'Rock-solid' in the Passage
The question asks for the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as 'Rock-solid' based on its usage in the provided passage. The passage discusses inflation and states that "Rock-solid inflation has proven more stubborn and widespread than the central bank predicted".
Let's analyze the context in which 'Rock-solid' is used. It describes the nature of inflation. When something is described as 'rock-solid', it usually means it is firm, stable, strong, and not easily changed or moved. In the context of inflation, 'rock-solid' suggests that the high rate of inflation is not temporary but is firm and likely to persist.
Now let's look at the given options:
- High: While the rock-solid inflation discussed in the passage is indeed high (5.5% year-on-year), the term 'rock-solid' emphasizes its stability and stubbornness, not just its level. Something can be high but volatile.
- Obnoxious: This means extremely unpleasant. It describes a feeling or quality unrelated to the firmness or stability of a condition like inflation.
- Invariable: This means never changing; constant. This aligns well with the idea of 'rock-solid' inflation being stubborn and widespread, implying it is not changing or decreasing easily.
- Explicit: This means stated clearly and in detail. It describes clarity or precision, not the stability or firmness of something like inflation.
- Delectable: This means delicious or very pleasant to taste or smell. It is related to food and is irrelevant in this context.
Considering the context in the passage, where 'Rock-solid' is used to describe inflation that is stubborn and widespread, the word that best captures the sense of being unchanging or constant in its high state is 'Invariable'. The inflation is described as 'rock-solid' because it is not easily changing or going away; it is proving to be invariable in its high level.
Therefore, 'Invariable' is the word most nearly the same in meaning to 'Rock-solid' in this context.
Important Questions from Reading Comprehension
Why, according to the writer can't people be motivated to use a resource prudently?
1. They feel that others may overuse the resource
2. It is possible to substitute the resource
3. Abundance of the resource availability
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
When do people use resources exhaustively?
The self-interest of people affects the use of renewable resources
People rooted in a locality
Which among the following is closest in meaning with the word 'deplete'?
