Recover word meaning from its local context
Context includes the words and sentences surrounding an unfamiliar term. Writers may supply a definition, a contrast, an example or a consequence that narrows the meaning. Before substituting a dictionary meaning you happen to remember, ask what role the word plays in this sentence. The same word can have different senses in different settings. Worked example: an editor describes a timetable as tentative and immediately says it may change when a venue confirms its hours. The revision condition supports a meaning like not yet final. It does not support inaccurate, old or unrelated merely because those words might also describe some timetables. Substitute your proposed meaning and check whether the next sentence still makes sense. The diagnostic uses a different context and asks for the closest meaning, not a scientific fact about the specimen mentioned. Mark the clue that determines your choice. When reviewing vocabulary, record the term, a short sentence and the evidence for its meaning. Avoid memorizing an answer letter or treating every unfamiliar word as a medical term. This small unit teaches a method; it is not a complete HESI vocabulary list or a promise that these words appear on a secure test.
An editor writes: “The specimen label is provisional. We will use it for now, but a second examination may require us to change it.” In this sentence, provisional most nearly means:
- “For now” and the possibility of revision identify a temporary status pending confirmation. The context supplies the meaning without requiring outside knowledge about the specimen.
Compare the other answer choices
A label that may change after review is not established permanently.
The passage concerns the label’s status, not whether it is related to the specimen.
The label is being used now; provisional does not mean that it has already been replaced.
Try it, then explain it.
Complete a short set without looking at the example. After each answer, explain which evidence or rule supports your decision and why the alternatives do not fit.
Sources & authorship
Original Slope explanations and examples. References support the concepts; they are not the source of copied questions. Independent educator review is pending.
LibreTexts—While Reading Strategies