Question

they can still be defined by using words around them as context.
a paragraph reads:
\if all else perished (died), and he remained, i should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.\
what word in the passage could you use to contextualize and infer the meaning of the word annihilated?
continue
perished
stranger
remained

Explanation:

The sentence uses a parallel structure. "If all else perished (died), and he remained..." and "if all else remained, and he were annihilated...". The structure implies that "annihilated" is the opposite - in terms of existence - of "remained" and has a similar meaning to "perished" (since the first part shows a situation where others die but he remains, and the second part is a contrast where others remain but he is in a state similar to the 'perished' state of others in the first scenario). So "perished" can help infer the meaning of "annihilated" as they are in a parallel, context - giving structure.

Answer:

Perished