Question

read the sentence and answer the question that follows.
his timid, diffident personality made it difficult for him to connect with customers and convince them to buy cars.
based on the use of context clues, what is the best definition of diffident?
sneaky, willing to take advantage of someone else
pitiful, constantly needing a lot of help
mean - spirited, always looking down others
shy, lacking self - confidence

Explanation:

The word "timid" means shy and lacking courage. Since "diffident" is used in parallel with "timid" (joined by a comma, which often indicates similar - meaning words in such a construction), it likely has a similar connotation. The context of having difficulty connecting with customers (which a shy and self - doubting person would struggle with) also supports this. The other options ("sneaky...", "pitiful...", "mean - spirited...") do not align with the context of having trouble connecting with others in a sales (car - buying) context as well as the parallelism with "timid".

Answer:

Shy, lacking self - confidence