Question

3 since he was always enthusiastic, confident, and helpful, his co - workers agreed that his personality was a plus. as used in this sentence, “plus” most nearly means— a. on the positive side of a scale. b. having negative qualities. c. pleasant. d. an advantage. 4. after we won our final game, the predominant feeling in the room was elation. as used in this sentence, “predominant” most nearly means— a. prevailing b. frequent. c. superior. d. absolute. 5 they couldn’t reach an agreement because the three parties were rigid and wanted only their own way. as used in this sentence, “rigid” most nearly means— a. incapable of compromise. b. open and agreeable. c. incapable of physically bending d. docile and easy to sway.

Explanation:

• For question 3:
• The context shows that his positive traits (enthusiastic, confident, helpful) make his personality a "plus". "Plus" here means an advantage. "On the positive side of a scale" is too literal and not the best fit in this context. "Having negative qualities" is the opposite. "Pleasant" is not as precise as "an advantage" in terms of the overall meaning of the sentence.
• For question 4:
• "Predominant" means the most common or prevailing. After winning, the feeling of elation was the one that was most widespread or prevailing. "Frequent" means often, but not necessarily the most common. "Superior" means better in quality, which is not the right meaning here. "Absolute" is too extreme.
• For question 5:
• The fact that they couldn't reach an agreement because they only wanted their own way implies that they were "incapable of compromise". "Open and agreeable" would lead to an agreement. "Incapable of physically bending" is a literal meaning that doesn't fit the context of not reaching an agreement. "Docile and easy to sway" is the opposite of what the sentence implies.

Answer:

1. D. an advantage
2. A. prevailing
3. A. incapable of compromise