Question

read the passage and then answer the question.
the 1993 movie jurassic park explores dangers that can arise from using technology to resurrect extinct species. in the film, scientists extract dinosaur dna from prehistoric mosquitoes preserved in amber and use it to create living dinosaurs for an island theme park. however, the dinosaurs prove to be less tractable than predicted. they escape from their enclosures and begin attacking the humans, creating chaos on the island. the movie serves as a warning about the revival of extinct species—a process known as de - extinction.
at the time of the films release, the possibility of de - extinction seemed fantastical. subsequent advances in technology, however, have made that possibility a growing reality. in 2003, for example, a team of scientists used preserved dna to create a clone of an extinct species of goat called the bucardo. although the clone died shortly after birth, the event marked the first documented case of de - extinction.
with the advent of de - extinction came increased debate about the responsible use of genetic engineering technology. many researchers lauded the teams efforts to reintroduce the species, but others denounced this work, echoing the message from jurassic park: nature is unpredictable, and it may be unwise to tamper with it.
what is the meaning of lauded as used in the passage?
discussed
condemned
misunderstood
praised

Explanation:

The word "lauded" is used in contrast to "denounced" in the passage. "Denounced" means to condemn or speak out against. Since the sentence presents a contrast between two groups of researchers (those who "lauded" and those who "denounced"), "lauded" must have a positive meaning opposite to "denounced". "Praised" is a positive word that fits this context. "Discussed" is neutral, "condemned" is negative (same as "denounced"), and "misunderstood" does not fit the contrast in the sentence.

Answer:

praised