As Marcus scanned the jewelry cases, his eyes came to rest on an intricately wound necklace. The chain was delicate silver strands, fine as hair, woven together in a subtle, beautiful pattern. Hanging from the chain shimmered a spiral, also made of exquisitely thin silver threads, and arranged in the center were several small lustrous onyx stones. He was stunned at the meticulous craftsmanship that must have been required to fashion such a painstaking work. The artisanship of its maker was clearly unequaled. He knew instinctively that his mother would love it.

Question

Tim read this paragraph. When he came across the word meticulous, he decided it must mean "amazing."

Is Tim's understanding of meticulous correct?

1. No, because the passage indicates that "meticulous" is used to describe very tiny objects.

2. No, because the context explains that the necklace was made with great attention to detail.

3. Yes, because most of the passage is describing how fantastic Marcus thinks the necklace is.

4. Yes, because most of the passage gives details about how Marcus admires objects of amazing quality.

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

2. No, because the context explains that the necklace was made with great attention to detail.

"Meticulous" means showing great attention to detail and being very careful and precise, which aligns with the context of the paragraph describing the intricate craftsmanship of the necklace. Tim's understanding of "meticulous" as "amazing" does not capture the word's specific meaning.