Question

read the dictionary entry for diminish. diminish \diminish\\ v 1. to belittle 2. to become less 3. to taper 4. to lessen certain intervals in music which definition most closely matches the meaning of diminished as used in paragraph 5? a definition 1 b definition 3 c definition 2 d definition 4

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the definitions:

• Definition 1 ("to belittle") is about demeaning, not about quantity/degree change.
• Definition 3 ("to taper") is about a gradual shape change, not general "becoming less".
• Definition 2 ("to become less") is a general sense of reduction in amount, degree, etc. "Diminished" (past participle of "diminish") often means something has become less in size, intensity, etc.
• Definition 4 is specific to music, so unlikely unless the paragraph is about music (not indicated here).

So Definition 2 matches the common use of "diminished" to mean something has become less.

Answer:

C. Definition 2