Read the sentence from Samuel Johnson's preface to A Dictionary of the English Language. It is the fate of those who toil at the lower employments of life, to be rather driven by the fear of evil, than attracted by the prospect of good; to be exposed to censure, without hope of praise. What is the best definition of the underlined word as it is used in the sentence? a statement of wit or amusement an expression of disapproval or condemnation a sentiment of indifference or apathy an exclamation of profound admiration or esteem ANSWER IS B- an expression of disapproval or condemnation (; since the other one is "locked" )

Note: I can see you've already given the answer. I just wish to offer an explanation.

The underlined word is "censure". The best definition for it as it is used in the sentence is:

B. an expression of disapproval or condemnation

Explanation:

The noun "censure" can be defined as an expression of strong disapproval or criticism. In other words, if you censure someone, you are condemning their behavior by expressing your opinion in a severe manner. Even if we did not know what the word means by itself, we could have chosen option B by taking the context into consideration. The author is working with opposite ideas in this excerpt- good and bad, censure and praise. Thus, if praise means an expression of admiration, censure must be its opposite.

is this multiple choice?