The following text is adapted from a 1962 diplomatic cable during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Soviet ambassador's response was...

Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage

Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table

Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements

Main Point: The Soviet ambassador used deliberate ambiguity as a diplomatic strategy, providing responses that seemed significant but contained little concrete information.

Argument Flow: The passage establishes the ambassador's careful diplomatic approach, then shows the contradiction between the weight of his words and their lack of substance, and finally demonstrates through a specific example how he maintained this strategic ambiguity even when directly pressed for details.

Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely

This is a fill-in-the-blank question asking us to choose the best logical connector. The answer must create the right relationship between what comes before and after the blank.

Step 3: Prethink the Answer

• Looking at our analysis, the ambassador "provided only a shadow of clarification" when pressed for specifics
• This comes right after we learned his words "carried weight, yet offered little concrete information"
• The context shows he gave very little clarification - just a tiny amount or small piece of it
• The word "only" emphasizes how minimal this clarification was
• We need a word that captures the idea of "just a small amount" or "a tiny piece" of something
• The right answer should convey that he gave barely any clarification at all - just a small fragment or portion of what was requested