ShmoopTube

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Here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by prison. The only place where the toilets

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are more disgusting than at gas stations.

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Based on its context in the passage, which of the following would be the best synonym

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for the word "transitory"?

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"Transitory" pops up in line 81 at the end of an incredibly long sentence.

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The gist of what Ferri is saying here is that a lot of previous methods of trying to rehabilitate

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criminals haven't worked so well, because ex-cons often relapse.

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So with the word "transitory," he's trying to get across the idea that these rehabilitations...

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don't last too long.

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Another clue about the meaning of "transitory" is the prefix "trans," which means "to change or go across something"

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Other words where it has a similar meaning include "transition" and "transfer."

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So we know we're looking for a definition for "transitory" that seems like it's

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in the same family as these other "trans" words.

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"Flawed" kind of makes sense in the context, because Ferri is pointing out a big time flaw

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in the criminal justice system.

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But ultimately it doesn't fit with the specific point Ferri is trying to make.

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So, Choice (C) is a no.

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Relapsed criminals running around everywhere is definitely "risky."

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But we can eliminate choice (D) for same reasons as (C).

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(A) is a cut for sure. "Permanent" doesn't make sense in the context, and it gets across

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the opposite idea of most "trans" words.

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"Temporary" fits the bill. It lives in the same world of many "trans" words...

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...which often describe something that's only a certain way for a brief amount of time...

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...and it also helps to describe the short-lived rehabilitations of many criminals.

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Maybe "criminals" isn't a PC term. Maybe we should call them "legally challenged" instead.

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