“The only person who can temper Maria’s anger is her younger sister.” Does the sentence imply that Maria’s younger sister makes Maria’s anger worse?

Flashcard 12 - Reading Flashcard Set for the PSAT/NMSQT Exam

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Explanation:

Although someone who has a bad temper can mean a person who gets angry easily, the verb to temper actually means to calm or to make less. Therefore, the sentence is actually saying that Maria’s little sister is the only person who can make Maria less angry.

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