According to Johnson, a word's meaning is determined by ...

• A. the tract and tenor of the sentence
• B. the place of publication
• C. the author’s intention alone
• D. the historical context only

Answer: (A)

Meaning, for Johnson, comes from how a word functions in its sentence—the flow and purpose of the surrounding language, the argument or description it helps carry, and the overall tone it contributes. This is captured by the idea of the tract and tenor of the sentence: you look at how the word is used within the sentence to infer its sense, rather than relying on where it was published, what the author intended in isolation, or broad historical factors. Johnson’s dictionary effort centers on showing real usage with examples so readers can see how a word operates in context, which is what determines its meaning in practice.