Crowds “flocked” to see the portrait after its recovery. The verb “flocked” most nearly means:

Newspapers continued to “romanticize both the crime and the thief.” Here, “romanticize” is closest in meaning to:

The theft transformed the Mona Lisa into a global “icon”. Here, “icon” most nearly means:

Peruggia’s punishment was “relatively mild”. In this context, “mild” is closest in meaning to:

The police “were immediately notified.” Here, “notified” most nearly means:

In the text, “Once experts confirmed the painting was genuine…” the word “genuine” is closest in meaning to:

The word “authentication” (“invited him to bring it for authentication”) most nearly means:

The dealer was described as “sceptical but curious”. In this context, “sceptical” is closest in meaning to:

The text mentions “a wider tension of the time—between nationalism and the international exchange of art.” Here, “tension” most nearly means:

Peruggia believed he was acting out of “patriotism”. Here, “patriotism” most nearly means:

The word “reputations” in “the scandal damaged their reputations” is closest in meaning to:

The police “questioned” museum staff and artists. In this context, “questioned” most nearly means:

The investigation is described as “chaotic”. Here, “chaotic” is closest in meaning to:

In the text, “maintenance work” at the museum refers to:

The security measures were described as “surprisingly lax”. Here, “lax” most nearly means:

In the sentence “the Louvre was already the most prestigious museum”, “prestigious” is closest in meaning to:

The word “obsession” in the text refers to:

In the phrase “the vulnerability of great art”, “vulnerability” most nearly means:

The word “scandal” (“became a scandal that shook France”) is closest in meaning to:

In the text, the verb “vanished” (“the Mona Lisa vanished from its frame”) most nearly means: