Question

In a peculiar sense he will be aware also that [the poet] must inevitably be judged by the standards of the past. I say judged, not amputated, by them; not judged to be as good as, or worse or better than, the dead; and certainly not judged by the canons of dead critics. It is a judgment, a comparison, in which two things are measured by each other. To conform merely would be for the new work not really to conform at all; it would not be new, and would therefore not be a work of art. And we do not quite say that the new is more valuable because it fits in; but its fitting in is a test of its value–a test, it is true, which can only be slowly and cautiously applied, for we are none of us infallible judges of conformity. We say: it appears to conform, and is perhaps individual, or it appears individual, and may conform; but we are hardly likely to find that it is one and not the other.Using a dictionary, context clues, or a priori knowledge, define the following terms (in the sense that Eliot is using them):

peculiar
inevitably
canon
infallible
conform

Answer 1

peculiar=Out of the ordinary; odd; curious; unusual.
inevitably=In a manner that is impossible to avoid or prevent.
canon=The works of a writer that have been accepted as authentic.
infallible=Without fault or weakness; incapable of error or fallacy.
conform=To act in accordance with expectations; to behave in the manner of others, especially as a result of social pressure.