Ok, let me ask you an “easy” question: What does the word FAIR mean? Most people would answer that FAIR means treating others impartially and without favoritism.
But not so fast my friends! FAIR is another one of the multiple-meaning words favored by SAT test writers. For example, FAIR can mean favorable when describing weather patterns that feature clear skies, It can also mean considerable when describing a large amount of something.
But can FAIR mean HONORABLE? Yes, it can! Take a look at this passage from Act I, Scene 2, in Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night:
VIOLA
“There is a FAIR behavior in thee, Captain;
And though that nature with a beauteous wall
Doft oft close in pollution, yet of thee
I will believe thou hast a mind that suits
With this thy FAIR and outward character.
When Viola says, “There is a FAIR behavior in thee, Captain,” she is noting that the Captain’s conduct appears HONORABLE and decent. When Viola follows up with “I will believe thou hast a mind that suits with this thy FAIR and outward character,” she is expressing her hope that his HONORABLE inner character and intentions (his “mind”) will match his noble, trustworthy external appearance (“outward character”).
Viola thus explicitly contrasts FAIR or HONORABLE with the “pollution” or deceit that often hides behind an attractive appearance.
Given this context, FAIR most nearly means HONORABLE!