During the annual town hall meeting, the lead architect reassured the city council that despite the building's weathered historic facade, its structural foundation remained entirely sound. The engineering team had conducted rigorous stress tests over the winter, simulating both minor seismic activities and decades of soil erosion. Their detailed report concluded that there were no signs of shifting or core degradation. Although the exterior masonry would require some cosmetic restoration, the primary support systems were robust enough to sustain another century of heavy public use.
As it is used in the first sentence of the passage, the word *sound* most nearly means which of the following?
- stableAnswer
- Baudible
- Clogical
- Dsilent
Answer
stable
The correct answer is 'stable'. In the context of the sentence, the architect is describing the physical condition of the building's foundation. The passage notes that the foundation showed 'no signs of shifting' and was 'robust enough to sustain another century of heavy public use.' Therefore, 'sound' is used in its secondary sense to mean secure, solid, or stable.
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