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Difficulty: Very hardIdiomatic Word Choice

Having spent three consecutive weeks monitoring the volatile ridge, the vulcanologists grew wary of the seismic sensors' frequent false alarms, a complacency that ultimately led them to ignore the evacuation warning.

Which choice is the most appropriate in the context of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. weary ofAnswer
  3. C
    weary from
  4. D
    wary about

Answer

The option containing 'weary of' is the correct answer because it uses the correct word meaning ('weary' for being tired of something) and pairs it with the correct idiomatic preposition 'of'.
The correct option is 'weary of'. The sentence describes how the vulcanologists grew tired of the constant false alarms, which led to their complacency. The word 'weary' means tired or impatient with something, and it idiomatically pairs with the preposition 'of' when referring to a recurring event or nuisance. Therefore, 'weary of' is both contextually and idiomatically correct.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context of the sentence to determine the intended meaning.
The sentence mentions 'a complacency' and that the vulcanologists 'ignored the evacuation warning.' This indicates they became tired of or desensitized to the false alarms, rather than cautious.
Choosing the correct word requires distinguishing between 'wary' (cautious/alert) and 'weary' (tired/impatient).
2
Select the correct word and determine its idiomatic preposition.
The correct word is 'weary'. When expressing that one is tired of or impatient with a recurring event, the word 'weary' must be followed by the preposition 'of'.
Using 'weary from' implies physical exhaustion resulting from an activity, which does not fit the context of being desensitized to false alarms.

Key Concept

Idiomatic Prepositions and Lexical Choice
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Topics

Idiomatic Word Choice

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