For decades, the farmers of the fertile valley relied on traditional crop rotation to keep pests at bay. However, the sudden outbreak of a highly resilient agricultural blight threatened to devastate their entire autumn harvest. Prompted by this crisis, local scientists intervened immediately. By introducing a specialized, non-invasive predator to control the insect population feeding on the leaves, they hoped to arrest the spread of the destructive disease before it reached the neighboring agricultural districts. Fortunately, their biological intervention proved highly successful within a month, preserving the region's food supply and local economy.
As it is used in the passage, the word *arrest* most nearly means which of the following?
- Aimprison
- Bapprehend
- haltAnswer
- Dseize
Answer
The correct answer is halt.
In the context of the passage, the scientists hope to stop or halt the spread of the agricultural disease. Therefore, 'halt' is the correct meaning of 'arrest' in this context.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Identifying the secondary meaning of a common word using context clues
Estimated Time:1m 0s