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Question

Difficulty: HardContext Clues for Synonyms

Because the remote research outpost faced severe supply chain disruptions during the winter months, the station manager carefully husbanded the remaining generator fuel. In this sentence, the word husbanded most nearly means which of the following?

  1. A
    married
  2. B
    squandered
  3. conservedAnswer
  4. D
    depleted

Answer

conserved
In the provided sentence, the station manager faces severe supply shortages, which logically requires careful management and economizing of the remaining fuel. Therefore, 'conserved' is the accurate contextual synonym for 'husbanded'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the sentence context and identify the surrounding semantic clues.
The clause 'faced severe supply chain disruptions' indicates a critical shortage, while 'remaining generator fuel' refers to a limited, essential asset.
Identifying the situational constraints clarifies the intended purpose of the manager's action.
2
Deduce the contextual function of the target verb.
In logistics and resource management, 'husband' functions as a verb meaning to use economically or manage with frugal care.
The cause-and-effect structure of facing a supply cut requires stretching existing provisions rather than wasting or emptying them.
3
Select the synonym that matches the deduced meaning.
'Conserved' accurately captures the deliberate preservation and careful expenditure of a scarce resource.
Substituting 'conserved' maintains the precise meaning and grammatical integrity of the original sentence.

Key Concept

Using cause-and-effect context clues to determine secondary meanings of polysemous vocabulary words.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Context Clues for Synonyms

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