Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumInferring Meaning from Examples and Explanations

During extended field deployments in arid environments, logistics officers must carefully husband vital supplies. Rather than allowing unrestricted consumption, units strictly ration drinking water, monitor daily fuel expenditure for generators, and repair damaged equipment instead of requesting immediate replacements. Such disciplined management ensures that operational capabilities remain intact even when supply convoys are delayed.

Based on the context of the passage, the word "husband" most nearly means which of the following?

  1. Conserve and manage resources frugallyAnswer
  2. B
    Establish a domestic marital relationship
  3. C
    Repair and rebuild damaged machinery
  4. D
    Conceal critical assets from enemy reconnaissance

Answer

Conserve and manage resources frugally
The author immediately clarifies what is meant by "husbanding" supplies by providing concrete examples: avoiding unrestricted consumption, rationing drinking water, monitoring fuel use, and repairing existing equipment. Taken together, these examples define the word as managing and conserving supplies economically.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the target word in the passage and identify the surrounding context clues.
The word "husband" appears in the sentence: "logistics officers must carefully husband vital supplies."
Establishing the sentence role confirms that "husband" is functioning as an active verb applied to logistical supplies.
2
Analyze the supporting explanation and illustrative examples provided in the following sentence.
The author contrasts unrestricted consumption with specific behaviors: rationing water, monitoring fuel burn, and repairing items rather than replacing them.
Concrete examples serve as contextual definitions that illustrate the operational meaning of the unfamiliar or polysemous verb.
3
Synthesize the examples into a cohesive definition and match with the options.
"Conserve and manage resources frugally" accurately encompasses all the listed actions.
Rationing, monitoring, and repairing are all methods of disciplined resource conservation.

Key Concept

Inferring the contextual definition of a polysemous word through concrete explanatory examples and contrasting clauses.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

Inferring Meaning from Examples and Explanations

More questions from this topic