Read the following passage from a subterranean engineering report:
"During subterranean mining operations, environmental engineers monitor several environmental hazards to ensure personnel safety. In unventilated tunnels, workers face asphyxiants—such as methane and carbon monoxide—that displace breathable oxygen. Crew chiefs also check for efflorescence, the powdery white crystalline deposit that leaches onto tunnel walls when saline groundwater evaporates. Finally, teams install reinforcement mesh over friable rock formations, which easily crumble and fracture under mild seismic vibration."
Based on the examples and explanatory clauses in the passage, match each technical term with its correct contextual meaning.
- asphyxiantsGases or agents that displace breathable oxygen and cause suffocation
- efflorescencePowdery mineral deposits left on surfaces after moisture evaporates
- friableMaterials that easily crumble or fracture under mild physical stress
Answer
asphyxiants matches with 'Gases or agents that displace breathable oxygen and cause suffocation', efflorescence matches with 'Powdery mineral deposits left on surfaces after moisture evaporates', and friable matches with 'Materials that easily crumble or fracture under mild physical stress'.
Each technical term is explicitly qualified in the text: 'asphyxiants' by the illustrative examples of methane and carbon monoxide displacing air, 'efflorescence' by the appositive detailing crystalline residue left by evaporating saline water, and 'friable' by the clause describing rock that readily crumbles and fractures.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Inferring Meaning from Examples and Explanations
Estimated Time:1m 15s