Question

Difficulty: MediumVocabulary and Word Meaning in Context

Read the excerpt below from a report on community development and fill in the blank with the word that best fits the contextual meaning of organizing and gathering resources for action.

Answer:Before launching the major environmental restoration campaign, the community leader sought to 【marshal】 support from local businesses, school groups, and civic organizations to ensure maximum volunteer turnout.

Answer

marshal (or mobilize / rally)
In this context, 'marshal' (or 'mobilize') means to systematically gather, organize, and prepare people or resources for a particular goal or effort.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the surrounding context of the sentence.
The subject is attempting to bring together diverse groups (businesses, schools, civic organizations) for a shared effort.
Phrases like 'support from local businesses' and 'ensure maximum volunteer turnout' signal an action of assembling or organizing people and resources.
2
Identify the required semantic meaning and grammatical role.
An infinitive verb meaning to organize, assemble, or direct resources effectively toward a specific goal.
The missing word follows 'sought to' and takes 'support' as its direct object.
3
Select the appropriate contextual word.
'marshal' (or synonyms like 'mobilize' or 'rally') fits both syntactically and semantically.
It precisely expresses the systematic assembly and deployment of community support.

Key Concept

Vocabulary and Word Meaning in Context
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