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Difficulty: MediumContextual Word Meaning and Vocabulary in Passages

Read the following passage excerpt carefully:

"The old merchant sat quietly in his dilapidated sanctuary, counting the meager proceeds of his waning trade. His former patrons had all succumbed to the allure of the bustling central market, leaving his small enterprise marooned in forgotten shadows."

Match each word from the passage on the left with its appropriate contextual meaning on the right.

  • dilapidatedFalling apart or decayed through neglect and age
  • waningDecreasing, shrinking, or diminishing in strength or volume
  • succumbedGave in or surrendered to a stronger influence or desire
  • maroonedIsolated or left stranded without assistance or visitors

Answer

'dilapidated' matches 'Falling apart or decayed through neglect and age', 'waning' matches 'Decreasing, shrinking, or diminishing in strength or volume', 'succumbed' matches 'Gave in or surrendered to a stronger influence or desire', and 'marooned' matches 'Isolated or left stranded without assistance or visitors'.
Each word's contextual meaning is derived directly from the narrative situation: 'dilapidated' captures the physical decay of the shop, 'waning' denotes declining sales, 'succumbed' reflects patrons yielding to temptation, and 'marooned' emphasizes stranded isolation.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Examine the surrounding context of each word in the passage excerpt.
The text depicts an aging merchant whose shop is falling into ruin, whose business is steadily diminishing, whose customers yielded to a competitor, and whose enterprise is left isolated.
Contextual clues reveal the precise shade of meaning intended by the author beyond bare literal dictionary definitions.
2
Determine the meanings for descriptive terms ('dilapidated' and 'waning').
'dilapidated' aligns with decaying/falling apart; 'waning' aligns with decreasing/shrinking.
The shop is described alongside 'meager proceeds', establishing physical ruin and declining commerce.
3
Determine the meanings for action/state terms ('succumbed' and 'marooned').
'succumbed' means yielding to allure; 'marooned' means being left stranded.
Patrons surrendered to the allure of the central market, leaving the merchant stranded alone.

Key Concept

Contextual Word Meaning in Unseen Passages
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Contextual Word Meaning and Vocabulary in Passages

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