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Question

Difficulty: HardVocabulary and Word Meaning in Context

Read the passage excerpt below carefully:

'Faced with escalating operational costs and shrinking municipal revenue, the city council resolved to husband its remaining fiscal reserves by suspending non-essential infrastructure projects.'

Based on the context of the passage, which of the following options best captures the meaning of the word husband?

  1. manage frugallyAnswer
  2. B
    cultivate agriculturally
  3. C
    distribute widely
  4. D
    borrow against

Answer

The word 'husband' contextually means to manage frugally.
The verb 'husband' contextually means to manage or use resources sparingly and economically. In the passage, the city council is facing financial difficulties, so suspending non-essential projects allows them to 'manage frugally' their remaining reserves.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context in which the target word appears
The text describes a municipal council dealing with financial strain ('escalating operational costs and shrinking municipal revenue') by halting non-essential projects.
Contextual clues reveal the action taken regarding 'fiscal reserves'.
2
Determine the grammatical role and specific meaning of the target word
The word 'husband' is used as a transitive verb taking 'fiscal reserves' as its object, signifying prudent management and conservation of funds.
As a verb, 'husband' means to use resources sparingly and economically.
3
Evaluate the choices against the contextual meaning
The phrase 'manage frugally' accurately substitutes for 'husband' without altering the sentence structure or intent.
Prudent financial management matches the council's decision to suspend non-essential spending.

Key Concept

Determining contextual word meaning using surrounding sentence clues
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Vocabulary and Word Meaning in Context

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