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Question

Difficulty: EasyVocabulary and Word Meaning in Context

Read the passage excerpt below carefully:

"In their effort to mitigate power shortages during peak periods, the engineers sought to harness the natural flow of the river to supply electricity to neighboring villages."

What is the contextual meaning of the word harness as used in the passage?

  1. control and utilizeAnswer
  2. B
    attach safety straps to
  3. C
    completely eliminate
  4. D
    mechanically repair

Answer

The contextual meaning of 'harness' is 'control and utilize'.
In the excerpt, 'harness' refers to bringing a natural power source under control so it can be effectively used to generate electrical energy. The phrase 'control and utilize' precisely conveys this meaning.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context of the passage excerpt
The excerpt discusses engineers using a river's water movement to generate electricity and solve power shortages.
Determining contextual word meaning requires looking at how the surrounding words define the action being taken.
2
Evaluate the semantic role of the highlighted word
'Harness' acts as a verb meaning to direct and exploit a natural force for a beneficial outcome.
Replacing 'harness' with 'control and utilize' preserves both the grammatical integrity and the logical meaning of the sentence.

Key Concept

Vocabulary and Word Meaning in Context
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Vocabulary and Word Meaning in Context

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