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Question

Difficulty: MediumVocabulary and Word Meaning in Context

Read the excerpt below:

"In light of the severe drought affecting the northern region, the Ministry of Agriculture advised smallholder farmers to husband their remaining grain reserves until the next harvesting season."

Which of the following best expresses the meaning of the word husband as used in the excerpt above?

  1. carefully manage and conserveAnswer
  2. B
    seek male marital partners for
  3. C
    sell off quickly for profit
  4. D
    exhaust completely during the crisis

Answer

carefully manage and conserve
In the given context, the verb 'husband' means to manage prudently and use resources sparingly. The surrounding text emphasizes a drought situation where farmers must make their remaining grain reserves last until the next harvest, making 'carefully manage and conserve' the exact contextual meaning.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the grammatical function of the highlighted word in the sentence structure.
The word 'husband' follows the infinitive marker 'to' and acts as a transitive verb taking 'their remaining grain reserves' as its direct object.
Identifying the part of speech prevents confusing the verb form with its more common noun meaning.
2
Examine the surrounding context for semantic clues.
The clause mentions a 'severe drought' and holding reserves 'until the next harvesting season'.
Contextual clues indicate that resources are scarce and must last over a prolonged period.
3
Substitute candidate definitions into the sentence to test fit.
'Carefully manage and conserve' fits logically and syntactically, maintaining the intended meaning of prudent resource management.
Direct semantic substitution verifies which option preserves context and tone.

Key Concept

Vocabulary and Word Meaning in Context
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Topics

Vocabulary and Word Meaning in Context

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