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Zorluk: ZorSecondary Meanings of Common Words

For centuries, the small island nation relied almost entirely on its geographical isolation to protect its sovereignty from foreign invasion. However, as global trade routes expanded and neighboring empires built increasingly modern navies, the protective effectiveness of this natural barrier began to flag. By the late eighteenth century, the nation's leaders realized they could no longer depend solely on the surrounding ocean for defense, prompting them to establish formal, strategic alliances with powerful continental empires to secure their borders.

In the context of the passage, the word *flag* most nearly means which of the following?

  1. A
    signal
  2. declineCevap
  3. C
    mark
  4. D
    flutter

Cevap

decline
In the context of the passage, the defensive benefit of the nation's ocean barrier is described as weakening due to technological advancements in modern navies, to the point where they can no longer depend on it. Therefore, 'decline' is the correct meaning as it indicates a reduction in effectiveness or strength.

Adım Adım Çözüm

1
Locate the target word in the passage and identify its grammatical role.
The word is found in the phrase 'effectiveness of this natural barrier began to flag,' acting as an infinitive verb.
This establishes the grammatical constraint that the correct meaning must function as a verb.
2
Analyze the surrounding context for clues about the barrier's status.
The passage notes that neighboring empires built modern navies, and the nation could 'no longer depend solely' on the ocean for defense, meaning they had to seek alliances.
These details indicate that the natural barrier's ability to protect the island was weakening or losing its strength.
3
Test the options in the sentence to see which one logically fits the context of weakening.
The word 'decline' fits perfectly, showing that the barrier's effectiveness was decreasing.
This confirms the secondary meaning of the word while rejecting common literal associations.

Anahtar Kavram

Identifying secondary meanings of common words by analyzing surrounding context clues
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Konular

Secondary Meanings of Common Words

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