Question 4·Easy·Words in Context
The following text is from a 2022 travel memoir. Carlos is recalling a morning in a coastal village.
The market square was already humming with conversation when the first rays of sunlight touched the rooftops. Carlos lingered near a stall piled high with mangoes, breathing in their warm sweetness before starting his walk to the harbor.
As used in the text, what does the word “lingered” most nearly mean?
For vocabulary-in-context questions, always rely on the sentence (and nearby sentences) rather than the word’s most common dictionary meaning. First, reread the sentence and restate in your own words what is happening around the highlighted word. Then, decide what kind of action or feeling the word must express (for example, staying, leaving, speaking, feeling). Finally, plug each answer choice back into the sentence and eliminate any that change the meaning, tone, or logic; choose the option that preserves the original sense of the sentence most smoothly.
Hints
Look at the clause after the comma
Focus on the part that says "breathing in their warm sweetness before starting his walk to the harbor." What is Carlos doing during this time, right before he walks away?
Think about the type of action described
Is the sentence describing Carlos talking, buying something, disappearing, or simply being there for a short while? Pay attention to the calm, observational tone of the description.
Test each option in the sentence
Mentally replace the word "lingered" with each answer choice and read the sentence. Which one keeps the sentence smooth and logical without changing the basic action being described?
Step-by-step Explanation
Use the sentence context
Reread the full sentence: Carlos is in a market square in the morning. It says he "lingered near a stall piled high with mangoes, breathing in their warm sweetness before starting his walk to the harbor." The phrase after the comma explains what he is doing while he "lingered," and the phrase "before starting his walk" shows this happens just prior to leaving.
Infer what Carlos is doing
From the description, Carlos is standing near the mango stall, enjoying the smell of the fruit. He has not left yet; he is taking a moment there before walking to the harbor. So "lingered" here must mean that he stayed there a bit longer than necessary, not that he spoke, bought something, or disappeared.
Match the meaning to the best answer choice
Now compare each choice with the meaning from context:
- A word that means he remained there for a short time fits the idea of standing by the stall, smelling the mangoes, before he finally walked away.
- Words that mean he complained, bought something, or suddenly disappeared do not match what the sentence shows him doing. The choice that means he remained or stayed there briefly is Stayed, so the correct answer is A) Stayed.