Question 45·Hard·Words in Context
The following text is adapted from botanist Alice Eastwood’s 1913 expedition journal.
We had expected the sudden thaw to fill the meadows with a lavish abundance, yet day after day the streams ran thin, and the curious dryness forced us to be careful. I husbanded my remaining specimens in the shade, wrapping each in the last of our damp cloth as though tending a rare treasure, while the men measured the river’s timid trickle with unspoken concern.
As used in the text, what does the word “husbanded” most nearly mean?
For SAT Words in Context questions, always start by ignoring the answer choices and instead rereading one or two sentences around the target word to understand the situation, tone, and any clues (like scarcity, emotion, or cause-and-effect). Put your own simple phrase in place of the word based on those clues, then compare that meaning to each answer choice and eliminate any that do not fit the context—even if they are definitions you know. Be especially wary of choices that sound “science-y” or related to the topic but do not match what is actually happening in the sentence.
Hints
Look at the sentences around the word
Reread the sentence with “husbanded” and the one before it. Pay special attention to the phrases about the “curious dryness,” “remaining specimens,” and “the last of our damp cloth.”
Think about the overall situation
Is the narrator dealing with plenty of resources or with scarcity? Ask yourself how someone would treat important items if they only had a few left in a dry environment.
Match the action to the choices
Decide whether the narrator is mostly (1) gathering new things, (2) growing or developing them, (3) carefully studying them, or (4) managing a limited supply with great care. Then pick the answer choice that matches that type of action.
Step-by-step Explanation
Use the context around the word
Look closely at the whole sentence that contains “husbanded” and the one before it:
- The narrator says the “curious dryness forced us to be careful.”
- She mentions her “remaining specimens” and “the last of our damp cloth.”
- She treats them “as though tending a rare treasure.”
All of this shows she has limited resources and must treat them very carefully.
Infer what “husbanded” must mean here
Based on the context, ask: What is she doing with the specimens?
- She is not getting more; she already has “remaining specimens.”
- She is protecting them from drying out by putting them “in the shade” and wrapping them in the “last of our damp cloth.”
- Comparing them to a “rare treasure” suggests she is using them very cautiously and trying not to waste or lose them.
So “husbanded” here must mean something like carefully saving and using a limited supply.
Test each answer choice against the inferred meaning
Now compare your inferred meaning to each option:
- Collected: means gathered things together.
- Cultivated: means grew or nurtured (like plants in a garden).
- Examined: means looked at closely or inspected.
- Conserved: means carefully saved, protected, or used sparingly.
Only one of these ideas matches the way she handles her remaining specimens—protecting them and using them cautiously because resources are scarce.
Select the best match
The word that best matches treating the specimens like a “rare treasure,” protecting them, and using a limited remaining supply with great care is D) Conserved.