Question 58·Easy·Words in Context
The following text is from Jane Austen’s 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice.
It was late in the evening when Mr. Bennet finally yielded to his wife’s persistent requests and agreed to visit their new neighbor.
As used in the text, what does the word “yielded” most nearly mean?
For SAT Words-in-Context questions, always ignore any meaning you know from outside and instead rely on the sentence itself. First, paraphrase the sentence in simple language and pay attention to signal words (like “finally,” “however,” “because”) and surrounding actions. Then, decide what general idea the word must convey (for example, changing one’s mind, refusing, increasing, etc.). Finally, plug each answer choice into the sentence and eliminate those that don’t match that idea or sound natural in context; the remaining choice is almost always correct even if it’s not the most common meaning you know for that word.
Hints
Use the words around “yielded”
Look closely at the words “finally” and “persistent requests.” What do they suggest about how long this had been going on and how Mr. Bennet felt at first?
Connect “yielded” to what happens next
Right after “yielded,” the sentence says he “agreed to visit their new neighbor.” How is “yielded” related to his decision to agree?
Test each answer choice in the sentence
Mentally replace “yielded” with each option and read the sentence: which word makes the most sense for what Mr. Bennet does in response to his wife’s repeated requests?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the situation in the sentence
Paraphrase the sentence in your own words: It was late at night when Mr. Bennet, after a lot of pressure from his wife, at last agreed to visit their new neighbor. The key ideas are that his wife made many “persistent requests,” and he only agreed late in the evening and finally.
Figure out what “yielded” must mean from context
Because his wife’s requests were “persistent,” we know she kept asking over and over. The word “finally” suggests Mr. Bennet did not agree at first, but later changed his mind. When the sentence says he “yielded” and then “agreed to visit,” it shows that “yielded” describes him stopping his resistance and agreeing to do what his wife wanted.
Eliminate choices that don’t match the meaning or context
Now check each option in the sentence:
- Produced: “Mr. Bennet finally produced to his wife’s persistent requests…” does not make sense; “produced” means “made” or “created,” which doesn’t fit agreeing after pressure.
- Accelerated: “Accelerated” means “sped up.” It doesn’t match the idea of responding to requests or agreeing to a visit.
- Planted: “Planted” means “put in the ground” or “firmly placed something.” That has nothing to do with responding to requests or agreeing. All three of these clearly do not fit what happens in the sentence.
Confirm the remaining choice
The only remaining option is “gave in,” which fits both the context and the meaning we inferred: Mr. Bennet had been resisting his wife’s requests but eventually gave in and agreed to visit their new neighbor. So the correct answer is A) Gave in.