The effort was to harness the power of nature.
- (a)abuse
- (b)benefit
- (c)apply
- (d)control
Correct — D, control. To harness something is to bring it under command so that its force can be put to work, and 'control' is the choice that names that command. The image behind the verb is literal: a harness is the set of straps by which a draught animal is fastened to a cart, turning loose animal strength into useful pulling.
- (a)abuse — 'Abuse' means to misuse or ill-treat something, which reverses the purposeful, productive use the sentence describes.
- (b)benefit — 'Benefit' names the good result you hope for, not the act of bringing a force under command.
- (c)apply — 'Apply' is the near miss. It means to put to use something already at your disposal, and it leaves out the bringing-under-command step that 'harness' insists on.
A synonym item on the verb 'harness' — to bring a force under command and put it to use — whose nearest equivalent among the choices is 'control'.
This is the hardest item of the vocabulary block, because two options are defensible in ordinary speech. Separate the stages the verb packs together: first you take command of a wild force, then you use it. 'Apply' covers only the second stage and assumes the first has already happened, while 'control' names the first, which is what makes a wild force usable at all. The official key marks control.
- A harness is the set of straps and fittings by which an animal is attached to a cart or plough.
- The verb is standard for natural forces — harnessing wind, water and solar energy.
- Tame, subdue, curb and rein in are related verbs, all built on bringing something under command.
- Choosing 'apply', which covers the using but not the bringing under command.
- Choosing 'benefit', which names the result rather than the action.
Asked as a synonym item — choose the word nearest in meaning to the underlined word 'harness'.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Select the word nearest in meaning to the verb 'curb'.
- (a)release
- (b)restrain
- (c)enlarge
- (d)ignore
Answer(b) restrain — to curb something is to keep it in check.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Choose the meaning of 'harness' used as a noun.
- (a)the straps by which an animal is fastened to a cart
- (b)a driver's whip
- (c)a stable for horses
- (d)the wheel of a cart
Answer(a) the straps by which an animal is fastened to a cart — the verb grew out of this object.