SAT OwlQuestion bank / Words in Context
The following text is from a 1907 novel by Florence Abbott. Mr. Garland, a merchant, has just received a letter.
Mr. Garland read the letter twice before setting it down. He was not a man given to strong feeling, and his face revealed nothing to the clerk who waited by the door. But when he spoke at last, his voice was so low that the clerk had to lean forward to catch his words, and the instructions he gave were the shortest he had given in twenty years of business.
As used in the text, what does the word "catch" most nearly mean?
seize
trap
overtake
hear
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D
Mr. Garland speaks so quietly that the clerk must lean forward. The clerk is trying to make out the words, so "catch" means "hear."
Choice A, "seize," is a literal meaning of "catch," but the clerk cannot physically grab spoken words; he is straining to hear them.
Why the other choices are wrong
- A. Seize implies physically grabbing an object, but the clerk cannot hold spoken words. He is straining to perceive the sound of the quiet voice.
- B. Trap suggests capturing something to keep it, which does not fit the context of listening. The clerk is not trying to confine the words but to understand them.
- C. Overtake means to reach or pass someone moving ahead. The clerk is stationary and leaning in to listen, not pursuing the speaker physically.
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