SAT OwlQuestion bank / Words in Context
Historian Ruth Abernathy's study of nineteenth-century whaling towns is admirably thorough in its research, but her conclusions are not always borne out by her evidence. Several of her broadest claims about women's economic roles in these towns rest on the diaries of only two families, a foundation too narrow to support them.
As used in the text, what does the phrase "borne out" most nearly mean?
endured
confirmed
carried
produced
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
The next sentence explains the problem: broad claims rest on too little evidence. So the conclusions are not always supported, or "confirmed," by the evidence.
Choice A, "endured," reflects a common meaning of "bear" (to bear a hardship), but the issue here is whether the evidence supports the conclusions.
Why the other choices are wrong
- A. This choice confuses the phrase with the physical sense of bearing a burden. The text discusses whether evidence supports claims, not whether the conclusions survived hardship.
- C. This option uses the literal meaning of carrying something. The passage focuses on the relationship between evidence and conclusions, not on physically transporting them.
- D. This choice suggests the evidence created the conclusions. The text argues that the evidence fails to validate or support the claims, not that it generated them.
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