Question

read the passage. then, select the synonym of the word in bold.
as the sun began to set, the island castaway was barely able to discern a ship on the horizon. did that mean that someone onboard the ship might be able to notice him, too? he jumped to his feet and frantically waved his arms, yelling, \over here! over here!\

Explanation:

The problem is about finding a synonym for "discern" in the given context. "Discern" here means to perceive or notice. Common synonyms would be words like "perceive", "detect", "spot", or "notice" (which is also used later in the passage for the reciprocal action). Since the task is to select the synonym, we analyze the meaning of "discern" (to see or recognize) and match it with appropriate vocabulary.

Answer:

(Assuming common options for synonym of "discern" like "perceive", "detect", "spot", "notice" – if options were given, but since the user's problem shows the question without options, but in a real scenario with options like A. Perceive, B. Ignore, C. Hide, D. Forget, the answer would be A. Perceive)