Question

read the excerpt from the hot zone. jerry was terribly keyed up. in the past he had lectured nancy on the dangers of working with ebola in a space suit, and now he was leading a team into an ebola hell. at the moment, he didnt care what happened to himself, personally. he was expendable, and he knew it. based on context clues, what is the best definition of the word \expendable\?

• necessary to an operation
• knowledgeable about a topic
• capable of being sacrificed
• useless in a specific situation

Explanation:

To determine the definition of "expendable", we analyze the context. Jerry is leading a team into an Ebola - infected area and "didn't care what happened to himself, personally". This implies he was willing to be sacrificed for the mission.

• "necessary to an operation" is incorrect as the context focuses on his personal willingness to be at risk, not his necessity to the operation.
• "knowledgeable about a topic" is irrelevant as the context is about his attitude towards his own safety, not his knowledge.
• "useless in a specific situation" is wrong as he is actively leading a team, so he is not useless.
• "capable of being sacrificed" matches the context where he is willing to put himself in danger and not care about his personal fate.

Answer:

C. capable of being sacrificed