Question

they subsisted on their crops and on hunted game whenever possible, but they were often forced to forage for berries and pine nuts to stay alive. this uncertain lifestyle eventually took its toll: in 1961, after a summer snowstorm destroyed the years harvest, akulina died of starvation.
wanting to help the family, the geologists made numerous gifts of seeds, clothing, utensils, and other goods. this largess was lost on karp lykov and his older children, who maintained a deep distrust of all things modern and were very timid around outsiders. his younger son and daughter, dmitry and agafia, were not nearly so diffident. they were fascinated and delighted by the technologies—like flashlights and television—that had been invented during their forty years of isolation. ultimately, however, the lykovs chose to pass up the comforts of modernity and live out the rest of their natural lives in the siberian wilderness.
what is the meaning of dilapidated as used in the passage?
run - down
abandoned
peculiar
ancient

Explanation:

To determine the meaning of "dilapidated", we analyze the context (though the passage's full context for "dilapidated" isn't shown, we use the options). "Run - down" means in a state of disrepair or decay, which aligns with the typical meaning of "dilapidated" (falling into disrepair). "Abandoned" focuses on being left, "peculiar" on being strange, and "ancient" on being old. So "run - down" is the best fit.

Answer:

run - down