Question

the following text is adapted from alice dunbar nelsons 1899 short story \the fisherman of pass christian.\ pass christian is a city in the us state of mississippi.
the swift breezes on the beach at pass christian meet and conflict as though each strove for the mastery of the air. the land - breeze blows down through the pines, resinous, fragrant, cold, bringing breath - like memories of dim, dark woods shaded by myriad pine - needles. the breeze from the gulf is warm and soft and languorous, blowing up from the south with its suggestion of tropical warmth.
as used in the text, what does the word \mastery\ most nearly mean?
a. familiarity
b. domination
c. comprehension
d. skillfulness

Explanation:

The word "mastery" in the context of the text, which describes breezes as if they were striving for something related to the air, is best understood as "skillfulness". The other options - familiarity (A), domination (B), and comprehension (C) - do not fit the poetic and descriptive language as well as "skillfulness" (D) does when considering the metaphorical action of the breezes "strove for the mastery of the air".

Answer:

D. Skillfulness