Question

orphan train, 1904
the role of railroads

1. the network of railroads played a vital role in the movement. without the network, this plan would not have come to realization, much less conceived. an essential aspect of the plan was to find homes in rural areas where the children would find a clean environment and healthy food. the trains were able to reach far off places to find homes for children and went as far as canada and mexico.

the word conceived in paragraph 4 means —
a neglected
b failed
c thrived
d imagined

Explanation:

To determine the meaning of "conceived", we analyze the context. The sentence says "Without the network, this plan would not have come to realization, much less conceived." We can use context clues and process of elimination:

• Option A: "neglected" means to ignore, which doesn't fit the context of a plan being thought of. Eliminate A.
• Option B: "failed" refers to not succeeding, which is unrelated to the idea of a plan being formed. Eliminate B.
• Option C: "thrived" means to prosper, which has nothing to do with the creation of a plan. Eliminate C.
• Option D: "imagined" fits as the plan needed to be thought of (conceived) before it could be realized. The context shows that the railroad network was vital for the plan to be both conceived (imagined/thought of) and realized.

Answer:

D. imagined