The following text is adapted from George Eliot's 1871–72 novel Middlemarch. [Mr. Brooke] had travelled in his younger years, and...

GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions

Source: Official

Craft and Structure

Words in Context

HARD

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The following text is adapted from George Eliot's 1871–72 novel Middlemarch.

[Mr. Brooke] had travelled in his younger years, and was held in this part of the country to have contracted a too rambling habit of mind. Mr. Brooke's conclusions were as difficult to predict as the weather.

As used in the text, what does the word 'contracted' most nearly mean?

Restricted

Described

Developed

Settled

Solution

Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage

Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table

Text from Passage	Analysis
"[Mr. Brooke] had travelled in his younger years,"	What it says: MB traveled when young What it does: Provides background context about Mr. Brooke's past What it is: Background context
"and was held in this part of the country to have contracted a too rambling habit of mind."	What it says: locals think MB acquired wandering thinking style What it does: Explains what people believe his travels caused What it is: Main claim about consequence
"Mr. Brooke's conclusions were as difficult to predict as the weather."	What it says: MB's thoughts = unpredictable (like weather) What it does: Provides evidence of the rambling mental habit What it is: Supporting comparison

Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements

Main Point: People in Mr. Brooke's area believe that his youthful travels caused him to develop an unfocused, wandering way of thinking.

Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely

What's being asked? This is a Words in Context question asking us to determine what "contracted" means in this specific passage.
What type of answer do we need? We need to find the word that best captures how "contracted" is being used when describing how Mr. Brooke came to have his rambling habit of mind.
Any limiting keywords? None specified.

Step 3: Prethink the Answer

The passage suggests that Mr. Brooke's travels led to him acquiring or gaining a "rambling habit of mind."
The word "contracted" here means acquiring or developing something over time.
The locals believe his travels caused him to pick up this mental characteristic.

Answer Choices Explained

Restricted

Restricted
✗ Incorrect

This would suggest Mr. Brooke limited his habit, which contradicts the passage.

Described

Described
✗ Incorrect

This would mean people described his habit, but the sentence shows "contracted" refers to how he came to have the habit.

Developed

Developed
✓ Correct

This perfectly captures that through his travels, Mr. Brooke acquired or developed this rambling mental habit.

Settled

Settled
✗ Incorrect

This would suggest he established the habit deliberately, which doesn't match the context of unintentional consequence.

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