Question

read the passage.
when she realized that she had missed the bus, jia became distraught. she paced back and forth, wringing her hands and trying not to cry. there was no doubt about it—she would be late for her meeting and might lose her job as a result of her tardiness.
based on context clues in the passage, what is the most likely meaning of distraught?
○ tardy
○ agitated
○ doubtful
○ earnest

Explanation:

To determine the meaning of "distraught", we analyze the context clues. The passage says Jia paced back and forth, wrung her hands, and tried not to cry because she might be late and lose her job. "Tardy" means late, which describes the consequence, not her state. "Doubtful" means uncertain, but the passage says "no doubt" about her lateness, so this doesn't fit. "Earnest" means sincere, which is unrelated. "Agitated" means feeling anxious or troubled, which matches her pacing, hand - wringing, and fear of losing her job.

Answer:

B. agitated