Question

read the passage and then answer the question.
millions of elephants once roamed the african continent. today, however, there are fewer than five hundred thousand. one reason is hunting. people who hunt elephants generally do not eat them, but they do take the elephants tusks. ivory from elephant tusks has been used to make jewelry, art, medicine, and other things. today, selling ivory is against the law. people in many countries are cooperating to stop the sales. if government officials catch people trying to sell elephant ivory, they confiscate it. by seizing the ivory, the officials can destroy the tusks so they cant be sold. experts hope that stopping ivory sales will slow elephant hunting and help the elephant herds grow.
what is the meaning of confiscate as used in the passage?
borrow for a short period of time
take for legal reasons
trade to another country
hide something by burying it

Explanation:

To determine the meaning of "confiscate", we analyze the context. The passage states selling ivory is illegal, and government officials catch those selling it and then "confiscate" the ivory, followed by destroying it so it can't be sold. "Borrow for a short period" doesn't fit as they don't return it. "Trade to another country" is incorrect as the goal is to stop sales, not trade. "Hide by burying" is not indicated. "Take for legal reasons" matches because officials take the ivory due to the law against selling it.

Answer:

take for legal reasons