Question

what is the meaning of the word discern as used in the passage? as the sun began to set, the island castaway was barely able to discern a ship on the horizon. did that mean that someone onboard the ship might be able to notice him, too? he jumped to his feet and frantically waved his arms, yelling, \over here! over here!\ to search for to reach to detect

Explanation:

In the context, the cast - away could barely make out or notice a ship on the horizon. "To detect" means to discover or notice something, which is the closest in meaning to "discern" here. "To search for" implies actively looking, and "to reach" is about getting to a place.

Answer:

to detect