Question

challenges in museum funding
museums nationwide are in the midst of a budgetary crisis. in the past several decades, charitable giving to museums has decreased as multiple recessions have encouraged more austere spending practices. government grants, largely from local and state agencies, currently contribute 15 percent less to a museums income than they did thirty years ago, and that trend is continuing downward. with public and private financing of museums in decline, it is important for museums to carefully manage their budgets in order to remain open to the public.
for a typical museum, about 62 percent of funding comes from grants and gifts, and about 12 percent from an endowment, or donated money or property. although museums may hold endowments valued in the millions of
question 2
read these sentences from the passage.
museums nationwide are in the midst of a budgetary crisis. in the past several decades, charitable giving to museums has decreased as multiple recessions have encouraged more austere spending practices. (paragraph 1)
the word austere comes from the greek austēros, which means \severe.\ using this information, what do you think the word austere means in the passage?
a. extreme
b. restrained
c. lavish
d. unjust

Explanation:

The context mentions a budgetary crisis and decreased charitable giving due to recessions. "Austere" in this context implies being more cautious or restricted in spending, which is similar to "restrained". "Extreme" is too broad, "lavish" means the opposite of what is needed in a budget - cut situation, and "unjust" is not related to the meaning in this passage.

Answer:

B. restrained