Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: heave
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This one-word substitution question focuses on verbs used for physical effort. The phrase describes lifting or hauling something heavy with great effort, which is a common action verb in English. You need to identify which of the four options is a verb with this meaning, while the others are unrelated nouns describing types of people.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
Among the options, only heave is a verb that collocates directly with heavy objects and effort. We say heave a sigh, heave a heavy bag, or heave a rock, especially when the action requires strength. The other words are all nouns describing people in a negative or informal way. They do not express the action itself. Because the definition in the question is clearly an action, the correct one-word substitute must be a verb, which points directly to heave.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the part of speech required. The phrase to lift or haul is a verb phrase, so the answer should also be a verb.Step 2: Recognise heave as a verb that means to lift, haul, or throw something heavy with effort.Step 3: Note that shrimp, wimp, and runt are nouns describing types of people or creatures, not actions.Step 4: Match the meaning: He had to heave the suitcase onto the roof of the bus describes exactly lifting something heavy with effort.Step 5: Conclude that heave is the only option that fits both the required part of speech and the given definition.
Verification / Alternative check:
Check usage in sentences. We heaved the log out of the ditch describes heavy lifting. The sailors heaved on the rope to raise the sail shows hauling with effort. None of the other options can fit such sentences: We shrimped the log or We wimped the log are meaningless. Similarly, calling someone a shrimp, wimp, or runt describes a person, often insultingly, but does not refer to lifting objects. This confirms heave as the correct verb for the defined action.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Shrimp primarily refers to a small shellfish and, by extension, a small person. Wimp refers to a person who lacks courage or physical strength. Runt is used for the smallest or weakest animal in a litter, or similarly for a person. None of these words expresses the physical action of lifting or hauling something heavy. They are thematically close in the sense of weakness or size, but they do not match the definition given in the question.
Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates may be distracted by wimp or runt because they think of physical weakness, which is indirectly related to heavy lifting. However, the question does not ask for a person who struggles with heavy loads; it asks for the action itself. Looking at grammatical roles and part of speech is a powerful method for eliminating such distractors in one-word substitution questions.
Final Answer:
The best one-word substitute for to lift or haul something heavy with great effort is heave, so option A is correct.
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