Read the excerpts from Samuel Johnson’s preface to A Dictionary of the English Language . So far have I been from any care to grace my pages with modern decorations, that I have studiously endeavoured to collect examples and authorities from the writers before the restoration. I look with pleasure on my book, however defective, and deliver it to the world with the spirit of a man that has endeavoured well. In both excerpts, the word endeavour means to
Answer
A
make an effort or attempt, or to try.
B
probe, investigate, or examine.
C
judge harshly or criticize.
D
overlook, ignore, or neglect.
Explanation
In the first excerpt, Johnson says he “studiously endeavoured to collect” examples, meaning he made a deliberate effort to collect them. In the second, he describes himself as someone who “has endeavoured well,” again referring to trying or making an effort. Therefore, “make an effort or attempt, or to try” is the correct choice.
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