As used in the text, what does the phrase "set aside" most nearly mean?

Question

When landscape architect Beatrix Farrand planned a garden, she rarely began with a drawing. She visited a site again and again, noting where the sunlight fell and how the rainwater drained. Only after weeks of watching would she set aside a portion of the grounds for the neatly bordered flower beds her clients had asked for, leaving the remaining acres to grow in tangles of native shrubs and grasses.

Accepted Answer

B. Reserve. The sentence says Farrand would set aside "a portion of the grounds for" the flower beds her clients wanted—she was designating part of the land for a specific use, so "reserve" fits. (A) "Reject" imports the common idiom "set aside an objection," i.e., to dismiss something, but Farrand is assigning land, not refusing it. (C) "Delay" imports the other common idiom "set aside for later"; the object of the phrase here is a place (a portion of the grounds), not a task that could be postponed. (D) "Enclose" is chosen by students who guess from the surrounding garden imagery ("neatly bordered beds") rather than from the phrase's role in the sentence; the sentence describes choosing which land to use, not building a border around it.

Answer

A. Reject — "Reject" comes from a different idiom—"set aside an objection," meaning to dismiss it—but Farrand is assigning land to a purpose, not refusing anything.

Answer

C. Delay — "Delay" comes from the idiom "set aside for later," which needs a task as its object; here the object is a portion of the grounds, a place being designated for flower beds.

Answer

D. Enclose — This choice fits the garden imagery around the phrase ("neatly bordered beds") rather than the phrase's job in the sentence, which is about choosing which land to use, not building a border around it.

Craft and Structure practice question

Answer: B. Reserve

Why the other answers are wrong

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