Question

Use the sentence to answer the question.

Jill feared that the weeks she had to spend off her feet would cause her skills to atrophy, but when she could practice again she found that her soccer skills remained as good as ever.

Based on the context, which is the most likely meaning of atrophy?

(1 point)
Responses

unite
unite

weaken
weaken

return
return

improve

weaken

The most likely meaning of atrophy, based on the context, is weaken.

To determine the most likely meaning of "atrophy" based on the context, we can look at the sentence structure and the word choices used alongside it. In this sentence, it mentions that Jill feared that the weeks she had to spend off her feet would cause her skills to atrophy. Given that Jill is worried about her skills, it suggests that atrophy means a decline or weakening in this context. Therefore, the most likely meaning of "atrophy" in this sentence is "weaken."