Understanding the Meaning of 'Constitution' in Context

The question asks us to identify the meaning of the word 'constitution' as used in the sentence: "His delicate constitution could not withstand the high heat and humidity in Mumbai."

Analyzing the Word 'Constitution'

The word 'constitution' has multiple meanings in English. Let's look at some common ones:

• It can refer to the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group that determine the powers and duties of the government and guarantee certain rights to the people (like the Constitution of India).
• It can refer to the way in which something is made up or composed; the composition of something.
• It can refer to a person's physical state or health, especially in terms of strength and vitality. This is often referred to as the 'physical constitution' or 'bodily constitution'.
• Less commonly, it can refer to a person's mental character or temperament.

Examining the Sentence Context

The sentence is "His delicate constitution could not withstand the high heat and humidity in Mumbai."

Here, 'constitution' is described as 'delicate'. This delicate state prevents the person from withstanding 'high heat and humidity'. Heat and humidity are environmental factors that directly affect a person's physical well-being and health.

Therefore, the word 'constitution' in this specific sentence is referring to the person's physical ability to tolerate challenging environmental conditions like heat and humidity.

Evaluating the Options

Let's look at the given options in light of our analysis:

• Option 1: Physical character of the body. This meaning perfectly fits the context. A person with a 'delicate physical character' or 'delicate physical constitution' would indeed struggle to withstand high heat and humidity.
• Option 2: A book or a document. This meaning refers to a governing document and is completely unrelated to a person's ability to tolerate environmental conditions.
• Option 3: Set of rules. Similar to option 2, this meaning is related to regulations or principles and does not fit the context of physical resilience to heat.
• Option 4: Mental makeup of a person. While 'constitution' can sometimes relate to mental state, the impact described (inability to withstand heat and humidity) is primarily a physical one. The physical constitution is far more directly affected by temperature and humidity than the mental makeup.

Comparing the options, the meaning that best aligns with the context of a 'delicate constitution' being unable to tolerate 'high heat and humidity' is the physical state or character of the body.

Conclusion

In the context of the sentence provided, the word 'constitution' refers to the physical character or state of the body.