Which sentence uses "primary" in the same sense as in the vacation sentence?

Which sentence uses "primary" in the same sense as in the vacation sentence?

• A. The primary color of the flag is blue.
• B. The primary source of funding came from donations.
• C. The primary care physician scheduled the appointment.
• D. He primary enjoyed the trip and rested.

Answer: (B)

Primary means main or principal. If the vacation sentence is aiming to express the idea of the main source or origin, the sentence that uses primary to describe the funding as the main origin fits that sense best. Saying “the primary source of funding came from donations” explicitly marks donations as the chief or most important source of funds, which is exactly the sense of primary being tested. The other uses shift the word to different, less related senses: “primary color” refers to a basic color category in art, not about importance; “primary care physician” uses primary to denote a role or position, not origin; and the last option is not correct because the adverbial form would be primarily, not primary.

Primary means main or principal. If the vacation sentence is aiming to express the idea of the main source or origin, the sentence that uses primary to describe the funding as the main origin fits that sense best. Saying “the primary source of funding came from donations” explicitly marks donations as the chief or most important source of funds, which is exactly the sense of primary being tested.

The other uses shift the word to different, less related senses: “primary color” refers to a basic color category in art, not about importance; “primary care physician” uses primary to denote a role or position, not origin; and the last option is not correct because the adverbial form would be primarily, not primary.