Final answer:
The question is asking students to use context clues to determine the meaning of a word in a sentence.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is a language arts question that requires the use of context clues to determine the meaning of the underlined word in a sentence. In this specific case, the word underlined is 'sweltered'.
By analyzing the sentence and considering the extreme dry weather described, we can deduce that 'sweltered' means that the dried leaves in the backyard were subjected to excessive heat and experienced extreme discomfort.