Question

In her 11 years of teaching, she said she's seen the toll constant communication has taken on her students. "If you talk to any teacher, we've all noticed in the past five years, we've definitely seen a spike in anxiety," she said. The author uses the word "spike" to mean:

Answer 1

The word 'spike' is used by the author to indicate a sudden and significant increase in student anxiety levels, observed over the past five years.

Step-by-step explanation:

The author uses the word "spike" to signify a sudden increase or surge, particularly referring to the rise in anxiety among students as observed by the teacher over a period of five years.

In the context given, "spike" indicates a noticeable and considerable upward trend in the levels of anxiety, implying that the issue has intensified rapidly and has become more pronounced or acute during that timeframe.