Final answer:
Drudgery refers to hard, monotonous, or dull work. Despite the tediousness tied to it, drudgery can be beneficial as it could allow a person to focus on output or creativity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The word 'drudgery' typically refers to hard, monotonous, or dull work, typified by its repetitiveness and lack of stimulating engagement. To put it in context, the student's sentence suggests that the 'minor' experienced a level of tediousness or menial labor, but this drudgery, ironically, was beneficial in some way. This could potentially mean that the nature of this repetitive work allowed the 'minor' to produce a remarkable amount of his output since the routine could free his mind to focus on other tasks or creativity. For instance, a writer may find the act of rewriting his drafts to be drudgery, but this process allows him to refine his work, hence producing a remarkable final piece.
Learn more about drudgery