سوال ۳۸ کنکور ارشد مدیریت کسب‌وکار (MBA) ۱۴۰۴

Passage 2 summary: In 1819, Raffles acquired Singapore as a strategically located commercial stop, and its early trading success came from merchants who profited from unequal access to information rather than locally grown spices or silk. By independence in 1965, the island had extensive international trading experience, but commercial expertise remained concentrated among a small group whose activities could not generate enough employment for the expanding population. The government pursued industrialization when multinational companies were seeking overseas markets and production sites, welcoming them despite suspicion in many other newly independent countries. The companies gained inexpensive land and labour while Singapore converted underused land and unemployment into industrial opportunity, producing strong economic progress over the following 20–25 years.

Context phrase: “confined to a small community of traders”

The underlined word “confined” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to .......... .