Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[davidxiaofeng]

Read the following sentences:

Let's look back in history to an early way of life. At one time, children didn't have to learn any more than how to cope with their physical draw back when they got too close to something dangerous.

What does "cope with their physical drawback" mean?

Many thanks in advance!

[obelix]

In this instance "cope with their physical drawback" means, that children, at the time in history being discussed, only had to worry about their limited strength, agility, skill in defending themselves, etc., when they got too close to something dangerous.

[davidxiaofeng]

[Corey]

Actually, this sentence doesn't really make a whole lot of sense.

Physical drawback usually refers to some kind of physical impairment like somebody with only one arm, or deafness.
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[bud]

Corey, I thought the same when I first read it. But after Obelix's response, it makes sense to me. In this case, physical drawbacks means man's weakness compared to lions and tigers and bears, not to mention mammoths. He coped by using his superior brain.