Question

Read the passage and answer the question. Passage: A village library is often a single room with a few shelves, yet it can change the life of a whole village. In the morning, schoolchildren arrive to finish their homework; in the afternoon, farmers read newspapers to learn the prices of their crops; in the evening, older residents gather to discuss books and local news. The librarian is usually the most patient person in the village. She knows which child likes stories of adventure, which farmer needs information about seeds, and which student is preparing for a competitive examination. When funds are short, she repairs torn books with tape and asks families to donate the books their children have outgrown. A library also teaches a quiet discipline. Readers learn to wait for a book, to return it on time, and to share what is scarce. In many villages, the library is the only place where a child can sit and read without being asked to work in the fields. That small room, with its smell of old paper, often holds the first dream of a doctor, a teacher or an engineer. The word “scarce” in the passage is closest in meaning to: