The troubled ecosystem of the estuary showed signs of recovery after the cleanup effort removed decades of industrial waste.
河口受损的生态系统在清理工作移除了数十年的工业废物后，显示出恢复的迹象。
Which choice best defines “troubled”?
A — Having problems or difficulties. “troubled” means having problems or difficulties.
Which word means “having problems or difficulties”?
C — troubled. “troubled” means having problems or difficulties.
troubled — having problems or difficulties. In Chinese: 烦恼的，困扰的.
troubled is pronounced /ˈtrʌbld/.
The troubled ecosystem of the estuary showed signs of recovery after the cleanup effort removed decades of industrial waste. (河口受损的生态系统在清理工作移除了数十年的工业废物后，显示出恢复的迹象。)
distressed, worried, problematic — all close in meaning to troubled (having problems or difficulties).
untroubled, serene — each the opposite of troubled (having problems or difficulties).
Yes. troubled is on the SAT Prep Basic list — the everyday academic words the SAT assumes you already have. The Digital SAT does not test vocabulary in isolation; words like this one are tested through Words in Context questions, where you choose the word that completes a passage most logically and precisely.