Question

Our group struggled to discover the answer to the question; we felt like a tiny shriveled balloon drifting in a vast current over the planet. What does the author mean by the words in bold?
The experience of discovering the answer was fun.
The group members felt alone and without direction.
The experience of discovering the answer was satisfying.
The group felt its happiness could be seen from far away.

Answer 1

What the author means by the words in bold and the answer to the question above is the following one: The group members felt alone and without direction. The Cambridge dictionary defines the verb "to struggle" as "to experience difficulty and to make a very great effort in order to do something". It is an intransive verb.

Answer 2

The group members felt alone and without direction.