The meaning of the word "trace" in the sentence is:
A. (verb) 2. To study by going back over a progression step-by-step.
Explanation:
Since the word "trace" as used in the sentence is a verb, we can already eliminate options B and D. The sentence does not talk about the action of drawing something by following an outline of a shape. Instead, it talks of being able to find out information by going back, a step at a time. That is what we do when we study our ancestry. We go further and further back, finding members of our family that are more and more distant from us. Having that in mind, we can easily choose letter A as the best option:
A. (verb) 2. To study by going back over a progression step-by-step.
