shield means 'protect' or 'hide'?

[san2612]

Succession occurs because plants and animals cause a change in the environment in which they live. The first weeds and grasses that appear on a bare field, for example, change the environment by shielding the soil from the direct sunlight. As these plants spread, the ground surface becomes cooler and moisture than it was originally. Thus, the environment at the ground surface has been changed. The new surface conditions favor the sprouting of shrubs. As shrubs grow, they kill the grasses by preventing light from reaching them and also build up the soil in the area. In addition, they attract animals that also enhance the soil

The word ‘shielding’ can be replaced by ______.
A. hiding B. protecting C. changing D. exposing

I chose B but the answer is A. Which one is better?
I found both meanings of the word here
shield - definition of shield by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.
shield : (tr) to protect, hide, or conceal (something) from danger or harm

 

[billmcd]

Succession occurs because plants and animals cause a change in the environment in which they live. The first weeds and grasses that appear on a bare field, for example, change the environment by shielding the soil from the direct sunlight. As these plants spread, the ground surface becomes cooler and moisture than it was originally. Thus, the environment at the ground surface has been changed. The new surface conditions favor the sprouting of shrubs. As shrubs grow, they kill the grasses by preventing light from reaching them and also build up the soil in the area. In addition, they attract animals that also enhance the soil

The word ‘shielding’ can be replaced by ______.
A. hiding B. protecting C. changing D. exposing

I chose B but the answer is A. Which one is better?
I found both meanings of the word here
shield - definition of shield by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.
shield : (tr) to protect, hide, or conceal (something) from danger or harm

I would choose B. also as the best answer. Who said or wrote that A. was the correct answer?

 

[bhaisahab]

B is definitely the best answer.

 

[emsr2d2]

EDIT: Please disregard my answer. I completely misread the question and thought the original said "hiding" and that Choice A was "shielding". I must stop posting in the middle of the night!

Interesting. I would pretty much always use "to shield" before "sunlight". Isn't the thing in your car that stops the sun getting in your eyes a "sunshield"?

I chose A.

I use a parasol to shield me from the sun.
I use an umbrella to shield me from the rain.
He raised the newspaper to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight.

 

[allenman]

I agree that A is *slightly* better than B. B works for me though.


Not a teacher -- AmE native

 

[5jj]

Interesting. I would pretty much always use "to shield" before "sunlight". Isn't the thing in your car that stops the sun getting in your eyes a "sunshield"?

I chose A.

I use a parasol to shield me from the sun.
I use an umbrella to shield me from the rain.
He raised the newspaper to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight.

You appear to have chosen the word that means 'conceal' rather than the one that means 'protect', though your examples appear to have the meaning of 'protect'.

 

[bhaisahab]

Interesting. I would pretty much always use "to shield" before "sunlight". Isn't the thing in your car that stops the sun getting in your eyes a "sunshield"?

I chose A.

I use a parasol to shield me from the sun.
I use an umbrella to shield me from the rain.
He raised the newspaper to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight.

A is "hiding" not "shielding".

 

[emsr2d2]

Please see my edit in my previous post. I completely misread the question and thought "hiding" was in the original text and that "shielding" was Choice A.

Apologies for any confusion.