Question

Read the excerpts from Samuel Johnson’s preface to A Dictionary of the English Language.

Thus have I laboured by settling the orthography, displaying the analogy, regulating the structures, and ascertaining the signification of English words, to perform all the parts of a faithful lexicographer: but I have not always executed my own scheme, or satisfied my own expectations.

The underlined word emerges as a key term in the preface because Johnson

hints at the economic importance of his dictionary.
hopes that his dictionary will enlighten the uneducated.
seeks literary recognition for his publication.
strives to emphasize the effort his dictionary required.

Answer 1

strives to emphasize the effort his dictionary required.

"Laboured" explicitly highlights the toil and work he put into settling orthography, displaying analogy, etc. The passage lists the careful tasks he performed, so the word underscores effort rather than economic motives, educating the uneducated, or seeking literary fame.