She held up her hands, strong, shapely hands, and surveyed them critically, drawing up her fawn sleeves above the wrists. Looking at them reminded her of her rings, which she had given to her husband before leaving for the beach. Which is the best evidence that "surveyed" means "looked at"? The author uses both "surveyed" and "looking" to describe the narrator observing her hands. The author uses a verb form of "to survey" instead of "to look" to help the reader visualize more clearly. The author is describing a character’s strong, shapely hands, with missing rings on the fingers. The author is describing a routine, personal exchange between a wife and her husband.