Sentence:  After the spate of female vocalists we have been having , all of whom took Sarah as a point of departure and then tried to <WSD>see</WSD> what they could do that might make her seem old hat , it seemed that all that has happened is to make the real thing seem better than ever . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by making an inquiry or other effort