Sentence:  It purported to be a reasonably serious <WSD>attempt</WSD> at a treatment of jazz musicians , their aims , their problems - the tug-of-war between the `` pure '' and the `` commercial '' - and seemed a promising vehicle , for the two men shared a common interest in jazz . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something