Obviously they were putting him to a severe test.是什么意思？

Obviously they were putting him to a severe test.

显然他们是在给他以严峻的考验。

obviously

adv. 明显地；

例句
I thought he was very attractive and obviously very intelligent...
我觉得他魅力非凡，才智过人。

they

pron. 他/她/它们，人们，大家，政府，当局，她们；

例句
The storms had abated by the time they rounded Cape Horn.
他们绕过合恩角时，暴风雨已经减弱。

were

be的过去时复数和第二人称单数形式，有时代替 was,用于条件从句、动词 wish 之后等；

例句
Shops, houses, and vehicles were set ablaze.
店铺、房子和车辆全都陷于火海。

putting

v. 放置（put的现在分词），轻击球（putt的现在分词）；

例句
He is putting the accent on military readiness...
他强调要保持备战状态。

him

pron. (he的宾格)他；

例句
They said goodbye to him as he got aboard the train at Union Station.
当他在联合火车站登上火车之际，他们向他道别。

to

prep. 向，朝着，到，关于，属于；adv. 朝一个方向的，到某种状态，关闭；

例句
I suggest you leave it to an expert...
我建议你把它留给专家来解决。

severe

adj. 严峻的，严厉的，剧烈的，苛刻的；

例句
He had severe abrasions to his right cheek.
他的右脸颊有严重的擦伤。

test

n. 试验，考验，测验，化

例句
Car manufacturers are already producing small numbers of electric vehicles to test customer acceptance...
汽车制造商们已经开始生产少量的电动车辆以测试顾客的接受程度。