In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. Read the passage carefully and select the correct answer for the given blank out of the four alternatives.
Despite various signs of economic slowdown such as languishing industrial production and adverse effects of the drought on rural livelihoods and demand, the government is apparently unable or unwilling to increase public spending to __________ people’s material distress or to kick-start economic __________ to increase employment.
Select the correct alternative for the fourth blank:
spending to __________ people's material distress
- Acool off
- Bcut
- Cless
- Dmitigate
Solution & Step-by-step Explanation
The context mentions reducing or relieving people's material distress.
mitigate means to make something bad less severe, serious, or painful. This perfectly collocates with words like "distress", "suffering", or "pain".
less is an adjective/adverb, not a base verb required after "to".
cut means to reduce, but isn't typically used directly with "distress".
Hence, mitigate is the most accurate word choice.
mitigate means to make something bad less severe, serious, or painful. This perfectly collocates with words like "distress", "suffering", or "pain".
less is an adjective/adverb, not a base verb required after "to".
cut means to reduce, but isn't typically used directly with "distress".
Hence, mitigate is the most accurate word choice.