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Question

Difficulty: HardWord Precision and Clarity

The following passage discusses the history of antibiotic resistance.

In the early twentieth century, the discovery of penicillin revolutionized medicine by providing an effective treatment for bacterial infections. However, the widespread and often indiscriminate use of antibiotics has accelerated the evolution of resistant bacterial strains. This growing resistance threatens to ruin the efficacy of these life-saving drugs.

Which choice provides the most precise and contextually appropriate word to replace the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. compromiseAnswer
  3. C
    damage
  4. D
    cripple

Answer

compromise
The word 'compromise' is the most precise and contextually appropriate option. In academic and scientific contexts, 'compromise' is used to mean weakening, undermining, or bringing into danger, which perfectly fits the abstract noun 'efficacy' (effectiveness).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the tone and context of the passage.
The passage has a formal, scientific tone, discussing the medical history and biological mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. The word chosen must fit this objective register.
Ensuring register consistency is a key requirement of ACT English word precision questions.
2
Evaluate the underlined word and each alternative choice against the noun phrase it modifies ('the efficacy').
'Efficacy' is an abstract noun meaning effectiveness. The correct verb must logically pair with an abstract concept.
Verbs must be both grammatically and semantically precise for the nouns they modify.
3
Select the word that is both formal and semantically correct for modifying the effectiveness of a drug.
While 'ruin,' 'damage,' and 'cripple' are colloquial or physically imprecise, 'compromise' means to weaken or undermine, making it the most precise fit for 'efficacy.'
To identify the best choice, we must eliminate options that are too informal or denote physical harm to abstract concepts.

Key Concept

Word Precision and Clarity
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Topics

Word Precision and Clarity

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