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Difficulty: Very hardWord Precision and Clarity

To prevent the spread of the virus, health officials recommended that individuals abbreviate their public gatherings and work from home whenever possible. Since crowded spaces facilitate transmission, reducing interpersonal contact is paramount. Consequently, local governments have also suspended large-scale events.

Which choice is the most precise and appropriate word to replace the bolded word in the passage?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    truncate
  3. curtailAnswer
  4. D
    desist

Answer

curtail
The word 'curtail' is correct because it means to reduce in extent or quantity, or to impose a restriction on. It is the most precise and idiomatic word to describe limiting or reducing public gatherings.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context of the sentence and the meaning of the bolded word.
The sentence describes reducing or limiting social gatherings. The bolded word 'abbreviate' specifically refers to shortening words or texts.
To determine if the original word is precise and correct in context.
2
Evaluate the alternative options for precision and grammatical correctness.
'Truncate' applies to physical ends, data, or mathematical series; 'desist' is intransitive and lacks the required preposition 'from'; 'curtail' means to restrict or reduce in extent or quantity.
To find the word that fits both the semantic and grammatical context of the passage.
3
Choose the most precise and grammatically correct option.
The word 'curtail' is selected because it is both semantically precise for gatherings and grammatically appropriate.
To ensure word precision and clarity in the passage.

Key Concept

Word Precision and Clarity
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Word Precision and Clarity

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