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Question

Difficulty: MediumAdjectives, Adverbs, and Modifiers

Complete the sentence below by entering the grammatically correct modifier in the blank space provided.

Answer:Having analyzed the seismic records thoroughly, the geophysicist argued that the fault line was moving 【much more rapidly】 than previously estimated.

Answer

much more rapidly
The correct response requires a comparative adverbial phrase to modify the action verb 'moving' alongside the conjunction 'than'. 'Much more rapidly' correctly combines the degree intensifier 'much' with the comparative adverb 'more rapidly'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word being modified and its part of speech.
The target word is the verb phrase 'was moving', which requires an adverb to describe the manner of movement.
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, whereas adjectives modify nouns.
2
Determine the required degree of comparison and intensifier.
The word 'than' signals a comparative construction, requiring the comparative adverb form 'more rapidly' intensified by an adverb of degree such as 'much', 'far', or 'significantly'.
Comparative adverbs ending in '-ly' take 'more', and intensifiers like 'much' modify comparative adverbs correctly.

Key Concept

Comparative Adverbial Modification and Degree Modifiers
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Topics

Adjectives, Adverbs, and Modifiers

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