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Difficulty: MediumPhrasal Verbs and Prepositional Verbs

Which of the following phrasal verbs correctly completes the sentence below?

'During the press conference, the official spokesperson tried to __________ the severity of the economic downturn, assuring citizens that the financial crisis was only temporary.'

  1. play downAnswer
  2. B
    play off
  3. C
    play out
  4. D
    play up

Answer

play down
The phrasal verb 'play down' means to deliberately minimize the importance or severity of something. In the given sentence, the spokesperson attempts to make the economic downturn seem less serious to keep citizens calm.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context of the sentence
The spokesperson is trying to reassure citizens by making the economic crisis appear minor and temporary.
Understanding sentence context is essential for selecting the correct phrasal verb meaning.
2
Evaluate the phrasal verb meanings against the required context
'Play down' is the established phrasal verb meaning to make something seem less important, serious, or bad than it really is.
Matching contextual meaning to idiomatic phrasal verb definitions ensures grammatical and semantic precision.

Key Concept

Phrasal Verbs and Contextual Meaning
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Topics

Phrasal Verbs and Prepositional Verbs

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