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Question

Difficulty: MediumAdjectives, Adverbs, and Modifiers

Complete the sentence below by supplying the grammatically appropriate adverb of degree in the blank space provided.

Answer:The environmental panel reviewed the impact assessment so meticulously that they could 【hardly】 find any ecological flaws in the proposed project.

Answer

hardly (or 'scarcely' / 'barely')
The adverb 'hardly' (or 'scarcely'/'barely') correctly modifies the verb phrase 'could find' to convey that almost no flaws were identified despite thorough inspection.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context of the sentence and the intended meaning of the modifier.
The sentence indicates that due to meticulous review, finding flaws was almost impossible or occurred only to a minimal degree.
The word 'any' following the blank signals a negative degree adverb meaning 'almost not'.
2
Select the correct negative adverb of degree that collocates with 'could' and 'any'.
Adverbs such as 'hardly', 'scarcely', or 'barely' express the negative degree required without creating a double negative.
'Hardly' acts as a semi-negative modifier meaning 'almost no' or 'almost not' when combined with 'any'.

Key Concept

Adverbs of Degree and Negative Modifiers
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Topics

Adjectives, Adverbs, and Modifiers

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