Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
Answer:While local governments have implemented various community-level recycling initiatives to address the growing crisis of plastic pollution, environmental scientists warn that these localized efforts can only 【mitigate】 the problem. They argue that such measures, while beneficial, merely reduce the immediate impact rather than solve the issue entirely, unless global manufacturing of single-use plastics is also drastically curtailed.
Answer
mitigate (or a similar word meaning to make less severe, such as alleviate, lessen, or reduce)
The text contrasts community-level recycling initiatives with a complete solution to the plastic pollution crisis, noting that these local efforts 'merely reduce the immediate impact.' Therefore, the correct word must mean to make a problem less severe or to moderate its impact without eliminating it entirely. Words such as 'mitigate' or 'alleviate' logically and precisely fit this context.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Using contextual clues (specifically contrast and qualification) to identify a precise word that completes a text logically.
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