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Difficulty: EasyWords in Context: High-Utility Vocabulary

During the early twentieth century, the widespread adoption of assembly line manufacturing fundamentally transformed the automotive industry. By dividing the complex production process into simple, repetitive steps, factories allowed individual workers to focus on specific tasks. Consequently, car manufacturers were able to dramatically _______ the time required to build a single vehicle, leading to lower prices for consumers.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

  1. reduceAnswer
  2. B
    prolong
  3. C
    estimate
  4. D
    construct

Answer

reduce
The passage focuses on the efficiency gains from the adoption of assembly line manufacturing, where dividing labor into specialized, simple tasks would logically decrease the duration of production. The word meaning 'to make smaller or less in amount or degree' precisely fits this context.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context of the passage
The passage describes the transition to assembly line manufacturing, which split complex production into simple, repetitive steps to increase efficiency.
Understanding the main idea helps identify the logical relationship between the transition to assembly lines and the time needed to manufacture a vehicle.
2
Determine the impact of these factory changes on production time
Simplifying and repeating tasks makes the process faster, meaning the time required to build a vehicle would decrease.
This allows us to select a word that means to make smaller or decrease, which fits the logical flow of the passage.

Key Concept

Identifying contextual vocabulary that completes a text logically and precisely by analyzing sentence structure and clues.
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Topics

Words in Context: High-Utility Vocabulary

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