Select the most more appropriate option to fill in the blank.
The patient was taken to the _________ hospital.

nearest

The most appropriate option to fill in the blank is nearest.

The other options, next, near, and nearer, are all synonyms of nearest, but they do not have the same meaning in this context.

• Next means "immediately following." In this context, it would mean that the patient was taken to the hospital that was closest to where they were found. However, there could be multiple hospitals that are equally close, so "next" would not be the most accurate word to use.
• Near means "not far away." It is a general term that does not specify how close something is. In this context, it would be too vague to use.
• Nearer means "closer." It is a comparative form of near, and it would only be appropriate to use if there were two or more hospitals that were close, and the patient was taken to the one that was closer.