Select the most appropriate word to complete the following sentence:-
The new government policy aims to ____ the economic gap between rich and poor.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → lessen
Complete sentence: The new government policy aims to lessen the economic gap between rich and poor. After "to", the sentence needs a verb, and a policy that aims to reduce the gap between rich and poor aims to lessen it.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) lease | to rent out land or property for a fixed time (one cannot lease a gap) | They leased the shop for five years. |
| (2) least | smallest in amount (it is an adjective or adverb, not a verb, so it cannot follow "to") | He did the least work of all. |
| (3) lessen (answer) | (verb) to make something smaller or less | This medicine will lessen the pain. |
| (4) lesson | a period of teaching or something learnt (it is a noun and sounds like lessen, but makes no sense here) | The first lesson today is mathematics. |