Measures to __________ working conditions have had little effect.

Measures to __________ working conditions have had little effect.

• A. Ameliorate
• B. Execrable
• C. Larceny
• D. Censure

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is choosing a verb that means to make something better, especially in a formal, policy-like context. Measures to ameliorate working conditions are actions aimed at improving those conditions, and the sentence says those efforts haven’t achieved much, so a word meaning “improve” fits naturally. Ameliorate fits perfectly because it directly conveys the purpose of the measures—to improve or ameliorate the working conditions. The sentence then logically notes that those efforts have had little effect, highlighting limited success. The other options don’t fit as well. Execrable is an adjective meaning extremely bad, not a verb meaning to improve, so it wouldn’t grammatically or meaningfully complete the sentence. Larceny is a noun meaning theft and has no sensible role in talking about improving conditions. Censure means to express strong disapproval; while you could talk about measures to censure, that would shift the meaning to criticism rather than improvement, making the sentence less coherent with the idea of trying to better conditions.

The main idea here is choosing a verb that means to make something better, especially in a formal, policy-like context. Measures to ameliorate working conditions are actions aimed at improving those conditions, and the sentence says those efforts haven’t achieved much, so a word meaning “improve” fits naturally.

Ameliorate fits perfectly because it directly conveys the purpose of the measures—to improve or ameliorate the working conditions. The sentence then logically notes that those efforts have had little effect, highlighting limited success.

The other options don’t fit as well. Execrable is an adjective meaning extremely bad, not a verb meaning to improve, so it wouldn’t grammatically or meaningfully complete the sentence. Larceny is a noun meaning theft and has no sensible role in talking about improving conditions. Censure means to express strong disapproval; while you could talk about measures to censure, that would shift the meaning to criticism rather than improvement, making the sentence less coherent with the idea of trying to better conditions.