Entry Exam Category: College Admission Exams
Course: Accuplacer
Exam: Accuplacer Reading Full-Length Practice Test
Practice Question
Extract
The following sentence has a blank indicating that something has been left out. Beneath the sentence are four words or phrases. Choose the word or phrase that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole. Ecologist Frank Ortega warned that the state's decision to ______ the rigid standards for disposal of toxic wastes would be construed as a signal that sloppiness in handling such wastes will be tolerated.
Ecologist Frank Ortega warned that the state's decision to ______ the rigid standards for disposal of toxic wastes would be construed as a signal that sloppiness in handling such wastes will be tolerated.
Answer Choices
- A: enforce
- B: codify
- C: relax
- D: publicize
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The sentence warns that a certain action would suggest tolerating sloppiness, which is a negative outcome. If the state enforced or codified rigid standards, that would imply stricter or clearer rules, which would prevent sloppiness — not encourage it. Publicizing the standards doesn’t affect their strictness — it just makes them more well-known. To relax the rigid standards means to make them less strict, which logically leads to the concern that sloppy handling may be tolerated.