Question : Comprehension:
In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
Unemployment arises from a variety of_____ (1). One which is always recurring and the effects of which we have had a recent example is the disorganisation of the industry resulting from a long war, this is a serious______ (2) admitting of no easy ________(3) at the best of times. Again there is unemployment which followed a marked diminution in the______ (4) of any raw product, such as cotton; fewer hands are required in the mills and the factories. We may call this the cause of bad harvests. Similar, but more serious is the effect of changes in industry due to the invention of machinery which does more work and requires________ (5) hands. Yet another cause is strike or lockout and this is more to be deplored because such a stoppage is due to a very trivial matter, perhaps the men are working half an hour longer than what their Union permits.
Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank number 5.
Option 1: fewer
Option 2: more
Option 3: many
Option 4: a lot of
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Correct Answer: fewer
Solution : The correct choice is the first option.
In the context of the sentence, the phrase "machinery does more work and requires" indicates a reduction in the number of hands needed for the work due to the efficiency of machinery. The correct term to use is fewer, as it is the comparative form of "few", and it is used when referring to a smaller number of countable items.
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