Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: boon
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This blank filling question tests your ability to choose vocabulary that fits both grammatically and contextually. The sentence is about an economic impact on a struggling town caused by the relocation of a car factory. You must select the word that best captures the positive and beneficial nature of this development in economic terms.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The key is to understand the collocation economic plus a noun. In formal English, economic boon is a common phrase used in news reports and analysis to describe something that brings great benefit to an economy. Words like good, donation, and present are either too general or not normally paired with economic in this way. Therefore, we focus on choosing a word that fits both meaning and idiomatic usage.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Verification / Alternative check:
If you read newspapers and magazines, you will often see sentences like The new highway is an economic boon for the region or Tourism has been an economic boon for the coastal towns. These examples show that boon is the natural choice when discussing big positive changes in financial and employment conditions. The other options do not appear in such contexts and feel informal or incorrect when combined with economic.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Good is wrong because it lacks specificity and does not form a strong collocation with economic in this sentence.
Donation is wrong because relocation of a factory is a business decision, not a charitable act of giving money or goods.
Present is wrong because it usually refers to a personal gift, not to large economic developments that transform a town.
Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates may choose good simply because it is a positive word. However, exams often test precise collocations rather than general positivity. Another pitfall is to misread the sentence as describing a single act of kindness, which might suggest donation or present, but the context clearly concerns the broader economic effect of a factory relocation.
Final Answer:
The most appropriate word is boon, giving the phrase economic boon.
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