Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: emergence
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This cloze question continues the passage on how the Internet landscape has changed. The sentence describes what we now have in today's scenario: powerful Internet monopolies. The blank must be filled with a noun that appropriately describes the process or state of such monopolies coming into existence, while fitting grammatically after the phrase we have the.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The structure we have the plus noun normally expects a noun phrase. Emergence is a noun that means the process of coming into existence or prominence, and the emergence of powerful Internet monopolies fits the context perfectly. Emerging is a present participle or adjective, emerge is a verb, and emergency is a noun meaning urgent crisis, which does not match the intended idea of gradual rise or appearance.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Note the grammar signal the before the blank, which indicates a noun is needed.
Step 2: Identify emergence as the noun form that refers to something coming into view or prominence.
Step 3: Insert emergence into the sentence: We have the emergence of powerful Internet monopolies that are much bigger than the telcos.
Step 4: Check that this combination is natural and meaningful in the context of economic and technological discussion.
Step 5: Consider emerging, which would be grammatically wrong directly after the, and emergency, which points to crisis rather than rise in power.
Step 6: Recognise that emerge is a bare verb and cannot follow the without being part of a larger structure.
Verification / Alternative check:
Read the full passage segment: The scenario has changed dramatically today. We have the emergence of powerful Internet monopolies that are much bigger than the telcos. The word emergence clearly describes the appearance and growth of these monopolies and links smoothly with the previous sentence about change. If we replaced emergence with emergency, the sentence would wrongly suggest that we have a crisis of powerful Internet monopolies, which is a different statement and does not match the original focus on their rise and dominance.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Emerging is the present participle or adjective form and would need a helping verb or different structure, such as powerful Internet monopolies are emerging. Emerge is a base verb and cannot follow the as a noun. Emergency is a noun referring to a critical situation requiring immediate action, such as a medical emergency, and does not align with the idea of gradual formation or rise of monopolies.
Common Pitfalls:
Candidates sometimes confuse similar looking words like emergence and emergency, especially when reading quickly. To avoid such errors, focus on both grammar signals like preceding articles and the logical meaning in the passage. The phrase emergence of is commonly used in academic and journalistic writing to describe trends, such as the emergence of new technologies or the emergence of a middle class, which helps to reinforce its correct usage.
Final Answer:
emergence is the correct noun to complete the sentence: We have the emergence of powerful Internet monopolies that are much bigger than the telcos.
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