Fill in the blank with the most appropriate verb: "Fuel suppliers will ______________ the national oil shortage by raising prices to increase their bottom lines."

Introduction / Context:
This question tests your understanding of vocabulary and context. The sentence describes how fuel suppliers respond to a national oil shortage by raising prices in order to increase their profits. The correct verb in the blank must capture the negative idea of taking unfair advantage of that shortage for financial gain.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- Sentence: Fuel suppliers will ______________ the national oil shortage by raising prices to increase their bottom lines. - Options: use, misuse, venture, exploit. - The phrase raising prices to increase their bottom lines suggests a profit driven and possibly unfair response. - The verb must reflect this negative or critical nuance.

Concept / Approach:
The verb exploit means to make use of a situation or resource in an unfair or selfish way, especially for personal gain. This is a perfect fit for a sentence about companies increasing prices during a shortage. Use is neutral and does not carry the negative judgment implied by the context. Misuse refers to using something incorrectly, and venture refers to taking a risk. Therefore, exploit is the most appropriate choice.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Focus on the clue provided by the phrase raising prices to increase their bottom lines, which clearly indicates profit driven behaviour. Step 2: Recall the meaning of exploit: to take unfair advantage of a situation or to use it selfishly for benefit. Step 3: Insert exploit into the sentence: Fuel suppliers will exploit the national oil shortage by raising prices to increase their bottom lines. Step 4: Observe that this choice matches both the meaning and tone of the sentence. Step 5: Test use, misuse, and venture in the same position and note how they fail to capture the specific idea of unfair advantage.

Verification / Alternative check:
Consider how journalists or commentators describe similar behaviour. Expressions like exploit a crisis, exploit a loophole, or exploit a shortage are common when criticising those who profit from difficult situations. On the other hand, fuel suppliers will use the national oil shortage sounds incomplete and neutral, while fuel suppliers will misuse the national oil shortage is unnatural because shortages are not tools to be misused. Venture does not fit the pattern at all, as one ventures into business, not into a shortage.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Use is a general verb that simply means make use of. It is too weak to convey the morally critical tone suggested by the rest of the sentence. Misuse usually refers to using an object, resource, or power in the wrong way, such as misuse public funds; a shortage itself is not something that can be misused in that sense. Venture typically means undertake a risky journey or course of action, for example venture into new markets, which does not align with the idea of raising prices in response to scarcity.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates may feel that use is safe because it fits grammatically, but they overlook the negative shade implied by raising prices to increase profits. A strong habit in cloze tests should be to read the entire sentence and pay attention to tone. When the tone is critical and the subject is benefiting from a negative situation, exploit is a key verb to remember as it neatly captures that idea.

Final Answer:
exploit is the correct verb, giving the sentence: Fuel suppliers will exploit the national oil shortage by raising prices to increase their bottom lines.