Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: significantly
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This question continues the cloze test contrasting management with leadership. Here the focus is on how leadership deals with change. The sentence to complete is: "Leadership is a set of processes that creates organization in the first place or adapts them to _____ changing circumstances." You must choose the adverb that correctly modifies "changing circumstances" and fits the meaning of the passage.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- Sentence fragment: "adapts them to _____ changing circumstances".
- Options: normally, run, show, significantly.
- The passage emphasises that leadership is about adjusting organisations to changes, often deep or major ones, in the environment.
Concept / Approach:
In management and leadership literature, phrases like "rapidly changing circumstances", "constantly changing circumstances", or "significantly changing circumstances" are common. They underline that change is strong enough to require adaptation. Among the options given, only "significantly" appropriately modifies "changing circumstances" to convey that the changes are substantial and important. "Normally" contradicts the idea of change; "run" and "show" are verbs, not adverbs, and cannot fit grammatically after "to".
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the grammatical role: after "to", we need an adverb that qualifies how the circumstances are changing, not a verb or adjective.Step 2: Evaluate "normally". This means "in a normal way". The phrase "normally changing circumstances" sounds contradictory, because change implies departure from normal patterns.Step 3: Evaluate "run". This is a base verb and does not fit grammatically after "to" in this position.Step 4: Evaluate "show". This is also a base verb and cannot directly follow "to" here, because "to show changing circumstances" would distort the structure of the sentence.Step 5: Evaluate "significantly". This is an adverb and matches the pattern "adapt them to significantly changing circumstances", meaning the circumstances are changing in a substantial or meaningful way.Step 6: Therefore, "significantly" is the correct choice.
Verification / Alternative check:
Insert "significantly" into the sentence: "Leadership is a set of processes that creates organization in the first place or adapts them to significantly changing circumstances." This sounds like a line from a business leadership book and correctly emphasises that changes are important enough to require strategic adaptation. Trying "normally changing circumstances" feels unnatural and conceptually off, and "run" or "show" simply do not fit grammatically.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
- Normally: suggests regular, routine conditions and undermines the idea of notable change.- Run: a verb that cannot function as the needed adverb in this position.- Show: another verb that does not complete the structure "adapts them to ... changing circumstances".
Common Pitfalls:
In cloze tests, some candidates only check grammar loosely and may choose a word that "sounds okay" without testing the full phrase. It is important to ask: Does this option fit both grammatically and logically? Here, the logic of leadership responding to major change suggests a strong adverb like significantly. Remember that business texts often pair "changing circumstances" with adverbs such as rapidly, dramatically, or significantly, emphasizing the need for adaptation.
Final Answer:
The correct completion is "significantly", giving: "Leadership is a set of processes that creates organization in the first place or adapts them to significantly changing circumstances."
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